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Side by side

Rusk Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo vs Wella Professionals Ultimate Smooth Shampoo

96% function match · 12 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 29%. Rusk Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo and Wella Professionals Ultimate Smooth Shampoo share 3 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.

  • Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo — fast-oiling scalps
  • Ultimate Smooth Shampoo — 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
Rusk Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo — 10 oz container Rusk

Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
  • Silicone-free
  • Lightweight
Wella Professionals Ultimate Smooth Shampoo — 33.8 oz container Wella Professionals

Ultimate Smooth Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
  • Silicone-free
  • Protein-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$24 10 oz · $2.40/oz
$70 33.8 oz · $2.07/oz

Compared at different sizes — 33.8 oz against 10 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 67% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 63% of the 817 shampoos 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
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Cleansing strength Same
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Weight on hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Protein Differs
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Expected lather Same
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
Scalp active Same
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
Hard-water defence Same
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a strong scent
  • Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
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
Shampoo
Shampoo
Where to buy
Brand website
Salons · Manufacturer B2b
Free of
  • silicone-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
Cruelty-free
—
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
FloralStrong

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

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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

IngredientElevate Weightless Volume ShampooUltimate Smooth Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#3Leading
#3Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#27Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#25Below the 1% line
#4Below the 1% line
Panthenol
Detangles
#10Secondary
#6Below the 1% line
Sodium Benzoate
Stabilizes
#21Below the 1% line
#7Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo

Ultimate Smooth Shampoo

Full ingredient list — Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo (27)
Full ingredient list — Ultimate Smooth Shampoo (26)

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.

VerdictsElevate Weightless Volume ShampooUltimate Smooth Shampoo
Supported
0
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
0
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo

No claims recorded for this product beyond the ones above.

Ultimate Smooth Shampoo

  • Achieve silky smooth hair in no time at all with Ultimate Smooth Shampoo by Wella Professionals.SupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Up to 85% smoother hair and 96 hours of frizz control when used as part of the Ultimate Smooth regimen.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.

Both praised for the scent. Rusk Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo draws complaints about how it cleanses.

Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo

Adds noticeable volume without weighing hair down

reviewers with fine/thin hair

A little product goes a long way, and the scent is called out positively

general reviewers

At least one reviewer describes the formula as runny, requiring more product to work up a lather

general reviewers

Ultimate Smooth Shampoo

Several reviewers highlight a pleasant, long-lasting floral scent as a standout feature

general users

Multiple reviewers say it reduces frizz and flyaways without weighing hair down or feeling heavy

frizzy/curly-hair users

Reviewers commonly describe hair feeling noticeably softer and smoother immediately after the first wash

general users, including some with thick or curly hair

Reviewers note it cleanses thoroughly (some say squeaky-clean) while still feeling gentle and non-stripping

general users

A reviewer who normally needs a clarifying shampoo found this moisturizing formula an unexpected fit, suggesting it works better for non-oily/normal scalp types than very oily ones

reviewer with oil-prone scalp/hair history

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.

$2.07/oz vs $2.40/oz — Rusk Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo costs about 1.2× more per ounce than Wella Professionals Ultimate Smooth Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.48/oz $17.29/oz $2.40/oz Elevate Weightless Volume $2.07/oz Ultimate Smooth Shampoo

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readElevate Weightless Volume ShampooUltimate Smooth Shampoo
Label
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos 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.

Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo vs Color Protect ShampooPaul Mitchell · 98% function matchUltimate Smooth Shampoo vs Fall Defense ShampooNioxin · 100% function matchElevate Weightless Volume Shampoo vs Quench Intense Hydration ShampooRusk · 96% function matchUltimate Smooth Shampoo vs Oil Control ShampooAmerican Crew · 100% function matchElevate Weightless Volume Shampoo vs Boost Pre-Styling ShampooAmerican Crew · 96% function matchUltimate Smooth Shampoo vs Boost Pre-Styling ShampooAmerican Crew · 100% function matchElevate Weightless Volume Shampoo vs Dove Beauty Volume + Fullness Hair Shampoo Pump with Biotin & Bio-Protein CareDove · 96% function matchUltimate Smooth Shampoo vs Surf Foam Wash Texturizing ShampooBumble and bumble · 100% function match

Elevate Weightless Volume Shampoo · Ultimate 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.
  • 12 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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