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Side by side

Paul Mitchell Clear Essential Shampoo vs Suave Lush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo

93% function match · 11 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 44%. Paul Mitchell Clear Essential Shampoo and Suave Lush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo share 2 ingredients among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
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When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Clear Essential Shampoo — fragrance-free
  • Lush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo — colour-treated hair

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
Paul Mitchell Clear Essential Shampoo — 10.14 oz container Paul Mitchell

Clear Essential Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Suave Lush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo — 16.5 oz container Suave

Lush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$20 10.14 oz · $1.97/oz
$8.20 16.5 oz · $0.50/oz
Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 61% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Lower cost than most shampoos $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 90% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Wavy–Coily The brand’s own claims name curly or textured hair. Your hair
Moisture level Same
None found No humectants found — nothing here pulls water into the hair. Your hair
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
Cleansing strength Same
Moderate Removes oil and product; leaves some conditioning behind. Your hair
Moderate Removes oil and product; leaves some conditioning behind. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Fragrance
None listed No fragrance is listed. Your hair
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Protein Same
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Expected lather Same
Moderate An ordinary shampoo lather. Your hair
Moderate An ordinary shampoo lather. Your hair
Scalp active Same
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
Hard-water defence Differs
None No chelating agent in the list. Your hair
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Why you might skip it
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
  • Hard waterno chelator here to bind the minerals
  • Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Shampoo
Shampoocream
Where to buy
Brand website
Brand website · Grocery / mass
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • fragrance-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Vegan · label states
—
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
—
Scent
—
Scented, not described

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

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The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientClear Essential ShampooLush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#3Leading
#2Leading
Polyquaternium-10
Detangles
#6Below the 1% line
#9Below the 1% line
Citric Acid
pH balancer
#7Below the 1% line
#6Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Clear Essential Shampoo

Lush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo

Full ingredient list — Clear Essential Shampoo (8)
Full ingredient list — Lush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo (14)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsClear Essential ShampooLush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo
Supported
4
1
Partly supported
0
1
Stated by brand
4
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Clear Essential Shampoo

  • Made Without GlutenStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Sulfate FreeSupportedGentler on colour and coils.
  • Color SafeSupportedLess fade per wash.
  • VeganSupportedMatches our researched record.
  • Made With Just 8 Essential IngredientsStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Dermatologist and pediatrician-testedStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Recognized by the National Eczema Association with the Seal of Acceptance™Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Fragrance-free and dye-freeSupportedSafer for scent-sensitive scalps.

Lush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo

  • Features no sulfates, parabens, or dyesSupportedGentler on colour and coils.
  • Gently cleanses and moisturizesPartly supportedSome hydration, at a low level.
  • Infused with Amino ComplexStated by brandCheck the position, not the name.
  • Ideal for curly to coily hairStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Both praised for the scent and how it cleanses. Paul Mitchell Clear Essential Shampoo draws complaints about dryness and weight; Suave Lush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo draws complaints about the price.

Clear Essential Shampoo

Several reviewers describe the gel-like formula as lathering gently and rinsing to a silky finish that feels like it does not need a separate conditioner.

general reviewers describing texture and rinse-out feel

Reviewers with sensitive scalps, fragrance allergies or skin conditions say the fragrance-free, dye-free formula does not itch or irritate the way other shampoos have.

reviewers with scalp sensitivity or allergies

Some reviewers with wavy or curly hair say it leaves hair dry, frizzy or limp, and suggest it suits straight hair better.

wavy or curly-haired reviewers

A handful of reviewers with oily or fine hair felt it did not lather or cleanse strongly enough, needing multiple washes to feel fully clean.

oily or fine-haired reviewers

Lush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo

Reviewers with curly to coily hair said the shampoo cleansed gently without stripping natural moisture or disrupting their curl pattern.

reviewers with curly or coily hair

Several reviewers, including parents washing a child's hair, said it left hair soft, defined and free of frizz.

reviewers with curly/coily hair, including parents of children with curly hair

Multiple reviewers said the scent lingers pleasantly, describing a relaxing effect while it moisturizes the scalp.

general reviewers

A reviewer said the line had become harder to find in stores and noticeably more expensive than before, though they still liked the product itself.

a longtime repeat buyer

One reviewer felt it cleansed well but didn't leave hair noticeably less dry than a regular sulfate shampoo they had used before.

a reviewer comparing it to a regular sulfate shampoo

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$0.50/oz vs $1.97/oz — Paul Mitchell Clear Essential Shampoo costs about 3.9× more per ounce than Suave Lush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.47/oz $17.29/oz $1.97/oz Clear Essential Shampoo $0.50/oz Lush & Coily Sulfate-Free

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readClear Essential ShampooLush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo
Label
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.
Lower cost than most shampoosCosts less per ounce than most shampoos we have researched.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Clear Essential Shampoo vs Clinically Formulated Biotin ShampooPura d'or · 99% function matchLush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo vs Clinically Formulated Biotin ShampooPura d'or · 95% function matchClear Essential Shampoo vs BARE Pure Clean 2in1 Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner, Anti-Dandruff TreatmentHead & Shoulders · 97% function matchLush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo vs Aussie Sulfate-Free Kids' Moist ShampooAussie · 93% function matchClear Essential Shampoo vs Native Daily Clean Shampoo - Citrus & Herbal MuskNative · 93% function matchLush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo vs Naturals Ultimate Nutrition ShampooNot Your Mother's · 93% function matchClear Essential Shampoo vs Native Daily Clean Shampoo - Santal & LeatherNative · 93% function matchLush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo vs BARE Pure Clean 2in1 Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner, Anti-Dandruff TreatmentHead & Shoulders · 92% function match

Clear Essential Shampoo · Lush & Coily Sulfate-Free Cleansing Shampoo · All shampoos in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 12 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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