Side by side
Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Conditioner vs Suave Essentials Daily Clarifying Conditioner
90% function match · 9 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Conditioner and Suave Essentials Daily Clarifying Conditioner share no ingredient among each other's most prominent — which does not stop them doing the same job.
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.
- Tea Tree Special Conditioner — protein-sensitive hair
- Essentials Daily Clarifying 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”.
Compared at different sizes — 22.5 oz against 2.5 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.
- 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
- Fine hairthat flattens under most products
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- 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
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
- Very dry hairno humectant appears in the list
- Scents bother youthis product carries a light scent
- Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
- Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- curly-method compatible
- 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
Tea Tree Special Conditioner
Essentials Daily Clarifying Conditioner
Full ingredient list — Tea Tree Special Conditioner (19)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Isododecane
- solvent
- emollient
-
3
Cetearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
4
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
- conditioning agent
- emulsifier
-
5
Melaleuca Alternifolia (TEA Tree) Leaf Water
- botanical extract
-
6
Magnesium Nitrate
- salt
-
7
Magnesium Chloride
- salt
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
8
Tetrasodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
9
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
10
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
-
11
Methylisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
-
12
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
13
Menthol
- fragrance
- active
-
14
Terpineol
- fragrance
-
15
terpinolene
- fragrance
-
16
Pinene
- fragrance
-
17
beta-caryophyllene
- fragrance
-
18
Yellow 5
- colourant
-
19
Blue 1 (CI 42090)
- colourant
- direct dye
- blue dye
Full ingredient list — Essentials Daily Clarifying Conditioner (12)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Cetyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
3
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
- conditioning agent
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
4
Lactic Acid
- pH adjuster
- humectant
- exfoliant
-
5
Potassium Chloride
- salt
-
6
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
7
Disodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
8
PEG-150 Distearate
- thickener
- emulsifier
- 9 2-Bromo-2-Nitropropane-1,3-Diol
-
10
Tocopheryl Acetate
- antioxidant
- vitamin
-
11
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
-
12
Methylisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
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.
Tea Tree Special Conditioner
#1 Scalp Care Conditioner (salon sales in US, Q3 2024-Q2 2025)
Stated by brandPopularity, not performance.Invigorating conditioner helps to detangle, smooth and soften
SupportedEasier detangling, less breakage.Color safe, vegan, paraben-free, gluten-free
SupportedPreserved without parabens.Made with 100% Australian tea tree from certified responsible sourcing
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
Essentials Daily Clarifying Conditioner
100%% oil-free, daily clarifying conditioner
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.Replenishes without weighing hair down
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.pH-balanced, hypoallergenic conditioner formula
SupportedBrought to an acidic pH.
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. Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Conditioner draws complaints about tangling and how it cleanses.
Tea Tree Special Conditioner
The cooling and tingling tea-tree-mint scent is consistently called out as a refreshing, enjoyable sensory experience.
general reviewer baseReviewers with scalp irritation or dry scalp report noticeable relief, with some describing improvement after the very first use.
buyers using it for scalp concerns, including on behalf of family membersSome users report weak lather and poor detangling performance, finding it does not fully work through tangles.
general reviewer baseShoppers question whether results justify the price point at the 33.8oz size ($50), citing value-for-money concerns.
price-sensitive reviewersEssentials Daily Clarifying Conditioner
Leaves hair soft, detangled, and easy to comb
Kroger/Walmart shoppersLarge/value bottle is repeatedly praised for the low price and lasting through many washes
Kroger/Walmart shoppers reviewing the current clarifying conditionerLight, pleasant scent is a recurring positive
Kroger/Walmart shoppersPrice 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.
$0.10/oz vs $3.80/oz — Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Special Conditioner costs about 38× more per ounce than Suave Essentials Daily Clarifying Conditioner.
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.
Tea Tree Special Conditioner · Essentials Daily Clarifying 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.
- 15 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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