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Side by side

Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment vs Redken Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment

76% function match · 7 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 33%. Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment and Redken Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment share 1 ingredient 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
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

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

  • Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment — heat styling
  • Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment — 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”.

Trait
Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment — 5 oz container Redken

Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment

  • Heat protectant
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Redken Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment — brand photograph Redken

Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment

  • Heat protectant
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$30.95 5.1 oz · $6.94/oz
$26–38 6.8 oz · $5.33/oz
Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 83% of the 553 heat protectants we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a heat protectant $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 50% of the 223 heat protectants we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Straight–Curly Smoothing and thermal products span straight through curly hair. Your hair
Straight–Curly Smoothing and thermal products span straight through curly hair. Your hair
Moisture level Same
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
Heat protection
High The brand states a protection temperature — a label claim, not a measurement. 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 Same
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. 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
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
—
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Differs
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
Present Fast-drying alcohol is present — it speeds drying and can read dry on the hair. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Covers the core
Who should choose this
  • Heat stylingthe brand states protection to 450°F
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • A wide range of haira middle-of-the-range weight
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Vegan and cruelty-freeour record does not support both claims here
  • 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
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
Heat protectantlotion
Heat protectant
Where to buy
Target
—
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
Cruelty-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Heat protection
up to 450°F
—

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

$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

IngredientAcidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In TreatmentAcidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Dimethicone
Buildup
#2Leading
#2Leading
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#5Below the 1% line
#6Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#8Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#15Below the 1% line
#19Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#22Below the 1% line
#23Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment

Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment

Full ingredient list — Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment (25)
Full ingredient list — Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment (29)

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.

VerdictsAcidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In TreatmentAcidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment
Supported
1
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
7
5
Potential conflict
0
0

Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment

  • Best-selling, sulfate-free leave-in treatment for strength repair in 1 useStated by brandPopularity, not performance.
  • Combats 1 year of visible damage in 1 useStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • 88% visual reduction of split endsStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Bond repair on the goStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • 2x less breakageStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 10x smootherStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • pH balancingSupportedBrought to an acidic pH.
  • Product did not strip hair colorStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment

  • Heat protection up to 450°FStated by brandOnly lab testing can show this.
  • Locks in colorStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • 13% smoother hairStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 6x hydration boostStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Prevents heat damageStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Molecular-level shineSupportedReflects light for visible shine.

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 moisture and shine. Redken Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment draws complaints about dryness and residue or cast.

Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment

no residue, more glossy/vibrant

did not weigh hair down or leave a residue... more vibrant glossy

hydrates bleached microloc'd textured hair

I have 3c hair and LOVE this product!... microlocs... hydrate her bleached ends

softer, stronger after one use

Makes hair feel softer and stronger, even after just one use

Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment

Many reviewers praise reliable heat protection during blow-drying and hot-tool styling, saying it keeps hair from feeling damaged.

general Ulta reviewers who heat style regularly

Reviewers consistently describe noticeably shinier, glossier hair, often calling out the shine as the product's standout effect.

general Ulta reviewers, mostly color-treated hair

A recurring complaint is that the product leaves a visible residue or buildup on hair with repeated use.

general Ulta reviewers

A minority of reviewers report the opposite of the moisture claim, saying the product left their hair feeling dry rather than hydrated.

general Ulta reviewers

Some reviewers find the fragrance polarizing or too strong, even when otherwise satisfied with the results.

general Ulta reviewers

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.

$5.33/oz vs $6.94/oz — Redken Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment costs about 1.3× more per ounce than Redken Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment.

$0.01/oz median $2.46/oz $76.00/oz $6.94/oz Acidic Bonding Concentrate $5.33/oz Acidic Color Gloss Heat Pr

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 553 heat protectants with a computable unit price.

Value readAcidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In TreatmentAcidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Upper-mid price for a heat protectantSits in the middle of the range for heat protectants per ounce.

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.

Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment vs Instacure Build-A-Bond Super Sealing Leave-In BalmMatrix · 94% function matchAcidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment vs Glow Mania Glow Sealing Leave-In ConditionerMatrix · 100% function matchAcidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment vs Resistance Serum Therapiste Serum Strengthening Serum Heat ProtectantKerastase · 90% function matchAcidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment vs A Curl Can Dream Scrunch N' Go Defining SprayMatrix · 95% function matchAcidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment vs Chroma Absolu Serum Chroma ThermiqueKerastase · 90% function matchAcidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment vs All Soft Moisture Restore Leave-In Treatment with Hyaluronic AcidRedken · 95% function matchAcidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment vs Dream Cocktail Kale-Infused Leave-in TreatmentColor Wow · 90% function matchAcidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment vs Strength Recovery Repairing & Strengthening SprayBiolage · 90% function match

Acidic Bonding Concentrate Leave-In Treatment · Acidic Color Gloss Heat Protection Treatment · All heat protectants 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.
  • 7 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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