Clear Smoothing Serum
Finisher / Serum, glossing
- Finisher
- serum
- Sulfate-free
- Protein-free
- Vegan · label states
- Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent:
No added fragrance, no scenting essential oils, and no declared fragrance allergens on the list.
Manufacturer page: paulmitchell.com
Personal fit
Is this right for you?
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- Every product matched against your hair across the 23 factors we check.
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- Your goals, scalp, damage history, water, budget, and scent preferences all shape your plan.
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Show all 23 factors we check
The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
The consultation builds your hair profile, then reads every factor in this table against it — and tells you where this product fits, or what to use instead.
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Your avoid-list
Upper-mid price for a serum
$14.12/oz at 0.85 oz — more than 72% of the 79 serums , which mostly run $3.27–14.46/oz. The cost less.
Great for
Maybe skip if
What the formula actually does
Read from the label, not the marketing
Each row says where it comes from: F means we derived it from this product’s own ingredient list, S means it is a claim the brand makes that the formula neither confirms nor contradicts.
A silicone or oil blend does the shine work here.
Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair.
No oils or butters in the list.
Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them.
No fast-drying alcohol in the list.
No fragrance is listed.
Ingredients that matter
The ingredients that change a decision
The workhorse ingredients plus anything lower down that changes a decision. These chips name what an ingredient does — they are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.
| Ingredient | What it does | Why it matters | Chip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isododecane | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Shine |
| Dimethicone | silicone | The shine system | Buildup |
| Dimethiconol | silicone | The shine system | Buildup |
Full ingredient list (3)
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Annotations keep three readings separate: the ingredient's general function, its role in this product type, and what its position can support.
-
1
Isododecane
General function
A fast-evaporating carrier that lets oils and polymers spread thinly, then leaves nothing behind.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChemMay suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairEmollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
- solvent
- emollient
-
2
Dimethicone
General function
The most common conditioning silicone. It coats the strand for shine, slip, and frizz control, and needs a detergent (not just water) to wash out.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
May suitClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hairA surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairLays a smooth film along the cuticle, which lowers combing friction and flattens the surface irregularities that read as frizz.
May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesDimethicone does not disperse in water. On a routine that skips detergent it stays on the hair and accumulates wash after wash.
- silicone
- emollient
- conditioning agent
-
3
Dimethiconol
General function
A high-shine silicone often paired with dimethicone for a smoother, glossier finish.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChemMay suitClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hairA surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairLays a smooth film along the cuticle, which lowers combing friction and flattens the surface irregularities that read as frizz.
May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesDimethicone does not disperse in water. On a routine that skips detergent it stays on the hair and accumulates wash after wash.
- silicone
- emollient
What the whole list adds up to
- 3 emollients
- 2 silicones
- 1 solvent
- 1 conditioning agent
Ingredient list captured 2026-08-27. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 0.85 oz
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $2 line; products that do this job typically go for about $4 at this size.
Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it1 listing · 1 store
-
Paul Mitchell (brand site)
$12.000.85 oz · $14.12/ozAug 27Lowest per oz
Sorted by price per ounce. Dated observations from our research, not live prices. Direct store pages, no affiliate links. We don’t sell this product.
How we work this out
- 0.85 oz is the size stores list most often; every comparison on this page is made at it. Other sizes are shown in the Sizes row and the store list.
- Seen at $12 is the price we have observed for the 0.85 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
- Good value under $2 comes from the 7 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $2.93/oz; at 0.85 oz that is $2. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
- About $4 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 0.85 oz.
Formula
The formula carries the systems a serum is built around, and it sits in the middle of the range for serums per ounce.
How the score is counted
- 6 products we score as doing the same job cost less per ounce
- Costs more per ounce than 72% of the 79 serums we’ve priced
- Covers 5 of the 6 things a serum should do
- Drugstore tier, sold at Brand website
- A shine systemThe silicone, oil, or ester that produces gloss.3 pts
- A weightless carrierDelivers the shine without leaving grease.2 pts
- Oils or butters in the working zoneSoftens the strand rather than just coating it.2 pts
- An antioxidantKeeps the oils in the bottle from going off.1 pt
- No drying alcohol in the first threeFast drying without leading on alcohol.1 pt
- Fragrance kept out of the top eightScent as a finishing touch, not a major share.1 pt
The formula score is completeness for the job: the share of the systems this product type is normally built around that we can find in this list, weighted. It is not efficacy, not quality, and it never compares across product types.
Does the same job, for less
Same derived functions — what it cleans, conditions, coats or holds — at a lower cost per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy it can still differ.
- Fragrance-free
- Unscented
- Protein-free
- Differs
- Heat protect
- Protein-free
- Alcohol-free
- Differs
- Protein-free
- Shine
- Alcohol-free
- Function
- Also
See more alternatives in the product library
These are functional neighbours, not personal recommendations — they are close on formula, not chosen for anyone. Get the one that fits your hair, routine, and budget
Final decision
Should you buy it?
A solid pick for the hair it suitsPeople sensitive to fragrance — for a formula with no added fragrance and a product with no scent
Less suited to curly-method routines, anyone who wants a product to smell of something, or anyone who wants to pick it up locally
Paul Mitchell Clear Smoothing Serum (Blowout Primer) — for similar results at a lower price
We do not sell products or take placement fees. This page states what the formula and the prices show; the consultation is what matches it to a person.
Reviewers
What people report
Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.
The lightweight fragrance-free formula is particularly valued by customers with scalp sensitivities and fragrance allergies.
Some reviewers find the product too drying and report increased frizz or dryness with regular use.
Users consistently report that a minimal amount smooths frizz and delivers shine without leaving greasiness.
The serum provides noticeable silky texture and polished appearance while feeling weightless on the hair.
More from Paul Mitchell
How this page was made
- Everything above is generated from our researched product record — identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. No part of this page is written per product.
- 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.
- Both scores out of ten are defined on this page. The formula score is completeness for the job, computed from a fixed per-format checklist shown beneath the gauge; the price score is cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced.
- 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.
- 4 sources consulted for this product (1 manufacturer or regulatory, 2 retailer, 1 editorial), last checked 2026-09-05.
- Ingredient references are linked for 2 of 3 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are conditional formulation guidance, not a conclusion about the finished product or about you.
- We have not tested this product in a lab and we do not physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list; behaviour claims are labelled as the brand's.
- Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice.
- Ingredient names link to our ingredient library, where each entry shows what it does, which product types use it, and where it usually sits on a label across everything we have researched.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Formula readings: derivation v22. Record last updated 2026-09-05.