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 · 3.3 fl oz
A lotion-style leave-in with fatty alcohols, plant butters and squalane for slip and moisture, plus cationic conditioners that stay on the hair.
Prices and listings checked Oct 28, 2026. Amazon prices change; the link shows today's price.
Step 2 · The build
Not Your Mother's
Partial credit means the part only partly matches that standout.
The 100 points
We split Olaplex No.5L Moisturize & Mend Leave-In Conditioner into 6 standout parts. Each bar shows what the build earns.
The conditioning base (Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetyl Alcohol) 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.
Humectants (Propanediol, Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol) pull in water and keep the hair feeling soft.
Film-formers and polymers (Brassica Campestris/Aleurites Fordi Oil Copolymer, Xanthan Gum) give hold, set and heat or humidity resistance.
Oils and butters (Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Squalane, Brassica Campestris/Aleurites Fordi Oil Copolymer) soften the hair and seal in moisture.
Hydrolyzed proteins and amino acids (Arginine, Aspartic Acid, Glycine) are added to coat and temporarily fill rough spots on the hair surface.
Optional
58 / 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 ~$8.79
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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.
Not Your Mother's
No close match yet — we show the nearest formulas.
Why it is close. Same rinse-free conditioner idea. NYM adds quats and plant oils.
Not an affiliate link.
Not Your Mother's
Why it is close. Ulta-only growth-marketed leave-in; weak match.
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Not Your Mother's
Running total
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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 SciIn a controlled comparison, coconut oil reduced protein loss from damaged and undamaged hair when used before or after washing; sunflower and mineral oil did not. This applies to coconut oil itself, not to a blend that contains some.
Rele 2003 · 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 MacromolWater/Aqua/Eau, Cetearyl Alcohol, Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter, Propanediol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Isoamyl Laurate, Squalane, Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, Brassicyl Valinate Esylate, Cetyl Esters, Pentylene Glycol, Phenethyl Benzoate, Brassica Campestris/Aleurites Fordi Oil Copolymer, Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetrimonium Chloride, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Fructooligosaccharides, Beta Vulgaris (Beet) Root Extract, Sodium PCA, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Sodium Lactate, Hydrogenated Ethylhexyl Olivate, Calcium Gluconate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Caprylyl Glycol, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Panthenol, Arginine, Ethylhexylglycerin, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Sodium Phytate, Aspartic Acid, Potassium Lactate, Ximenia Americana Seed Oil, PCA, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Unsaponifiables, Butylene Glycol, Lactic Acid, Raphanus Sativus (Radish) Seed Extract, Octyldodecyl Oleate, Octyldodecanol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract, Propylene Glycol, Glycine, Citric Acid, Alanine, Algin, Coco-Glucoside, Sorbitan Oleate, Serine, Tocopherol, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Valine, Carrageenan, Chitosan, Xanthan Gum, Isoleucine, Proline, Threonine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Magnolia Officinalis Bark Extract, Betula Alba Bark Extract, Crambe Maritima Extract, Ulmus Fulva Bark Extract, Caesalpinia Spinosa Fruit Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Ceratonia Siliqua Seed Extract, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Sprout Extract, Polyquaternium-7, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Fragrance (Parfum), Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Citral, Linalool, Citronellol
We split Olaplex No.5L Moisturize & Mend Leave-In Conditioner into 6 standout parts worth 100 points in total. The build earns 58 of a possible 87. 87 is the most we claim, because some standouts have no close retail equivalent.
Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Leave-In Conditioner by Not Your Mother's is our closest single-product match at 58 out of 100 for ~$8.79 (6 fl oz). It shares Leave-in cationic cream (behentrimonium chloride), Glycerin, Marula/avocado oils.
Olaplex No.5L Moisturize & Mend Leave-In Conditioner costs $34 for 3.3 fl oz. The closest dupe costs ~$8.79, a saving of about $25.21. 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, Squalane and murumuru butter. 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