Side by side
Paul Mitchell Forever Blonde Shampoo vs Paul Mitchell Super Smooth Shampoo
41% function match · 3 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 27%. Paul Mitchell Forever Blonde Shampoo and Paul Mitchell Super Smooth Shampoo share 3 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
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When each one is the right call
What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.
- Forever Blonde Shampoo — colour-treated hair
- Super Smooth 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”.
- Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
- Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
- Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
- Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
- Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
- Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
- Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
- Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- curly-method compatible
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.
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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
What only one of them carries
Forever Blonde Shampoo
Full ingredient list — Forever Blonde Shampoo (40)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
- mild anionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
4
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
5
Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer
- silicone
- film former
-
6
Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
- mild anionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
7
Glycerin
- humectant
-
8
Polyquaternium-7
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
-
9
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
- butter
- emollient
- sealant
-
10
Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Oleosomes
- oil
- emollient
-
11
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
- botanical extract
-
12
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
- botanical extract
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
13
Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract
- botanical extract
- antioxidant
-
14
Verbascum Thapsus Extract
- botanical extract
-
15
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol
- film former
- protein
- hydrolysed protein
-
16
c12-13 alketh-23
- emulsifier
-
17
c12-13 alketh-3
- emulsifier
-
18
C11-15 Alketh-7
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
19
Polyquaternium-10
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
-
20
Amodimethicone
- silicone
- conditioning agent
- film former
-
21
Trideceth-12
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
22
Laureth-9
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
23
Glycereth-26
- humectant
- solvent
-
24
Glycol Distearate
- opacifier
- emollient
-
25
Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate
- mild anionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
26
Magnesium Nitrate
- salt
-
27
Magnesium Chloride
- salt
-
28
Sodium Sulfate
- salt
-
29
Disodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
30
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
31
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
-
32
Methylisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
-
33
Potassium Sorbate
- preservative
- 34 Glyoxal
-
35
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
36
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
37
Linalyl Acetate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
38
Terpineol
- fragrance
-
39
Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
- fragrance
-
40
Ext. Violet 2 (CI 60730)
- colourant
- direct dye
- violet dye
Full ingredient list — Super Smooth Shampoo (21)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
- olefin sulfonate cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Cocamide MIPA
- secondary cleanser
- nonionic cleanser
- thickener
-
4
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
5
Oleth-10
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
6
Glycerin
- humectant
-
7
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
8
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
- thickener
- emulsifier
-
9
Ethylhexyl Olivate
- light ester
- emollient
-
10
Squalane
- emollient
- conditioning agent
-
11
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
- mild anionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
12
Polyquaternium-10
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
13
Tocopherol
- antioxidant
- vitamin
-
14
Ethylhexylglycerin
- preservative
- emollient
-
15
Tetrasodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
16
Sodium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster
-
17
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
18
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
19
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
20
Hexamethylindanopyran
- fragrance
-
21
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.
Forever Blonde Shampoo
Brighten blonde hair with Paul Mitchell Forever Blonde Shampoo.
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.This sulfate-free purple shampoo helps repair damage and enhance shine.
SupportedGentler on colour and coils.
Super Smooth Shampoo
Up To 86% Smoother Hair (with shampoo + conditioner, third-party testing)
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.Daily sulfate-free (without SLS, SLES, ALS) shampoo cleanses and smooths hair
SupportedGentler on colour and coils.Perfect prep for a smooth blowout
SupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
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.
Forever Blonde Shampoo
Reviewers report a rich lather despite the sulfate-free formula, contrary to expectations for gentle cleansers
Reviewers describe hair feeling softer and less tangled after use
Several reviewers say the product was recommended by their stylist
Reviewers with thick hair note it cleans effectively while remaining sulfate-free, a combination they had trouble finding elsewhere
reviewers with thick hairReviewers say it maintains/brightens blonde tone and reduces brassiness
reviewers with colored/blonde hairSuper Smooth Shampoo
Reviewers with curly or thick, coarse hair report noticeably softer, more manageable, frizz-reduced results
curly and thick/coarse-hair usersSome reviewers with sensitive or easily-irritated scalps say the current formula feels calming rather than irritating
sensitive-scalp usersA protein-sensitive reviewer with low-porosity coily hair reports the formula does not cause the breakage they get from protein-heavy products
low-porosity/protein-sensitive coily hairA reformulation is noted by long-time users, with mixed reactions including a report of an eczema flare-up after switching to the current formula
long-time users noticing a recent reformulationPrice 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.
$1.78/oz vs $2.67/oz — Paul Mitchell Forever Blonde Shampoo costs about 1.5× more per ounce than Paul Mitchell Super Smooth Shampoo.
Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos 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.
Forever Blonde Shampoo · Super Smooth 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.
- 8 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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