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Side by side

18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste vs Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel

81% function match · 10 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 12%. 18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste and Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel 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 Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste — dry, thirsty hair
  • Almond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel — 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
Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel — 16 oz container Design Essentials

Almond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$26 2 oz · $13.00/oz
$18.99 16 oz · $1.22/oz

Compared at different sizes — 16 oz against 2 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Priced above most pastes $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 85% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 74% of the 157 gels we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Hold system Same
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Synthetic polymer 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 Same
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. Your 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
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 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
Hold (as stated)
—
Medium A medium hold, as stated by the brand. 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
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Differs
Present Fast-drying alcohol is present — it speeds drying and can read dry on the hair. 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
  • Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
  • 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
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
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
  • 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
Stylergel
Where to buy
18.21 Man Made · Ulta
Specialty beauty
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • 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
Hold
—
medium
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 PasteAlmond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#7Supporting
#3Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#14Below the 1% line
#7Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste

Almond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel

Full ingredient list — Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste (23)
Full ingredient list — Almond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel (26)

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 PasteAlmond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel
Supported
4
4
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
1
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.

Almond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel

  • Enhances curl and coil definitionSupportedHolds a clump together.
  • Provides a medium to firm holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Botanicals provide excellent moisture and frizz controlSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • Free from parabens, paraffin, petrolatum, mineral oil and siliconesSupportedPreserved without parabens.
  • Formulated for 3B to 4C curl typesStated by brandSee the fit panel instead.

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.

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

Almond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel

No review themes researched for this product yet.

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.

$1.22/oz vs $13.00/oz — 18.21 Man Made Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste costs about 11× more per ounce than Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel.

Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste

Against 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Almond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel

Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readSweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling PasteAlmond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel
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 gels 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 matchAlmond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel vs Weightless Smooth + Curl Enhancer CreamCantu · 93% function matchSweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste vs Weightless Smooth + Curl Enhancer CreamCantu · 85% function matchAlmond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel vs Manuka Honey & Yogurt Hydrate + Repair Whipped Curl CreamSheaMoisture · 89% function matchSweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste vs Pomade - 3.0 ozAmerican Crew · 81% function matchAlmond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel vs Flexible Fiber Hair Styling CreamOld Spice · 89% function matchSweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste vs Volume Boost Volumizing Spray for Fine HairBiolage · 81% function matchAlmond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel vs WhipAmerican Crew · 89% function match

Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste · Almond & Avocado Defining Crème Gel · 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.
  • 8 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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