Skip to main content

Side by side

American Crew Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo vs American Crew Forming Pre-Styling Shampoo

66% function match · 6 of the 11 functions we compared match Formula overlap 35%. American Crew Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo and American Crew Forming Pre-Styling Shampoo 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.

  • Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo — protein-sensitive hair
  • Forming Pre-Styling Shampoo — fast-oiling scalps

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
American Crew Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo — brand photograph American Crew

Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Masstige
  • Silicone-free
  • Protein-free
American Crew Forming Pre-Styling Shampoo — 8.4 oz container American Crew

Forming Pre-Styling Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Masstige
Price, size & price per ounce
$12–15 8.4 oz · $1.60/oz
$17 8.4 oz · $2.02/oz
Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 52% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 62% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
Cleansing strength Same
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Weight on hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
—
Fragrance
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Protein
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
—
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Expected lather Same
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
Scalp active Same
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
Hard-water defence Same
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
  • Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • 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
Shampoo
Shampoo
Where to buy
Brand website
Brand website
Free of
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
—
Vegan
Vegan · label states
Vegan · label states
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described

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

IngredientBoost Pre-Styling ShampooForming Pre-Styling Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#3Leading
#3Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#4Below the 1% line
#6Below the 1% line
Capryloyl Glycine
Cleanses
#5Below the 1% line
#7Below the 1% line
Citric Acid
pH balancer
#7Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line
Disodium EDTA
Stabilizes
#8Below the 1% line
#10Below the 1% line
Citrus Aurantium Peel Oil
Fragrance
#18Below the 1% line
#34Below the 1% line
Hexamethylindanopyran
Fragrance
#20Below the 1% line
#35Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo

Forming Pre-Styling Shampoo

Full ingredient list — Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo (24)
Full ingredient list — Forming Pre-Styling Shampoo (38)

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.

VerdictsBoost Pre-Styling ShampooForming Pre-Styling Shampoo
Supported
0
0
Partly supported
0
1
Stated by brand
2
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo

  • Gently cleanses while balancing the scalp's microbiomeStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Creates appearance of fuller hair for fine or thinning hair typesStated by brandNot something a label can show.

Forming Pre-Styling Shampoo

  • Formulated as a vegan product without silicones or parabensStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Contains jojoba oil for hydration and frizz preventionPartly supportedSome hydration, at a low level.
  • Balances scalp microbiome while cleansingStated 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.

Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo

Many reviewers, several noting the product was gifted by the brand, say it added noticeable volume to fine or thin hair.

Reviewers frequently describe the lather as rich and pleasant during use.

Several reviewers praise the scent as fresh and citrus-forward.

Multiple reviewers say hair felt soft and more manageable for styling afterward.

Forming Pre-Styling Shampoo

Many reviewers, several noting the product was gifted by the brand, say it left hair moisturized and reduced frizz.

Reviewers with curly or wavy hair report the cleanser makes curls more defined and manageable.

Multiple reviewers note a pleasant scent that carries into their subsequent styling routine.

Several reviewers say the shampoo cleanses without stripping natural oils compared to typical shampoos.

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.

$1.60/oz vs $2.02/oz — American Crew Forming Pre-Styling Shampoo costs about 1.3× more per ounce than American Crew Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.48/oz $17.29/oz $1.60/oz Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo $2.02/oz Forming Pre-Styling Shampo

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readBoost Pre-Styling ShampooForming Pre-Styling Shampoo
Label
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos 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.

Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo vs Ultimate Smooth ShampooWella Professionals · 100% function matchForming Pre-Styling Shampoo vs STIMULATE-ME.WASHKevin Murphy · 97% function matchBoost Pre-Styling Shampoo vs Oil Control ShampooAmerican Crew · 100% function matchForming Pre-Styling Shampoo vs Hair Alchemy Resilience ShampooOribe · 96% function matchBoost Pre-Styling Shampoo vs Quench Intense Hydration ShampooRusk · 100% function matchForming Pre-Styling Shampoo vs Potion Miracle Daily ShampooIt's a 10 · 95% function matchBoost Pre-Styling Shampoo vs Fall Defense ShampooNioxin · 100% function matchForming Pre-Styling Shampoo vs Fine Hair ShampooOuai · 93% function match

Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo · Forming Pre-Styling Shampoo · All shampoos 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.
  • 11 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