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Side by side

Redken Acidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration vs Redken Extreme Mega Mask

75% function match · 4 of the 6 functions we compared match Formula overlap 27%. Redken Acidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration and Redken Extreme Mega Mask 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
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

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

  • Acidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration — maximum slip
  • Extreme Mega Mask — maximum slip

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 Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration — 8.5 oz container Redken

Acidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration

  • Mask / treatment
  • Prestige
  • Moisture-rich
Redken Extreme Mega Mask — container, alternate view Redken

Extreme Mega Mask

  • Mask / treatment
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Moisture-rich
Price, size & price per ounce
$46 8.5 oz · $5.41/oz
$36 8.5 oz · $4.24/oz
Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a treatment $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 70% of the 354 masks and treatments we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a treatment $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 57% of the 354 masks and treatments we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Same
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
Moderate Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. 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
Fragrance
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Time on the hair
—
Short A short wait — it fits inside an ordinary shower. Your hair
Weight on hair
—
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Protein
—
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
A simple formula
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Short shower windowsit works in ten minutes or less
  • Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Vegan and cruelty-freeour record does not support both claims here
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a strong 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
Mask / treatment
Mask / treatment
Where to buy
Ulta
Salons · Ulta · Amazon …
Free of
—
  • sulfate-free
Vegan
—
Vegan · label states
Cruelty-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Time on hair
—
3–5 min
How often
—
weekly
Treatment focus
—
protein

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 Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & HydrationExtreme Mega Mask
Cetearyl Alcohol
Softens
#3Leading
#2Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#6Below the 1% line
#34Below the 1% line
Cetyl Esters
Softens
#8Below the 1% line
#7Below the 1% line
Lactic Acid
Moisturizes
#23Below the 1% line
#5Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Acidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration

Extreme Mega Mask

Full ingredient list — Acidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration (25)
Full ingredient list — Extreme Mega Mask (56)
  • 1 Outer Tube: Aqua/Water
    • botanical extract
  • 2 Cetearyl Alcohol
    • fatty alcohol
    • emollient
    • thickener
  • 3 Aminopropyl Triethoxysilane
    • film former
    • conditioning agent
  • 4 Outer Tube: Paraffinum Liquidum/Mineral Oil
    • oil
    • emollient
  • Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
  • 5 Lactic Acid
    • pH adjuster
    • humectant
    • exfoliant
  • 6 Dipalmitoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate
    • conditioning agent
  • 7 Cetyl Esters
    • light ester
    • emollient
    • thickener
  • 8 Outer Tube: Cetrimonium Chloride
    • conditioning agent
  • 9 Outer Tube: Citric Acid
    • pH adjuster
  • 10 Outer Tube: Polyquaternium-6
    • conditioning agent
    • film former
    • polymer
  • 11 Outer Tube: Phenoxyethanol
    • preservative
  • 12 OUTER TUBE: 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol
  • 13 Fragrance
    • fragrance
    • declared fragrance
  • 14 Outer Tube: Chlorhexidine Digluconate
    • preservative
  • 15 Outer Tube: Arginine
    • amino acid
  • 16 Outer Tube: Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
    • conditioning agent
    • film former
    • protein
    • hydrolysed protein
  • 17 Outer Tube: Sodium Cocoyl Amino Acids
    • amino acid
    • mild anionic cleanser
    • humectant
  • 18 Outer Tube: Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol
    • protein
    • hydrolysed protein
  • 19 Outer Tube: Potassium Dimethicone Peg-7 Panthenyl Phosphate
    • emulsifier
    • silicone
    • water-soluble silicone
  • 20 Outer Tube: Sodium Sarcosinate
    • cleanser
  • 21 Outer Tube: Propylene Glycol
    • humectant
  • 22 OUTER TUBE: Sodium Chloride
  • 23 Outer Tube: Potassium Sorbate
    • preservative
  • 24 Outer Tube: Tetrasodium Edta
    • hard-water chelator
  • 25 Inner Tube: Aqua/Water
    • botanical extract
  • 26 Inner Tube: Cetearyl Alcohol
    • emollient
    • fatty alcohol
  • 27 Inner Tube: Behentrimonium Chloride
    • conditioning agent
  • 28 Inner Tube: Amodimethicone
    • silicone
    • conditioning agent
  • 29 Inner Tube: Glycerin
    • humectant
  • 30 INNER TUBE: Octyldodecanol
  • 31 Inner Tube: Isopropyl Alcohol
    • drying alcohol
    • solvent
  • 32 Inner Tube: Phenoxyethanol
    • preservative
  • 33 INNER TUBE: Caprylyl Glycol
  • 34 Fragrance
    • fragrance
    • declared fragrance
  • 35 Inner Tube: Benzoic Acid
    • preservative
  • 36 Inner Tube: Trideceth-6
    • emulsifier
  • 37 Inner Tube: Citric Acid
    • pH adjuster
  • 38 Inner Tube: Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol
    • protein
    • hydrolysed protein
  • 39 Inner Tube: Cetyl Alcohol
    • emollient
    • fatty alcohol
  • 40 Inner Tube: Arginine
    • amino acid
  • 41 Inner Tube: Hydrolyzed Soy Protein
    • conditioning agent
    • film former
    • protein
    • hydrolysed protein
  • 42 INNER TUBE: Sodium Chloride
  • 43 Inner Tube: Sodium Cocoyl Amino Acids
    • amino acid
    • mild anionic cleanser
    • humectant
  • 44 INNER TUBE: 2-Oleamido-1,3-Octadecanediol
  • 45 Inner Tube: Behentrimonium Methosulfate
    • conditioning agent
  • 46 Inner Tube: Cetrimonium Chloride
    • conditioning agent
  • 47 INNER TUBE: Quaternium-33
  • 48 Inner Tube: Potassium Dimethicone Peg-7 Panthenyl Phosphate
    • emulsifier
    • silicone
    • water-soluble silicone
  • 49 Inner Tube: Sodium Sarcosinate
    • cleanser
  • 50 INNER TUBE: Benzyl Benzoate
  • 51 Inner Tube: Propylene Glycol
    • humectant
  • 52 inner tube: limonene
    • fragrance
  • 53 INNER TUBE: Benzyl Alcohol
  • 54 inner tube: linalool
    • fragrance
  • 55 Inner Tube: Potassium Sorbate
    • preservative
  • 56 Inner Tube: Tetrasodium Edta
    • hard-water chelator

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 Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & HydrationExtreme Mega Mask
Supported
0
2
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
0
3
Potential conflict
0
0

Acidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration

No claims recorded for this product beyond the ones above.

Extreme Mega Mask

  • Fortifies damaged hair to be 15x strongerStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Decreases breakage by 73%Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Restores strength, balances pHStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Paraben-freeSupportedPreserved without parabens.
  • VeganSupportedMatches our researched record.

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.

Redken Acidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration draws complaints about tangling and dryness; Redken Extreme Mega Mask draws complaints about the scent.

Acidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration

preserves color vibrancy and adds cuticle-sealing shine without the heavy silicone feel of typical glosses

color-treated hair customers comparing it to other gloss or silicone-based treatments

leaves hair feeling soft and looking noticeably shinier and more vibrant after a quick one-minute application

reviewers with healthy, wavy or color-treated hair using it as a weekly treatment

dries hair out and leaves it feeling tangled, brittle or frizzy after use, especially on fine or already-dry hair

reviewers with thin, fine or drier hair who tried it multiple times

left already-healthy or silky hair feeling gummy, stringy and weighed down rather than improved

a reviewer who described her hair as already soft and silky before using the mask

a strong sweet or fruity-candy scent that some reviewers loved and others found overpowering or perm-like

a range of reviewers commenting specifically on the fragrance

Extreme Mega Mask

Noticed a change after first use, hair much softer

Walmart reviewer "Susan", 5 stars, Jun 2020

Did not notice improvement in frizz or combability vs a regular conditioner

Walmart reviewer, 1 star, Aug 2020

Disliked the strong alcohol-like scent of the formula

Walmart reviewer "Diamond", 1 star, Jul 2020

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.

$4.24/oz vs $5.41/oz — Redken Acidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration costs about 1.3× more per ounce than Redken Extreme Mega Mask.

$0.19/oz median $3.64/oz $24.50/oz $5.41/oz Acidic Color Gloss Gloss-i $4.24/oz Extreme Mega Mask

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 354 masks and treatments with a computable unit price.

Value readAcidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & HydrationExtreme Mega Mask
Label
Upper-mid price for a treatmentSits in the middle of the range for masks and treatments per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a treatmentSits in the middle of the range for masks and treatments 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 Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration vs Rosemary Oil 5-Minute Strengthening Hair MaskCamille Rose · 99% function matchExtreme Mega Mask vs Caviar Anti-Aging Restructuring Bond Repair MasqueAlterna · 100% function matchAcidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration vs Color Depositing MaskMoroccanoil · 99% function matchExtreme Mega Mask vs High Shine Gloss MaskMoroccanoil · 98% function matchAcidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration vs Black Castor Miracle Deep Penetrating Conditioner Moisture Restore TreatmentAfrican Pride · 99% function matchExtreme Mega Mask vs Keratin 2 Minute ReconstructorAphogee · 97% function matchAcidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration vs Bonding Hair MaskAcure · 99% function matchExtreme Mega Mask vs Bond Therapy Pro Bond Hair MaskCoco & Eve · 95% function match

Acidic Color Gloss Gloss-in-Mask For Shine & Hydration · Extreme Mega Mask · All masks and treatments 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.
  • 11 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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