Side by side
Paul Mitchell Color Protect Conditioner vs Paul Mitchell Super Smooth Conditioner
40% function match · 3 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 31%. Paul Mitchell Color Protect Conditioner and Paul Mitchell Super Smooth Conditioner share 2 ingredients among each other's most prominent.
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
- Your answers appear here
When each one is the right call
What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.
- Color Protect Conditioner — protein-hungry hair
- Super Smooth Conditioner — protein-sensitive 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”.
- Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
- Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
- Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
- Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
- Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
- A wide range of haira middle-of-the-range weight
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
- Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
- Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- curly-method compatible
- sulfate-free
- protein-free
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.
$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.
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
What only one of them carries
Color Protect Conditioner
Full ingredient list — Color Protect Conditioner (34)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Cetyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
3
Dicetyldimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
4
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract
- botanical extract
- antioxidant
-
5
Panthenol
- humectant
- conditioning agent
- vitamin
-
6
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
- film former
- protein
- hydrolysed protein
-
7
Wheat Amino Acids
- protein
- amino acid
-
8
Rice Starch
- starch
- powder
-
9
Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
- conditioning agent
- film former
- protein
- hydrolysed protein
-
10
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol
- conditioning agent
- film former
- protein
- hydrolysed protein
-
11
Cetrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- cleanser
-
12
Isopropyl Alcohol
- drying alcohol
- solvent
-
13
Polyquaternium-37
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
- thickener
-
14
Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
- light ester
- emollient
-
15
Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- UV filter
-
16
PPG-1 Trideceth-6
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
17
Butylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
18
Trisodium Hedta
- hard-water chelator
-
19
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
20
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
-
21
Methylisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
-
22
Potassium Sorbate
- preservative
-
23
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
24
Magnesium Chloride
- salt
-
25
Magnesium Nitrate
- salt
-
26
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
27
Benzyl Alcohol
- preservative
- solvent
-
28
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
29
Hexyl Cinnamal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
30
Benzyl Salicylate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
31
Hydroxycitronellal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
32
Geraniol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
33
Hexamethylindanopyran
- fragrance
-
34
Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
- fragrance
Full ingredient list — Super Smooth Conditioner (27)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Cetyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
3
Ethylhexyl Olivate
- light ester
- emollient
-
4
Cetearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
5
Quaternium-91
- conditioning agent
-
6
Cetrimonium Methosulfate
- conditioning agent
-
7
Cetyl Esters
- light ester
- emollient
- thickener
-
8
Squalane
- emollient
- conditioning agent
-
9
Olealkonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
-
10
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- polymer
- gum
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
11
Ethylhexylglycerin
- preservative
- emollient
-
12
Amodimethicone
- silicone
- conditioning agent
- film former
-
13
Tribehenin
- wax
- emollient
-
14
Glycerin
- humectant
-
15
Dimethicone
- silicone
- emollient
- conditioning agent
-
16
Cetrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- cleanser
-
17
Alcohol Denat.
- drying alcohol
- solvent
-
18
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
19
Acetic Acid
- pH adjuster
-
20
Polysorbate 60
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
21
Trideceth-15
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
22
Trideceth-3
- emulsifier
-
23
Triethyl Citrate
- pH adjuster
- preservative
-
24
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
25
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
26
Hexamethylindanopyran
- fragrance
-
27
Hexyl Cinnamal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
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.
Color Protect Conditioner
Help extend the life of hair color with Paul Mitchell Color Protect Conditioner
SupportedLess fade per wash.
Super Smooth Conditioner
Up to 86% smoother hair when using the Super Smooth shampoo-conditioner pair
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
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.
Color Protect Conditioner
Reviewers cite trust in the Paul Mitchell brand from their salon stylist's use of the product line
salon clientsPraised for pleasant fragrance, nice texture, and good value relative to price
value-conscious buyersReported to help hair color last noticeably longer between salon visits
Leaves hair feeling clean and lightweight without over-drying
Used as a daily conditioner on color-treated hair per stylist recommendation; reviewers say it keeps color fresh and adds shine
color-treated hair, salon-recommendedSuper Smooth Conditioner
Praised for reducing frizz and leaving hair straighter/shinier after use
Reviewers with curly or thick/coarse hair report it smooths and softens without weighing hair down
curly/thick hairLong-time repeat buyers say it is a reliable go-to and report frustration when it is out of stock
repeat purchasersPrice 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.
$1.63/oz vs $1.78/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.
Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 689 conditioners with a computable unit price.
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.
Color Protect Conditioner · Super Smooth Conditioner · All conditioners 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.
- 9 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.
Still unsure? Take your consultation or browse more products.
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