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Side by side

American Crew Fiber - 3.0 oz vs American Crew Liquid Wax

50% function match · 3 of the 9 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. American Crew Fiber - 3.0 oz and American Crew Liquid Wax share no ingredient among each other's most prominent — which does not stop them doing the same job.

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.

  • Fiber - 3.0 oz — protein-sensitive hair
  • Liquid Wax — curl definition

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 Fiber - 3.0 oz — 3 oz container American Crew

Fiber - 3.0 oz

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
American Crew Liquid Wax — 5.1 oz container American Crew

Liquid Wax

  • Styler
  • Masstige
Price, size & price per ounce
$19–23 3 oz · $7.67/oz
$3.74 5.1 oz · $0.75/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 52% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Lower cost than most gels $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 89% 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 (as stated)
Strong A strong hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
—
Slip / detangling Differs
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. 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
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
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. 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 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 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
  • 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
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a 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
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
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
Ulta · Brand website
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
—
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
strongHigh hold / Strong, pliable 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.

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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

IngredientFiber - 3.0 ozLiquid Wax
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Alcohol Denat.
Drying
#8Supporting
#10Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#17Below the 1% line
#15Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#19Below the 1% line
#17Below the 1% line
Citronellol
Fragrance
#20Below the 1% line
#23Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Fiber - 3.0 oz

Liquid Wax

  • Peg-75
  • Peg-32
  • PEG-6
  • Butylene Glycol
  • AMP-Acrylates/C1-18 Alkyl Acrylate/C1-8 Alkyl Acrylamide Copolymer
  • Dimethyl Acrylamide/Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Methoxyethyl Acrylate Copolymer
  • Menthol
  • Benzyl Salicylate
Full ingredient list — Fiber - 3.0 oz (27)
Full ingredient list — Liquid Wax (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.

VerdictsFiber - 3.0 ozLiquid Wax
Supported
2
1
Partly supported
1
0
Stated by brand
1
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Fiber - 3.0 oz

  • High holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Low-shine, matte finishPartly supportedA hint of gloss.
  • Strong, pliable holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Natural, textured lookStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Liquid Wax

  • Delivers medium hold with shineSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Controls like a gel, finishes like a waxStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Allows easy re-styling without tackiness; washes out with shampooStated 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 Fiber - 3.0 oz draws complaints about weight.

Fiber - 3.0 oz

Did exactly what was needed, no complaints.

Ulta reviewer, brief neutral-to-positive note

Styles a partner's hair nicely and the fragrance is a standout, repeat-purchase reason.

Ulta reviewer buying for a male partner

A years-long repeat purchase; loves the scent and consistent performance.

long-term Ulta reviewer

Texture is basically a hard wax, so it's tricky to scoop the right amount, and hair can look greasy if too much is used while still damp.

Ulta reviewer describing application difficulty

Effective overall but wanted a stronger hold and less oiliness than delivered.

Ulta reviewer

Liquid Wax

Several reviewers describe the product as slightly sticky but appreciate that it lasts throughout the day.

Reviewers say only a small amount is needed for effective medium hold that lasts a long time.

Some long-time users say a reformulation changed the scent to an artificial lemon and reduced how well it holds.

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 $7.67/oz — American Crew Fiber - 3.0 oz costs about 10× more per ounce than American Crew Liquid Wax.

Fiber - 3.0 oz

Against 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Liquid Wax

Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readFiber - 3.0 ozLiquid Wax
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for pastes per ounce.
Lower cost than most gelsCosts less per ounce than most gels 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.

Fiber - 3.0 oz vs American Crew FiberAmerican Crew · 100% function matchLiquid Wax vs BOOSTA Volumizing SprayUNITE Hair · 99% function matchFiber - 3.0 oz vs Forming CreamAmerican Crew · 99% function matchLiquid Wax vs Guava Beach Waves Texturizing SprayCeremonia · 99% function matchFiber - 3.0 oz vs Matte SeparationBed Head · 96% function matchLiquid Wax vs Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy HairHerbal Essences · 99% function matchFiber - 3.0 oz vs MITCH Clean CutPaul Mitchell · 94% function matchLiquid Wax vs Sea Salt SprayMurdock London · 99% function match

Fiber - 3.0 oz · Liquid Wax · 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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