Side by side
American Crew Fiber - 3.0 oz vs Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste
93% function match · 12 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 16%. American Crew Fiber - 3.0 oz and Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste share 2 ingredients among each other's most prominent.
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
- Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste — protein-sensitive 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”.
Dove Men+Care
Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste
- Styler
- Drugstore
- Sulfate-free
- Silicone-free
- 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
- 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
- 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
- Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
- Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- curly-method compatible
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- curly-method compatible
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.
$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
What only one of them carries
Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste
Full ingredient list — Fiber - 3.0 oz (27)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Lanolin Wax
- film former
- sealant
- wax
-
3
Cetearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
4
PVP
- film former
- polymer
-
5
Tridecyl Stearate
- light ester
- emollient
-
6
Tribehenin
- wax
- emollient
-
7
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
8
Alcohol Denat.
- drying alcohol
- solvent
-
9
Tridecyl Trimellitate
- light ester
- emollient
-
10
Ceteareth-25
- emulsifier
-
11
Peg-8 Beeswax
- emulsifier
-
12
Peg-40 Castor Oil
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
13
Dipentaerythrityl Hexacaprylate/Hexacaprate
- light ester
- emollient
-
14
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
- thickener
- polymer
- film former
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
15
Triethanolamine
- pH adjuster
-
16
Tetrasodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
17
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
18
Benzyl Alcohol
- preservative
- solvent
-
19
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
20
Citronellol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
21
Geraniol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
22
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
23
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
24
Ethylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
25
Methylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
26
Caramel
- colourant
-
27
Yellow 5
- colourant
Full ingredient list — Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste (25)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Petrolatum
- sealant
- emollient
-
3
Beeswax
- wax
- film former
- sealant
-
4
Stearic Acid
- emulsifier
- thickener
- fatty alcohol
-
5
PVP
- film former
- polymer
-
6
Glycol Stearate
- opacifier
- emollient
-
7
Glyceryl Stearate
- emulsifier
- emollient
-
8
Steareth-21
- emulsifier
-
9
PEG-100 Stearate
- emulsifier
-
10
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
11
Tridecyl Trimellitate
- light ester
- emollient
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
12
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
13
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
14
Cetyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
- 15 Magnesium Silicate
- 16 Stearamide AMP
-
17
Disodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
18
Triethanolamine
- pH adjuster
- 19 Quartz
-
20
Caffeine
- active
-
21
Citronellol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
22
Coumarin
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
23
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
24
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
25
Titanium Dioxide
- colourant
- opacifier
- mineral
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.
Fiber - 3.0 oz
High hold
SupportedStructure that lasts the day.Low-shine, matte finish
Partly supportedA hint of gloss.Strong, pliable hold
SupportedStructure that lasts the day.Natural, textured look
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste
Medium hold
SupportedStructure that lasts the day.Matte finish
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.Can be reshaped and restyled throughout the day
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.Paraben-free
SupportedPreserved without parabens.
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.
Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste draws complaints about the scent and hold.
Fiber - 3.0 oz
Did exactly what was needed, no complaints.
Ulta reviewer, brief neutral-to-positive noteStyles a partner's hair nicely and the fragrance is a standout, repeat-purchase reason.
Ulta reviewer buying for a male partnerA years-long repeat purchase; loves the scent and consistent performance.
long-term Ulta reviewerTexture 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 difficultyEffective overall but wanted a stronger hold and less oiliness than delivered.
Ulta reviewerDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste
Doesn't leave much visible residue in the hair after styling
Target verified reviewerHold lasts all day without the paste feeling hard or crunchy
Target verified reviewerWorks as well as or better than pricier styling pastes they'd tried before
Target verified reviewerSome reviewers with straight/fine hair say it provides little to no hold and leaves hair looking greasy
Target verified reviewer, straight/fine hairScent is noticeably strong for some users
Target verified reviewerPrice 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.
$5.42/oz vs $7.67/oz — American Crew Fiber - 3.0 oz costs about 1.4× more per ounce than Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste.
Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 90 pastes with a computable unit price.
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 · Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste · 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.
- This particular combination is not listed in our sitemap: we only submit pairs of comparable products that our similarity data says people would actually weigh against each other.
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