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 rinse-out conditioner with fatty alcohols and cationic conditioners that coat and detangle.
Prices and listings checked Oct 28, 2026. Amazon prices change; the link shows today's price.
Step 2 · The build
Neutrogena
Not Your Mother's
Adds: Bond-building active; Oils and butters
Partial credit means the part only partly matches that standout.
The 100 points
We split Olaplex No.5 Bond Maintenance Strengthening, Moisturizing Hair Repair Conditioner into 6 standout parts. Each bar shows what the build earns.
The conditioning base (Cetearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Quaternium-91) is what coats and detangles the hair after the rinse. A shelf formula with the same kind of base does the same job.
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.
Silicones add slip and shine and help cut combing damage. Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Dimethicone PEG-7 Isostearate, PEG-7 Amodimethicone do that here.
Humectants (Glycerin, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol) pull in water and keep the hair feeling soft.
Oils and butters (Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isododecane, Glycine Soja Oil) soften the hair and seal in moisture.
Hydrolyzed proteins and amino acids (Glycine Soja Oil, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid) are added to coat and temporarily fill rough spots on the hair surface.
Optional
86 / 100. We have not found a shelf product that closes more of the gap yet.
89 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.
Running total ~$18.78
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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
Why it is close. Plain cationic conditioner with hyaluronic acid; conditions but has no bond-repair claim to compare.
Not an affiliate link.
Not Your Mother's
Why it is close. Near-identical conditioner skeleton (fatty alcohols plus behentrimonium), silicone-free where Olaplex uses a dimethicone copolymer. NYM's gluconamide bond complex replaces the maleate.
Not an affiliate link.
Not Your Mother's
Why it is close. Same conditioner type with lupine and moringa protein instead of a bond linker.
Not an affiliate link.
Neutrogena
Running total
View product (opens in new tab)Not an affiliate link.
Neutrogena
Not Your Mother's
Adds: Bond-building active; Oils and butters
Running total
View product (opens in new tab)Not an affiliate link.
Not Your Mother's
Not Your Mother's
Running total
View product (opens in new tab)Not an affiliate link.
Not Your Mother's
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 DermatolA combing test found bleaching raises hair breakage and that nearly all anti-breakage products on the market pair silicones with cationic polymers.
Haake 2009 · J Cosmet SciSpectroscopy 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, Cetearyl Alcohol, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetyl Alcohol, Octyldodecyl Ricinoleate, Quaternium-91, Cetrimonium Chloride, Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Cetyl Esters, Isododecane, Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, Panthenol, Phospholipids, Dimethicone PEG-7 Isostearate, Hydroxypropyl Guar, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, PEG-7 Amodimethicone, Amodimethicone, Disodium EDTA, C12-13 Alketh-23, C12-13 Alketh-3, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, PEG-45M, Polysilicone-15, C11-15 Alketh-7, Sodium Polyaspartate, Crambe Abyssinica Seed Oil, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Laureth-9, Citric Acid, Trideceth-12, Butylene Glycol, Ahnfeltiopsis Concinna Extract, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Acetic Acid, Silica, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Acetate, PEG-4 Dilaurate, PEG-4 Laurate, BHT, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, PEG-4, Pseudozyma Epicola/Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil Ferment Filtrate, Pseudozyma Epicola/Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil Ferment Extract Filtrate, Tocopheryl Linoleate/Oleate, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Quaternium-95, Propanediol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract, PEG-8, Punica Granatum Extract, Morinda Citrifolia Fruit Extract, Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract, PEG-8/SMDI Copolymer, Palmitoyl Myristyl Serinate, Sodium Polyacrylate, Tocopherol, Biotin, Phenoxyethanol, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Dehydroacetate, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Fragrance (Parfum), Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Citral
We split Olaplex No.5 Bond Maintenance Strengthening, Moisturizing Hair Repair Conditioner into 6 standout parts worth 100 points in total. The build earns 86 of a possible 89. 89 is the most we claim, because some standouts have no close retail equivalent.
Neutrogena Hair Restore Strength + Hydrating Repair Conditioner by Neutrogena is our closest single-product match at 75 out of 100 for ~$9.99 (13.5 fl oz). It shares Cetearyl alcohol + behentrimonium chloride base, Glycerin.
Olaplex No.5 Bond Maintenance Strengthening, Moisturizing Hair Repair Conditioner 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: Bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate. See our methodology for how we score.
Olaplex · bond-repair
$10.99our build, 1 partOriginal $34, build $10.99.
Not Your Mother's
Olaplex · dry-shampoo
~$17.98our build, 2 partsOriginal $30, build ~$17.98.
Not Your Mother's
Olaplex · hair-oil
$10our build, 1 partOriginal $32, build $10.
e.l.f. SKIN