Side by side
American Crew Firm Hold Styling Cream vs American Crew Pomade - 3.0 oz
65% function match · 4 of the 8 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. American Crew Firm Hold Styling Cream and American Crew Pomade - 3.0 oz share no ingredient among each other's most prominent — which does not stop them doing the same job.
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.
- Firm Hold Styling Cream — curl definition
- Pomade - 3.0 oz — 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”.
- Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
- Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
- Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
- Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
- Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
More facts about each one
- 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
Firm Hold Styling Cream
Pomade - 3.0 oz
- Peg-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
- Oleth-10
- Lanolin
- Oleth-20
- Diisopropyl Dimer Dilinoleate
- Glycerin
- Hydroxypropyl Bisstearyldimonium Chloride
- Alcohol Denat.
Full ingredient list — Firm Hold Styling Cream (19)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
VP/Dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
- 3 Acrylates Crosspolymer-3
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
4
Aminomethyl Propanol
- pH adjuster
-
5
Acrylates Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
6
Panthenol
- humectant
- conditioning agent
- vitamin
-
7
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
8
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
9
Benzyl Salicylate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
10
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
11
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
12
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
13
Hexyl Cinnamal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
14
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
15
hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde
- fragrance
-
16
Hydroxycitronellal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
17
Geraniol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
18
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
19
Methylisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
Full ingredient list — Pomade - 3.0 oz (29)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Peg-25 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
3
Oleth-10
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
4
Lanolin
- sealant
- emollient
- wax
-
5
Oleth-20
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
6
Diisopropyl Dimer Dilinoleate
- light ester
- emollient
-
7
Glycerin
- humectant
-
8
Hydroxypropyl Bisstearyldimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
-
9
Alcohol Denat.
- drying alcohol
- solvent
-
10
PVP
- film former
- polymer
-
11
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
12
Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
13
Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
-
14
Panax Ginseng Root Extract
- botanical extract
-
15
Quillaja Saponaria Bark Extract
- botanical extract
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
16
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
17
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
18
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
19
Hexyl Cinnamal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
20
Benzyl Salicylate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
21
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
22
Citronellol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
23
Hydroxycitronellal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
24
Geraniol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
25
Citral
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
26
Diazolidinyl Urea
- formaldehyde releaser
- preservative
-
27
Methylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
28
Benzoic Acid
- preservative
-
29
Propylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
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.
Firm Hold Styling Cream
Non-flaking gel-cream with strong, lasting hold
SupportedStructure that lasts the day.Thickened appearance and shine from panthenol, copolymer and castor oil
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
Pomade - 3.0 oz
flexible alternative to styling gels
SupportedNatural movement without stiffness.tremendous shine
SupportedReflects light for visible shine.pliable hold
SupportedStructure that lasts the day.works well for curly hair
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.classic, slicked-back looks
Stated 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 Pomade - 3.0 oz draws complaints about weight.
Firm Hold Styling Cream
Several reviewers say it does not flake or cake up the way other styling creams do.
Multiple reviewers say the hold lasts only until midday and needs reapplication.
Reviewers repeatedly complain that the product has been discontinued or sold out and ask the brand to bring it back.
Pomade - 3.0 oz
Switched to this pomade after a prior favorite reformulated and became glue-like; this one did the job
reviewer Karen, Thornton COUsers with short, spiked styles find the hold and texture works well for that look
reviewer dria, Miami — men's short/thick hairA longtime user found it too greasy for a short, spiked style
reviewer Ardele, SCLongtime fan of the line but recent jars arrived visibly disturbed (finger marks in the product), a quality-control complaint separate from performance
reviewer Billy, Midwest City OK — repeat buyerPrice 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.
$4.22/oz vs $10.66/oz — American Crew Pomade - 3.0 oz costs about 2.5× more per ounce than American Crew Firm Hold Styling Cream.
Firm Hold Styling Cream
Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.
Pomade - 3.0 oz
Against 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.
Firm Hold Styling Cream · Pomade - 3.0 oz · All gels 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.
Still unsure? Take your consultation or browse more products.
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