Explore Routine Login

Product Comparison

Here's our complete breakdown comparing the ingredients, attributes, and more of REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo versus MoroccanOil Smoothing Shampoo .

Published on August 05, 2023

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe shampoos. They have a total of 9 ingredients in common

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for dry skin and brightening skin

Free From

They both do not contain any parabens or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain fragrances and silicones

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that need an update? Let us know.

Shampoo American Brand United States
Shampoo Brand

Shampoo

Detergent or soap for cleansing the hair.

Shampoo

Detergent or soap for cleansing the hair.

Price

Shop

Buy Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo

Starts at $32.00
Shop

Buy Smoothing Shampoo

Starts at $64.50

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and view relevant ingredients.
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free
alcohol-free
silicon-free
fragrance-free
sulfate-free
paraben-free
oil-free
fungal-acne safe
reef-safe
eu-allergen-free
vegan
cruelty-free

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Notable Ingredients

AHA
BHA

Benefits

Hydrating
Good For Oily Skin
Reduces Irritation
Skin Texture
Reduces Large Pores (2)
Scar Healing (2)
Acne Fighting
Brightening (3)

Concerns

Drying (2)
Acne Trigger
Irritating (2)
Rosacea (4)
Eczema (4)

Benefits

Hydrating (2)
Brightening

Concerns

Drying
May Worsen Oily Skin (2)
Acne Trigger (2)
Irritating
Rosacea (2)
Eczema (4)
Join our community

Build your routine, track which ingredients work for you, and much more with your free account.

Join SkinSort

Ingredients Compared

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Ingredients Side-by-side

Ingredients that are highlighted in purple are present in both products.

Learn more about what what Com. / Irr. ratings are

Loading ingredients...

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1
What it does: Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. Talk about multi-purpose! If you see this, drink a glass of water. Stay hydrated!

Learn more about Water

REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 1.

MoroccanOil Smoothing Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 1.

2
What it does: Cleansing
Community Rating: Disliked

Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine. Dimethylaminopropylamine is a diamine, an amine with two amino groups.

Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.

Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.

While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.

Learn more about Cocamidopropyl Betaine

REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 4.

MoroccanOil Smoothing Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 3.

3
What it does: Buffering, Masking
Community Rating: Disliked

Citric Acid is an AHA derived from citrus fruits (think oranges, lemons, and limes!).

If you spot Citric Acid near the end of an ingredient list, it's likely there as a pH adjuster rather than an active ingredient.

As an AHA, Citric Acid removes the top layer of skin cells from the newer layer of skin underneath. This helps skin to remove dark spots and look more even.

Read more about some other popular AHA's here:

Learn more about Citric Acid

REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 5.

MoroccanOil Smoothing Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 24.

4
What it does: Buffering
Community Rating: Mixed

Sodium Hydroxide is also known as lye or caustic soda. It is used to adjust the pH of products; many ingredients require a specific pH to be effective.

In small amounts, sodium hydroxide is considered safe to use. However, large amounts may cause chemical burns due to its high alkaline.

Your skin has a natural pH and acid mantle. This acid mantle helps prevent harmful bacteria from breaking through. The acid mantle also helps keep your skin hydrated.

"Alkaline" refers to a high pH level. A low pH level would be considered acidic.

Learn more about Sodium Hydroxide

REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 6.

MoroccanOil Smoothing Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 30.

5
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Skin Protecting, Solvent
Community Rating: Loved

Glycerin is already naturally found in your skin. It helps moisturize and protect your skin.

A study from 2016 found glycerin to be more effective as a humectant than AHAs and hyaluronic acid.

As a humectant, it helps the skin stay hydrated by pulling moisture to your skin. The low molecular weight of glycerin allows it to pull moisture into the deeper layers of your skin.

Hydrated skin improves your skin barrier; Your skin barrier helps protect against irritants and bacteria.

Glycerin has also been found to have antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Due to these properties, glycerin is often used in wound and burn treatments.

In cosmetics, glycerin is usually derived from plants such as soybean or palm. However, it can also be sourced from animals, such as tallow or animal fat.

This ingredient is organic, colorless, odorless, and non-toxic.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Learn more about Glycerin

REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 8.

MoroccanOil Smoothing Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 10.

6
What it does: Masking, Preservative
Community Rating: Disliked

Sodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.

Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.

Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.

Sodium Benzoate is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.

Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.

We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.

Learn more about Sodium Benzoate

REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 12.

MoroccanOil Smoothing Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 33.

7
What it does: Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Solvent
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Propylene Glycol is an odorless, colorless liquid. As a humectant, it helps skin retain moisture. It also aids in delivering active ingredients.

Another role of this ingredient is preventing a product from melting or freezing. Propylene glycol also adds antimicrobrial properties to a product, elongating product lifespan.

This ingredient is considered an organic alcohol and commonly added into both cosmetics and foods.

Those with sensitive skin or conditions may deliver a rash when using this ingredient.

Learn more about Propylene Glycol

REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 15.

MoroccanOil Smoothing Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 22.

8
What it does: Masking, Perfuming
Community Rating: Very Disliked

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give aroma to products. Parfum, or fragrance, can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "Parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

In the US, the alternative name for parfum is 'fragrance'. The term 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance. One example is Calendula flower extract. Essential oil ingredients still impart a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, it can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Products use parfum often to give products a scent or cover up smells of different ingredients.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum

REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 17.

MoroccanOil Smoothing Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 6.

9
What it does:
Community Rating: Disliked

Amodimethicone is a type of silicone.

REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 21.

MoroccanOil Smoothing Shampoo contains this as ingredient number 17.

Here's what our community thinks of the ingredients in these two products.

19% are loved or liked
7% have mixed ratings
56% are disliked or very disliked
19% have no rating yet
19% are loved or liked
8% have mixed ratings
51% are disliked or very disliked
22% have no rating yet

Usage

Here's some more info on how this product is used by our community.

When to use

Loading routine usage...

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo 27 ingredients

4.0 /5
from 1 rating
Color Care (1) Soft (1) Straight Hair (1)
Kuu's avatar

Kuu

3 months ago · Unsure Skin
Review

Scalp irritating

MoroccanOil Smoothing Shampoo 37 ingredients

Smoothing Shampoo hasn't been rated yet.
Rate it now

Alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 50 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo.

See 50 alternatives

Our Dupe Finder has found 42 potential alternatives that have similar ingredients to MoroccanOil Smoothing Shampoo.

See 42 alternatives
Loading similar comparisons...