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Side by side

American Crew Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz vs American Crew Matte Clay

48% function match · 6 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. American Crew Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz and American Crew Matte Clay 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.

  • Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz — protein-sensitive hair
  • Matte Clay — 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 Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz — brand photograph American Crew

Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
American Crew Matte Clay — 3 oz container American Crew

Matte Clay

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$13.44 8.4 oz · $1.99/oz
$10.50 3 oz · $3.50/oz

Compared at different sizes — 8.4 oz against 3 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 54% of the 159 gels we’ve priced
Lower cost than most pastes $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 88% of the 92 pastes we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. Your hair
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Hold (as stated)
Light A light hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Strong A strong hold, as stated by the brand. 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 Differs
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. 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
Protein Same
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Hold system Differs
Synthetic polymer Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Wax Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Cast risk Same
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Oil absorption Differs
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
High Absorbent powders or starches high in the list. Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
Present, lower down Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Same
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
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
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
  • 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
  • Styles that must holdthe brand states a light hold at most
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers
  • 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
Stylergel
Stylerpaste
Where to buy
Ulta · Brand website
Ulta · Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
lightLight hold
strongHigh hold
Finish
high-shine
matte
How often
as needed
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

IngredientLight Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 ozMatte Clay
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#16Below the 1% line
#9Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#18Below the 1% line
#14Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#19Below the 1% line
#15Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz

Matte Clay

Full ingredient list — Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz (20)
Full ingredient list — Matte Clay (19)

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.

VerdictsLight Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 ozMatte Clay
Supported
4
1
Partly supported
0
1
Stated by brand
1
2
Potential conflict
0
1

Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz

  • Light holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • High shineSupportedReflects light for visible shine.
  • Non-flaking formulaStated by brandSoothing, not an active treatment.
  • Alcohol-freeSupportedNothing that flashes off dry.
  • Non-drying to scalpSupportedNothing in it flashes off dry.

Matte Clay

  • High holdPartly supportedSoft structure, not firm hold.
  • Medium shineSupportedReflects light for visible shine.
  • Long-lasting workable holdStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Builds textureStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Washes out easilyPotential conflictExpect to need a real cleanse.

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.

Both praised for a light feel.

Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz

Lightweight application that doesn't weigh hair down or feel heavy

repeat Ulta buyer

Non-flaking formula holds up to the claim, no white residue after it dries

Ulta reviewer

Fragrance is pleasant and not overpowering

Ulta reviewer

One reviewer described the gel as goopy and said it didn't work well for their hair

dissatisfied Ulta reviewer

Matte Clay

Easy to work with, provides great hold that lasts all day

Ulta reviewer

Matte finish keeps hair where it's combed, without greasiness

Ulta reviewer

Gives a dry, low-shine, medium-hold look that reads as natural rather than product-heavy

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.

$1.99/oz vs $3.50/oz — American Crew Matte Clay costs about 1.8× more per ounce than American Crew Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz.

Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz

Against 159 gels with a computable unit price.

Matte Clay

Against 92 pastes with a computable unit price.

Value readLight Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 ozMatte Clay
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for gels 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.

Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz vs American Crew Firm Hold Styling GelAmerican Crew · 100% function matchMatte Clay vs Brews Clay PomadeRedken · 100% function matchLight Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz vs 121 Proof Thickening Style GelBlind Barber · 93% function matchMatte Clay vs Green Grease Pomade Oil-Based Medium HoldREUZEL · 93% function matchLight Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz vs Bananas Xtreme Hold Hair GelThe Doux · 93% function matchMatte Clay vs Rosemary Mint Hydrating Styling CreamREUZEL · 93% function matchLight Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz vs Rose Water Curl Defining Styling GelTGIN · 93% function matchMatte Clay vs MITCH Dry PastePaul Mitchell · 89% function match

Light Hold Styling Gel - 13.1 oz · Matte Clay · 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.
  • 4 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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