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Side by side

18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste vs Bumble and bumble Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid

99% function match · 8 of the 8 functions we compared match Formula overlap 59%. 18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste and Bumble and bumble Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid share 4 ingredients 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 Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste — dry, thirsty hair
  • Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid — dry, thirsty 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 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
Bumble and bumble Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid — 1.5 oz container Bumble and bumble

Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Moisture-rich
Price, size & price per ounce
$26 2 oz · $13.00/oz
$27.99 1.5 oz · $18.66/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced above most pastes $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 85% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 96% of the 90 pastes 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 Same
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
Weight on hair
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. Your hair
—
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
—
Silicone / wax buildup Same
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Cast risk
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. 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
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
  • Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
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
  • Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
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
Styler
Where to buy
18.21 Man Made · Ulta
—
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
—
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · brand states
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Amber & spice · Sweet & vanillaStrong
Scented, not described
How often
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 PasteSumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cetearyl Alcohol
Softens
#3Leading
#3Leading
PVP
Holds
#4Supporting
#4Supporting
Alcohol Denat.
Drying
#5Supporting
#8Supporting
Tribehenin
Buildup
#6Supporting
#5Supporting
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#7Supporting
#7Supporting
Fragrance
Fragrance
#14Below the 1% line
#16Below the 1% line
Tridecyl Stearate
Softens
#11Below the 1% line
#6Supporting
Eugenol
Fragrance
#23Below the 1% line
#19Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste

Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid

Full ingredient list — Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste (23)
Full ingredient list — Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid (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 PasteSumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid
Supported
4
0
Partly supported
0
0
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.

Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid

  • Flexible hold with a low-shine finishStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Hybrid texture combining wax, paste, and cream propertiesStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Adds body and texture to hairStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from 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.

18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste draws complaints about the scent.

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

Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid

Some reviewers find the product too thick, waxy or sticky and say it does not distribute evenly through the hair.

Many reviewers say a small amount melts easily between the fingers and gives light hold with definition and volume without leaving hair greasy or sticky.

A cluster of reviewers say a recent formula change made the product softer, goopier and much less effective than the version they had used for years.

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.

$13.00/oz vs $18.66/oz — Bumble and bumble Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid costs about 1.4× more per ounce than 18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste.

$1.50/oz median $7.92/oz $73.33/oz $13.00/oz Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, M $18.66/oz Sumotech Flexible Hold Cre

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

Value readSweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling PasteSumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid
Label
Priced above most pastesCosts more per ounce than most pastes; nothing in our library matches it closely for less.
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.

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 Weightless Smooth + Curl Enhancer CreamCantu · 85% function matchSumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid vs Shaper Fierce HairspraySebastian · 94% function matchSweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste vs Pomade - 3.0 ozAmerican Crew · 81% function matchSumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid vs Style Sexy Hair Hard Up Hard Holding Gel - 5.1 ozSexy Hair · 94% function matchSweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste vs Almond & Avocado Defining Crème GelDesign Essentials · 81% function matchSumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid vs Style Sexy Hair Rough & Ready Styling PomadeSexy Hair · 94% function matchSweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste vs Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine HairBiolage · 81% function matchSumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid vs Cream PomadeAmerican Crew · 89% function match

Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste · Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid · 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.
  • 7 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.

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