Skip to main content

Side by side

18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade vs Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Grooming Pomade

93% function match · 11 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 2%. 18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade and Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Grooming Pomade share 1 ingredient among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade — dry, thirsty hair
  • Tea Tree Grooming Pomade — protein-sensitive hair

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade — 2 oz container 18.21 Man Made

Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Grooming Pomade — 3 oz container Paul Mitchell

Tea Tree Grooming Pomade

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$26 2 oz · $13.00/oz
about $27 3 oz · $9.00/oz
Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 85% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a paste $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 65% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Wavy–Coily The brand’s own claims name curly or textured hair. Your hair
Moisture level Same
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Hold (as stated)
Medium A medium hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Light A light hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. Your hair
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Differs
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Hold system Same
Mixed Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Mixed Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Cast risk Same
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Oil absorption Same
Some Absorbents appear, low in the list. Your hair
Some Absorbents appear, low in the list. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
Present, lower down Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Present, lower down Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Same
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Styles that must holdthe brand states a light hold at most
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Stylerpaste
Stylercream
Where to buy
18.21 Man Made · Ulta · Target
Ulta · Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · brand states
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Amber & spice · Sweet & vanilla
Scented, not described
Hold
mediumThe current 18.21 Man Made and Ulta listings explicitly name a medium hold.
lightflexible hold with high shine
Finish
high-shine
high-shine
How often
as needed
as needed

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.

The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientSweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling PomadeTea Tree Grooming Pomade
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#8Below the 1% line
#20Below the 1% line
Coumarin
Fragrance
#17Below the 1% line
#30Below the 1% line
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#11Below the 1% line
#14Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade

Tea Tree Grooming Pomade

Full ingredient list — Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade (18)
Full ingredient list — Tea Tree Grooming Pomade (37)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsSweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling PomadeTea Tree Grooming Pomade
Supported
4
2
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
3
Potential conflict
0
0

Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade

  • medium holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • high shineStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • frizz controlSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • touchableSupportedNatural movement without stiffness.
  • water solubleSupportedComes out in a normal wash.

Tea Tree Grooming Pomade

  • Shapes hair and defines waves/curls with shineSupportedReflects light for visible shine.
  • Color-safe, paraben-free, gluten-freeSupportedPreserved without parabens.
  • 100% Australian tea tree, certified responsible farmsStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Water/shampoo-soluble for easy removalStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Vegan, cruelty-free, sustainable PCR packagingStated by brandWorth checking on the label.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Grooming Pomade draws complaints about hold.

Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade

One reviewer says it looks and smells good in their husband's hair without a heavy or greasy-looking result.

Ulta customer review from Georgia

Another buyer reports a little goes a long way, with long-lasting performance and no heavy or greasy feel.

Ulta customer review from New Jersey

A long-time user says the pomade provides all-day staying power, then reactivates quickly with a little water after many hours of wear.

Ulta customer review from Virginia Beach, Virginia

A dissatisfied purchaser says the pomade is overpriced and believes it thinned their hair.

Ulta customer review from Oxnard, California

Tea Tree Grooming Pomade

Easy to work through hair and apply

general Ulta reviewer

Effective for shaping short/pixie styles

reviewer with short hair

Rinses out cleanly without residue

general Ulta reviewer

Minimal styling impact for some hair types

general Ulta reviewer

Not enough hold to control flyaways

general Ulta reviewer

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$9.00/oz vs $13.00/oz — 18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade costs about 1.4× more per ounce than Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Grooming Pomade.

$1.50/oz median $7.92/oz $73.33/oz $13.00/oz Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, $9.00/oz Tea Tree Grooming Pomade

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Value readSweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling PomadeTea Tree Grooming Pomade
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Upper-mid price for a pasteSits in the middle of the range for pastes per ounce.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade vs ORS Curlshow Curl Creator Defining JellyORS · 89% function matchTea Tree Grooming Pomade vs Style + Treat Yuzu + Plum Oil Hair Styling Texture FoamBriogeo · 93% function matchSweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade vs TURNTABLE Curl Defining CrèmeR+Co · 89% function matchTea Tree Grooming Pomade vs Curlshow Chic Style Curl PuddingORS · 89% function matchSweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade vs Kalahari Melon & Aloe Vera Deep Hydration Curl Forming GlazeMielle Organics · 85% function matchTea Tree Grooming Pomade vs Curlshow Wash-N-Show Curl MousseORS · 89% function matchSweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade vs Curl Talk Defining Gel CustardNot Your Mother's · 85% function matchTea Tree Grooming Pomade vs ORS Curlshow Curl Creator Defining JellyORS · 89% function match

Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade · Tea Tree Grooming Pomade · All pastes in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 5 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

Still unsure? Take your consultation or browse more products.

Your personalized hair plan

Tell us what’s going on with your hair, see what we understand, and get a plan built around it — with the reason behind every recommendation.

Free to start · $49.00 for your consultation and hair profile · No subscription · Nothing you must buy

Start your consultation