Skip to main content

Side by side

American Crew Liquid Wax vs American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel

50% function match · 3 of the 9 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. American Crew Liquid Wax and American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel 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.

  • Liquid Wax — curl definition
  • Medium Hold Spray Gel — 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”.

Trait
American Crew Liquid Wax — 5.1 oz container American Crew

Liquid Wax

  • Styler
  • Masstige
American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel — container, alternate view American Crew

Medium Hold Spray Gel

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Moisture-rich
Price, size & price per ounce
$3.74 5.1 oz · $0.75/oz
$20–21 8.4 oz · $2.44/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most gels $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 89% of the 159 gels we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a gel $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 54% of the 159 gels we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. Your hair
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. Your hair
Moisture level Same
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Hold system Same
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. 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 Differs
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Low The silicones here are the water-soluble kind. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Weight on hair
—
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Protein
—
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Cast risk Differs
Likely Film formers without much softening them — expect a cast to scrunch out. Your hair
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. 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
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Differs
Present Fast-drying alcohol is present — it speeds drying and can read dry on the hair. 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
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • 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
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Silicone-free routinesit does contain silicones — the water-soluble kind
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
Styler
Stylerspray
Where to buy
Brand website
Brand website
Free of
—
  • sulfate-free
  • curly-method compatible
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described

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

IngredientLiquid WaxMedium Hold Spray Gel
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Menthol
Fragrance
#14Below the 1% line
#32Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#15Below the 1% line
#19Below the 1% line
Benzyl Salicylate
Fragrance
#16Below the 1% line
#21Below the 1% line
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Fragrance
#21Below the 1% line
#20Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Liquid Wax

  • Peg-75
  • Peg-32
  • PEG-6
  • Butylene Glycol
  • Alcohol Denat.
  • AMP-Acrylates/C1-18 Alkyl Acrylate/C1-8 Alkyl Acrylamide Copolymer
  • Dimethyl Acrylamide/Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Methoxyethyl Acrylate Copolymer

Medium Hold Spray Gel

Full ingredient list — Liquid Wax (26)
Full ingredient list — Medium Hold Spray Gel (39)

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.

VerdictsLiquid WaxMedium Hold Spray Gel
Supported
1
2
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
2
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Liquid Wax

  • Delivers medium hold with shineSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Controls like a gel, finishes like a waxStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Allows easy re-styling without tackiness; washes out with shampooStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Medium Hold Spray Gel

  • Provides medium hold with a natural look and feelSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Excellent for blow drying, suitable for hair of all lengthsStated by brandSee the fit panel instead.
  • Alcohol-free formula, contains UV protectionSupportedNothing that flashes off dry.

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.

Liquid Wax

Several reviewers describe the product as slightly sticky but appreciate that it lasts throughout the day.

Reviewers say only a small amount is needed for effective medium hold that lasts a long time.

Some long-time users say a reformulation changed the scent to an artificial lemon and reduced how well it holds.

Medium Hold Spray Gel

Multiple long-time customers say they have used the product for over a decade for daily styling.

Several reviewers say the strong hold does not hold up well against sweat and can feel expensive relative to how long a bottle lasts.

Reviewers describe the spray as giving a naturally matte finish without stiffness or shine.

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.

$0.75/oz vs $2.44/oz — American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel costs about 3.3× more per ounce than American Crew Liquid Wax.

$0.31/oz median $2.13/oz $10.59/oz $0.75/oz Liquid Wax $2.44/oz Medium Hold Spray Gel

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 159 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readLiquid WaxMedium Hold Spray Gel
Label
Lower cost than most gelsCosts less per ounce than most gels we have researched.
Upper-mid price for a gelSits in the middle of the range for gels per ounce.

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.

Liquid Wax vs BOOSTA Volumizing SprayUNITE Hair · 99% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Locking + Coconut Curls Decadent Creamy MousseOGX · 89% function matchLiquid Wax vs Guava Beach Waves Texturizing SprayCeremonia · 99% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Epic Shine Anti-Humidity SprayNexxus · 87% function matchLiquid Wax vs Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy HairHerbal Essences · 99% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity SprayNexxus · 87% function matchLiquid Wax vs Sea Salt SprayMurdock London · 99% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Brooklyn Bombshell Blowout Spray - 6.7 ozamika · 87% function match

Liquid Wax · Medium Hold Spray Gel · 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.
  • 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.

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