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Side by side

American Crew Defining Paste vs American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel

32% function match · 3 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 6%. American Crew Defining Paste and American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel share 2 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.

  • Defining Paste — protein-sensitive hair
  • Medium Hold Spray 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
American Crew Defining Paste — 3 oz container American Crew

Defining Paste

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel — container, alternate view American Crew

Medium Hold Spray Gel

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Moisture-rich
Price, size & price per ounce
$18–21 3 oz · $6.13/oz
$20–21 8.4 oz · $2.44/oz

Compared at different sizes — 8.4 oz against 3 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 70% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a gel $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 54% 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 Same
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Hold (as stated)
Medium A medium hold, as stated by the brand. 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
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Differs
None No protein or amino acids in the list. 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
Low The silicones here are the water-soluble kind. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Low Your hair
Hold system Differs
Mixed Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. 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 Differs
Some Absorbents appear, low in the list. 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
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • 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
  • 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
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
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
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • 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
Stylerpaste
Stylerspray
Where to buy
Ulta · Brand website
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • curly-method compatible
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
mediumMedium hold
—
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

IngredientDefining PasteMedium Hold Spray Gel
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#24Below the 1% line
#19Below the 1% line
VP/VA Copolymer
Holds
#11Secondary
#3Leading
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Fragrance
#29Below the 1% line
#20Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Defining Paste

Medium Hold Spray Gel

Full ingredient list — Defining Paste (38)
Full ingredient list — Medium Hold Spray Gel (39)

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.

VerdictsDefining PasteMedium Hold Spray Gel
Supported
2
2
Partly supported
1
0
Stated by brand
0
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Defining Paste

  • Medium holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Low shine / matte finishPartly supportedA hint of gloss.
  • Adds texture or increased definitionSupportedHolds a clump together.

Medium Hold Spray Gel

  • Provides medium hold with a natural look and feelSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Excellent for blow drying, suitable for hair of all lengthsStated by brandSee the fit panel instead.
  • Alcohol-free formula, contains UV protectionSupportedNothing that flashes off dry.

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 Defining Paste draws complaints about frizz.

Defining Paste

Consistently works on thick, hard-to-style hair where other pastes have failed.

5-star Ulta reviewer describing years of use on a partner's thick hair

Builds texture and hold without leaving visible product buildup, for a natural look.

4-star Ulta reviewer

A little goes a long way — one fingertip amount lasts all day and the tub lasts a very long time despite the price.

5-star Ulta reviewer weighing cost against longevity

Needed an unusually large amount to work and it made hair look dirty; didn't control frizz as advertised.

1-star Ulta reviewer

Scent is strong and lingers through the day; product needs to be warmed between palms first or it leaves white clumps.

4-star Ulta reviewer noting application quirks

Medium Hold Spray Gel

Multiple long-time customers say they have used the product for over a decade for daily styling.

Several reviewers say the strong hold does not hold up well against sweat and can feel expensive relative to how long a bottle lasts.

Reviewers describe the spray as giving a naturally matte finish without stiffness or shine.

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.

$2.44/oz vs $6.13/oz — American Crew Defining Paste costs about 2.5× more per ounce than American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel.

Defining Paste

Against 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Medium Hold Spray Gel

Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readDefining PasteMedium Hold Spray Gel
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for pastes per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a gelSits 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.

Defining Paste vs Manipulator Texturizing Putty with Firm HoldBed Head · 93% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Locking + Coconut Curls Decadent Creamy MousseOGX · 89% function matchDefining Paste vs Fiber Pomade Flexible Hold Low ShineREUZEL · 89% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Epic Shine Anti-Humidity SprayNexxus · 87% function matchDefining Paste vs American Crew FiberAmerican Crew · 89% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity SprayNexxus · 87% function matchDefining Paste vs Fiber - 3.0 ozAmerican Crew · 89% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Brooklyn Bombshell Blowout Spray - 6.7 ozamika · 87% function match

Defining Paste · Medium Hold Spray 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.
  • 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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