Skip to main content

Side by side

American Crew Grooming Cream vs REUZEL Matte Styling Paste Flexible Hold

83% function match · 5 of the 8 functions we compared match Formula overlap 16%. American Crew Grooming Cream and REUZEL Matte Styling Paste Flexible Hold 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.

  • Grooming Cream — curl definition
  • Matte Styling Paste Flexible Hold — 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”.

Trait
American Crew Grooming Cream — 3 oz container American Crew

Grooming Cream

  • Styler
  • Masstige
REUZEL Matte Styling Paste Flexible Hold — 3.38 oz container REUZEL

Matte Styling Paste Flexible Hold

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$18–23 3 oz · $6.66/oz
$16.50 3.38 oz · $5.03/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 60% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Lower cost than most pastes $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 80% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Hold system Same
Moderate Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Mixed Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. Your hair
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. Your 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
Silicone / wax buildup Same
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Hold (as stated)
—
Medium A medium hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Protein
—
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Oil absorption Same
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
Present, lower down Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Cast risk
—
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol
—
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
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
  • 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
Why you might skip it
  • 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
  • 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
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
Stylercream
Stylercream
Where to buy
Brand website
Ulta · Brand website
Free of
—
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
—
Not vegan · label states
Cruelty-free
—
Cruelty-free · brand states
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
—
medium6/10 (Medium/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.

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

IngredientGrooming CreamMatte Styling Paste Flexible Hold
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Beeswax
Buildup
#7Supporting
#2Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#20Below the 1% line
#14Below the 1% line
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Stabilizes
#10Secondary
#8Supporting

What only one of them carries

Grooming Cream

Matte Styling Paste Flexible Hold

Full ingredient list — Grooming Cream (29)
Full ingredient list — Matte Styling Paste Flexible Hold (15)

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.

VerdictsGrooming CreamMatte Styling Paste Flexible Hold
Supported
1
1
Partly supported
1
1
Stated by brand
0
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Grooming Cream

  • High hold and high shine for sleek stylesSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Conditions while repelling excess moisturePartly supportedSome hydration, at a low level.

Matte Styling Paste Flexible Hold

  • 6/10 hold (Medium/Pliable Hold)SupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • 1/10 shine (Matte, no shine)Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • seals in moisture, smooths frizzPartly supportedSome hydration, at a low level.

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.

REUZEL Matte Styling Paste Flexible Hold draws complaints about residue or cast.

Grooming Cream

Several reviewers describe a reformulation that made the cream oilier and less able to hold hair in place.

Long-time customers, some using it since the 1990s, call it their favorite pomade for a classic slicked-back look.

Multiple reviewers say it washes out easily with cold water and leaves no residue.

A few reviewers find the scent unpleasant even while praising the hold.

Matte Styling Paste Flexible Hold

Described as lightweight with a decent hold that layers well with other products

general Ulta reviewer

Praised for a natural, non-heavy look that suits fine or thick hair alike

general Ulta reviewer

One reviewer found it tacky when used alone and preferred it mixed with another product or on shorter hair

general Ulta reviewer

Generally recommended for all-day style maintenance despite only moderate hold strength

general Ulta reviewer

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.

$5.03/oz vs $6.66/oz — American Crew Grooming Cream costs about 1.3× more per ounce than REUZEL Matte Styling Paste Flexible Hold.

$1.50/oz median $7.92/oz $73.33/oz $6.66/oz Grooming Cream $5.03/oz Matte Styling Paste Flexib

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Value readGrooming CreamMatte Styling Paste Flexible Hold
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for pastes per ounce.
Lower cost than most pastesCosts less per ounce than most pastes 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.

Grooming Cream vs KILLER.CURLS Anti-Frizz Defining CrèmeKevin Murphy · 89% function matchMatte Styling Paste Flexible Hold vs Blue Extreme Hold Matte PomadeREUZEL · 100% function matchGrooming Cream vs 90 Proof Strong Hold Matte PomadeBlind Barber · 89% function matchMatte Styling Paste Flexible Hold vs Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair WaxAxe · 96% function matchGrooming Cream vs Strawberry Gum Grip Styling StickBondi Boost · 89% function matchMatte Styling Paste Flexible Hold vs Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling PasteDove Men+Care · 96% function matchGrooming Cream vs Blue Extreme Hold Matte PomadeREUZEL · 83% function matchMatte Styling Paste Flexible Hold vs Men+Care Medium Hold Molding PasteDove Men+Care · 96% function match

Grooming Cream · Matte Styling Paste Flexible Hold · 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.

Still unsure? Take your consultation or browse more products.

Your personalized hair plan

Tell us what’s going on with your hair, see what we understand, and get a plan built around it — with the reason behind every recommendation.

Free to start · $49.00 for your consultation and hair profile · No subscription · Nothing you must buy

Start your consultation