The original, what makes it special, the shelf parts we use and how to get closer. Add or swap parts and the score updates.
The original · Olaplex
$34 · 8.5 fl oz
A weekly clarifying shampoo that uses stronger cleansers and amino acids to lift buildup.
Prices and listings checked Oct 28, 2026. Amazon prices change; the link shows today's price.
Step 2 · The build
Neutrogena
Partial credit means the part only partly matches that standout.
The 100 points
We split Olaplex No.4C Bond Maintenance Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo into 5 standout parts. Each bar shows what the build earns.
The cleansing system sets how the shampoo lathers and how hard it washes. Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate do this job here.
The brand's bond-building active (Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate) is the headline claim. No shelf product in our lines contains it.
No close retail equivalent: we credit at most 40% of these points.
Humectants (Panthenol, Sodium Pca, Sodium Lactate) pull in water and keep the hair feeling soft.
Cationic conditioning polymers cling to wet hair and cut tangles. Polyquaternium-11 play that role here.
Hydrolyzed proteins and amino acids (Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Glycine) are added to coat and temporarily fill rough spots on the hair surface.
Optional
50 / 100. We have not found a shelf product that closes more of the gap yet.
87 is our ceiling. Bond-building active has no close retail equivalent, so we cap it at 40% credit.
Step 3 · Buy
One link per part. Each opens the retailer in a new tab.
Your build
Running total ~$9.99
View product (opens in new tab)Not an affiliate link.
Snapshot prices. Each link shows today's price.
One bottle instead of a build. Sorted by match score; scores use the same standouts as above.
Neutrogena
No close match yet — we show the nearest formulas.
Why it is close. A clarifying detox cleanser from a drugstore line; same sulfonate-based cleaning power, different surfactant blend.
Not an affiliate link.
The Ordinary
Why it is close. A bare sulfate cleanser. It strips build-up hard, but it has no conditioning polymers and is harsher than the Olaplex clarifier.
Not an affiliate link.
Neutrogena
Running total
View product (opens in new tab)Not an affiliate link.
Neutrogena
The Ordinary
Running total
View product (opens in new tab)Not an affiliate link.
The Ordinary
In a lab test on hair colored with oxidative dye, adding conditioning agents (a silane/panthenol blend, PEG-12 dimethicone, or hydrolyzed silk and milk protein) cut protein loss and combing damage compared with dye alone.
da 2018 · J Cosmet DermatolSpectroscopy on bleached hair treated with maleate-based repair agents saw the agents interact with the hair and give a more regular surface, but found no sign of new disulfide bonds. The test did not use this product.
Di 2021 · Int J Biol MacromolA dermatology review explains how shampoos and conditioners work and what they can and cannot do for hair.
Gavazzoni 2015 · Int J TrichologyWater/Aqua/Eau, Sodium Lauroyl Methyl Isethionate, Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Coco-Betaine, Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate, Acrylates Copolymer, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamidopropylamine Oxide, Sodium Methyl Oleoyl Taurate, Decyl Glucoside, Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, Coco-Glucoside, Lauryl Glucoside, Panthenol, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyquaternium-11, Sodium PCA, Pentasodium Triphosphate, Sodium Lactate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, PCA, Citric Acid, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Benzoate, Benzoic Acid, Fragrance (Parfum), Citral, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene
We split Olaplex No.4C Bond Maintenance Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo into 5 standout parts worth 100 points in total. The build earns 50 of a possible 87. 87 is the most we claim, because some standouts have no close retail equivalent.
Neutrogena Hair Restore Triple Action Scalp Detox Hair Cleanser by Neutrogena is our closest single-product match at 50 out of 100 for ~$9.99 (8 fl oz). It shares Sulfonate surfactant (sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate), Cocamidopropyl betaine.
Olaplex No.4C Bond Maintenance Deep Clean Clarifying Shampoo costs $34 for 8.5 fl oz. The closest dupe costs ~$9.99, a saving of about $24.01. Prices change, so check the seller page.
No. Dupes share the key actives but can differ in concentration, vehicle and supporting ingredients. Missing from this one: Amino acid surfactants, Chelator profile unconfirmed. See our methodology for how we score.
Olaplex · bond-repair
$10.99our build, 1 partOriginal $34, build $10.99.
Not Your Mother's
Olaplex · conditioner
~$18.78our build, 2 partsOriginal $34, build ~$18.78.
Neutrogena + Not Your Mother's
Olaplex · dry-shampoo
~$17.98our build, 2 partsOriginal $30, build ~$17.98.
Not Your Mother's