Side by side
American Crew Forming Cream vs L'anza Healing Style Sculpting Paste
90% function match · 7 of the 9 functions we compared match Formula overlap 53%. American Crew Forming Cream and L'anza Healing Style Sculpting Paste share 4 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.
- Forming Cream — curl definition
- Healing Style Sculpting Paste — 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”.
- 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
- Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
- Aerosol avoidancea pump or tube, not a pressurised can
- 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
- Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
- Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
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
What only one of them carries
Forming Cream
- Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
- Lanolin Cera (Lanolin Wax) (Cire De Lanoline)
- Steareth-21
- PVP
- Ceteareth-25
- Benzyl Salicylate
Full ingredient list — Forming Cream (35)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Petrolatum
- sealant
- emollient
-
3
Cetearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
4
Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
- emollient
- sealant
- 5 Lanolin Cera (Lanolin Wax) (Cire De Lanoline)
-
6
Steareth-21
- emulsifier
-
7
PVP
- film former
- polymer
-
8
Ceteareth-25
- emulsifier
- 9 Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax (Cire De Carnauba)
-
10
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
11
VP/VA Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
12
Ozokerite
- film former
- sealant
- wax
- 13 Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil) (Huile Minerale)
-
14
Diethylhexyl Malate
- light ester
- emollient
-
15
Peg-40 Castor Oil
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
16
Alcohol Denat.
- drying alcohol
- solvent
-
17
Peg-10 Soy Sterol
- emulsifier
-
18
Sucrose
- humectant
-
19
Cereus Grandiflorus (Cactus) Flower Extract
- botanical extract
-
20
Glycerin
- humectant
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
21
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
22
Benzyl Salicylate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
23
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
24
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
25
Coumarin
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
26
Geraniol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
27
Benzyl Benzoate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
28
Hexyl Cinnamal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
29
Citral
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
30
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
31
hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde
- fragrance
-
32
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
33
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
34
Ethylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
35
Methylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
Full ingredient list — Healing Style Sculpting Paste (41)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Petrolatum
- sealant
- emollient
-
3
VP/VA Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
4
Vinyl Caprolactam/VP/Dimethylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
5
Cetearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
6
Ozokerite
- film former
- sealant
- wax
-
7
Butylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
8
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
- light ester
- emollient
-
9
Sodium Acrylates Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
10
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
11
Peg-40 Castor Oil
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
12
Propylene Glycol Dibenzoate
- light ester
- emollient
-
13
Keratin Amino Acids
- protein
- amino acid
-
14
Trichilia Emetica Seed Butter
- butter
- emollient
- sealant
-
15
Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
16
ceratonia siliqua gum
- gum
- thickener
-
17
Acacia Senegal Gum Extract
- botanical extract
-
18
Astrocaryum Murumuru Seed Butter
- butter
- emollient
- 19 Pfaffia Paniculata Root Extract
-
20
Cereus Grandiflorus Flower Extract
- botanical extract
-
21
Dimethiconol Meadowfoamate
- silicone
- emollient
-
22
Sodium PCA
- humectant
- 23 Magnesium PCA
-
24
Zinc PCA
- humectant
- active
- 25 Manganese PCA
-
26
PEG-150 Distearate
- thickener
- emulsifier
-
27
Peg-90m
- emulsifier
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
28
Caprylyl Glycol
- preservative
- humectant
-
29
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
30
Isopentyldiol
- solvent
- humectant
-
31
Potassium Sorbate
- preservative
-
32
Trimethylsiloxyamodimethicone
- conditioning agent
- film former
- silicone
- 33 Sodium Benzotriazolyl Butylphenol Sulfonate
- 34 Buteth-3
-
35
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
- 36 Tris(Tetramethylhydroxypiperidinol) Citrate
- 37 Tributyl Citrate
-
38
Alcohol Denat.
- drying alcohol
- solvent
-
39
Blue 1 (CI 42090)
- colourant
- direct dye
- blue dye
-
40
Yellow 5
- colourant
-
41
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
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.
Forming Cream
Water Based: Shampoos out easily without residue
Potential conflictExpect to need a real cleanse.Excellent pliability
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.Natural shine
Partly supportedA hint of gloss.Makes hair look thicker
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
Healing Style Sculpting Paste
Delivers strong, long-lasting hold
SupportedStructure that lasts the day.Enhances body, texture and controls frizz
Potential conflictLikely to weigh hair down.Lightweight formula provides even coverage
Potential conflictExpect it to sit on the strand.Strengthens hair while gripping styles for all-day hold
Partly supportedSupports the surface, not a treatment.
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.
Forming Cream
A small amount lasts a long time making it economical despite the higher purchase price.
Multiple reviewers mentioned the product's efficiency and value propositionProvides reliable, all-day hold for styling while delivering a polished appearance.
Frequent mentions from reviewers using it for sleek styles, curls, and professional looksHas a pleasant fragrance that appeals to most users and enhances the overall experience.
Reviewers consistently mentioned appreciation for the scent quality and masculine characterCan feel overly greasy or leave a thick residue on certain hair types.
Some reviewers reported texture issues particularly when applied to fine or thin hairRecent product reformulations have disappointed longtime customers who prefer the original formula.
Several long-term users noted the product has changed and no longer meets their expectationsHealing Style Sculpting Paste
No review themes researched for this product yet.
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.
$3.21/oz vs $8.82/oz — L'anza Healing Style Sculpting Paste costs about 2.7× more per ounce than American Crew Forming Cream.
Forming Cream
Against 56 smoothing creams with a computable unit price.
Healing Style Sculpting Paste
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.
Forming Cream · Healing Style Sculpting Paste · All smoothing creams 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.
- 11 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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