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Side by side

American Crew Cream Pomade vs Herbal Essences Touchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control

85% function match · 7 of the 9 functions we compared match Formula overlap 4%. American Crew Cream Pomade and Herbal Essences Touchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control 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
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When each one is the right call

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

  • Cream Pomade — protein-sensitive hair
  • Touchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control — 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
American Crew Cream Pomade — 3 oz container American Crew

Cream Pomade

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Herbal Essences

Touchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
  • Moisture-rich
Price, size & price per ounce
$22–25 3 oz · $8.06/oz
$5.99 8 oz · $0.75/oz

Compared at different sizes — 8 oz against 3 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a paste $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 54% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Lower cost than most hairsprays $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 94% of the 96 hairsprays 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 (as stated)
Medium A medium hold, as stated by the brand. 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
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
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Low The silicones here are the water-soluble kind. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Low Your hair
Hold system Same
Synthetic polymer Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. 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
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
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • 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
  • Short ingredient listsfifteen ingredients or fewer
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the lower price tiers
Why you might skip it
  • 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
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
  • Silicone-free routinesit does contain silicones — the water-soluble kind
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
Stylercream
Styler
Where to buy
Ulta · Brand website
Grocery / mass
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
—
Cruelty-free
—
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
mediumprovides light to medium hold with a low shine finish
—
Finish
matte
—
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

IngredientCream PomadeTouchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#2Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#11Below the 1% line
#5Below the 1% line
Panthenol
Detangles
#10Secondary
#8Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Cream Pomade

Touchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control

Full ingredient list — Cream Pomade (19)
Full ingredient list — Touchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control (8)

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.

VerdictsCream PomadeTouchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control
Supported
4
5
Partly supported
1
0
Stated by brand
0
3
Potential conflict
0
0

Cream Pomade

  • Light to medium holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Low shine finishSupportedReflects light for visible shine.
  • Moisturizing and conditioning benefitsPartly supportedSome hydration, at a low level.
  • Frizz-free natural lookSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Textured definitionSupportedHolds a clump together.

Touchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control

  • 24-hour frizz protectionSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • All-day hold with touchable, soft hairSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Ultra-fast dryingStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Humidity protectionSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • PETA Cruelty-Free certifiedSupportedMatches our researched record.
  • Paraben-freeSupportedPreserved without parabens.
  • Dye-freeStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Color-safeStated 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.

American Crew Cream Pomade draws complaints about residue or cast.

Cream Pomade

Turned a product-averse user into a repeat user who now likes styling

customer buying for spouse

General satisfaction, would recommend to friends

general customer

Holds hair well without making it feel hard or stiff

customer buying for partner

Leaves hair looking flaky and white once dried

dissatisfied customer

Breaks down and applies easily, but leaves a sticky residue on hands and can look greasy rather than matte

customer review

Touchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control

A long-time customer complained that the price jumped sharply (from around $5 to $12) for a product they had bought for years.

Reviewers say the hold is light and long-lasting without feeling sticky, crunchy or leaving visible flakes, even on dark hair.

The scent is repeatedly described as pleasant and not overpowering.

Several reviewers had trouble with the non-aerosol pump dispenser, saying it is hard to depress or sprays unevenly onto the face and hair; a couple with more direct use found it sticky or flattening rather than voluminous.

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.

$0.75/oz vs $8.06/oz — American Crew Cream Pomade costs about 11× more per ounce than Herbal Essences Touchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control.

Cream Pomade

Against 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Touchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control

Against 96 hairsprays with a computable unit price.

Value readCream PomadeTouchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control
Label
Upper-mid price for a pasteSits in the middle of the range for pastes per ounce.
Lower cost than most hairspraysCosts less per ounce than most hairsprays we have researched.

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.

Cream Pomade vs Grooming Hair Styling CreamBumble and bumble · 89% function matchTouchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control vs Grooming SprayAmerican Crew · 99% function matchCream Pomade vs Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream SolidBumble and bumble · 89% function matchTouchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control vs VICIOUS Strong Hold Flexible HairsprayR+Co · 99% function matchCream Pomade vs Thermal Setting SprayBiolage · 85% function matchTouchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control vs Extra Hold Alcohol-Free Hair GelTRESemmé · 99% function matchCream Pomade vs Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture PastePureology · 81% function matchTouchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control vs Shaper Medium Hold Flexible HairspraySebastian · 99% function match

Cream Pomade · Touchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control · 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.

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