Skip to main content

Side by side

18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste vs Biolage Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair

81% function match · 9 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. 18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste and Biolage Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair share no ingredient among each other's most prominent — which does not stop them doing the same job.

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 Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste — dry, thirsty hair
  • Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair — curly-method routines

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 Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste — 2 oz container 18.21 Man Made

Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Biolage Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair — 8.5 oz container Biolage

Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$26 2 oz · $13.00/oz
$27.02 8.5 oz · $3.18/oz

Compared at different sizes — 8.5 oz against 2 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Priced above most pastes $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 85% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 68% of the 64 volumizers we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Same
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Hold system Same
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Weight on hair Differs
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Protein Same
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Low Your hair
Cast risk Differs
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Likely Film formers without much softening them — expect a cast to scrunch out. Your hair
Oil absorption Same
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Same
Present Fast-drying alcohol is present — it speeds drying and can read dry on the hair. Your hair
Present Fast-drying alcohol is present — it speeds drying and can read dry on the hair. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Covers the core
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
  • Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
  • Stretching wash daysnothing here needs a detergent to remove
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a strong scent
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
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
Stylerspray
Where to buy
18.21 Man Made · Ulta
Ulta
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · brand states
—
Scent
Amber & spice · Sweet & vanillaStrong
Fresh & airy
Finish
—
natural
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 Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling PasteVolume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#14Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Fragrance
#21Below the 1% line
#21Below the 1% line
Coumarin
Fragrance
#22Below the 1% line
#16Below the 1% line
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#10Below the 1% line
#5Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste

Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair

Full ingredient list — Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste (23)
Full ingredient list — Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair (24)

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 Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling PasteVolume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair
Supported
4
2
Partly supported
0
3
Stated by brand
1
3
Potential conflict
1
0

Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste

  • soft holdSupportedNatural movement without stiffness.
  • frizz controlSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • smooths textureSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • touchableSupportedNatural movement without stiffness.
  • water solublePotential conflictExpect to need a real cleanse.
  • blow-dry compatibleStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair

  • amplified volume, bounce, and fullnessPartly supportedNeutral on lift.
  • immediate lift and volume from root to tipPartly supportedNeutral on lift.
  • long-lasting volumePartly supportedNeutral on lift.
  • natural movementStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • paraben-freeSupportedPreserved without parabens.
  • silicone-freeSupportedNothing that needs a strong wash.
  • cruelty-freeStated by brandWorth checking on the label.
  • veganStated 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.

Both praised for hold. 18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste draws complaints about the scent; Biolage Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair draws complaints about dryness and residue or cast.

Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste

A user with short wavy hair says it holds a mohawk in place without looking or feeling overloaded with product.

Verified Ulta buyer review from Richmond, Virginia, submitted 2022

A buyer says the paste works on both thin, puffy hair and thick, curly hair in their household.

Ulta customer review from Fort Liberty, North Carolina, submitted 2023

A customer with thick shoulder-length hair says two small amounts last through a hospital workday, still allow restyling, and look natural without weighing hair down.

Ulta customer review from Maryland, submitted 2025

One purchaser finds the product functional but says the scent is too strong and remains on their hands even after washing.

Ulta customer review from Boston, Massachusetts, submitted 2025

Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair

Reviewers say it gives noticeable volume lift without weighing hair down, especially applied to damp hair before blow-drying

Ulta reviewers with fine hair

Reviewers like the fresh scent and lightweight feel that lasts through the day

Ulta reviewers

Some reviewers say hair can feel crunchy or stiff if the product is over-applied or used on fully dry hair

Ulta reviewers

Several reviewers complain the spray nozzle puts out a concentrated stream rather than a fine mist, making even distribution hard

Ulta reviewers

Reviewers note results depend heavily on getting the application technique right (amount and hair dampness)

Ulta reviewers

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.

$3.18/oz vs $13.00/oz — 18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste costs about 4.1× more per ounce than Biolage Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair.

Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste

Against 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair

Against 64 volumizers with a computable unit price.

Value readSweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling PasteVolume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair
Label
Priced above most pastesCosts more per ounce than most pastes; nothing in our library matches it closely for less.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for volumizers 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 Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste vs Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream SolidBumble and bumble · 99% function matchVolume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair vs Advanced Climate Control Flexible Holding SprayOuidad · 89% function matchSweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste vs Weightless Smooth + Curl Enhancer CreamCantu · 85% function matchVolume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair vs Tea Tree Firm Hold Gel - 5.1 ozPaul Mitchell · 89% function matchSweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste vs Pomade - 3.0 ozAmerican Crew · 81% function matchVolume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair vs Firm Hold Styling CreamAmerican Crew · 88% function matchSweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste vs Almond & Avocado Defining Crème GelDesign Essentials · 81% function matchVolume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair vs Root BoostBed Head · 87% function match

Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste · Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine Hair · 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.
  • 3 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