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Side by side

American Crew Matte Clay vs American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel

30% function match · 4 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. American Crew Matte Clay 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.

  • Matte Clay — protein-sensitive hair
  • 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 Matte Clay — 3 oz container American Crew

Matte Clay

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
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
$10.50 3 oz · $3.50/oz
$20–21 8.4 oz · $2.44/oz

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

Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most pastes $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 88% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a gel $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 54% of the 157 gels we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Hold (as stated)
Strong A strong hold, as stated by the brand. 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
Weight on hair Differs
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. 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 Differs
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Low The silicones here are the water-soluble kind. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Low Your hair
Hold system Differs
Wax Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. 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
High Absorbent powders or starches high in the list. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. 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
  • Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
Stylerpaste
Stylerspray
Where to buy
Ulta · Brand website
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • curly-method compatible
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
strongHigh 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

IngredientMatte ClayMedium Hold Spray Gel
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#9Below the 1% line
#19Below the 1% line
Citronellol
Fragrance
#12Below the 1% line
#22Below the 1% line
Geraniol
Fragrance
#13Below the 1% line
#25Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Matte Clay

Medium Hold Spray Gel

Full ingredient list — Matte Clay (19)
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.

VerdictsMatte ClayMedium Hold Spray Gel
Supported
1
2
Partly supported
1
0
Stated by brand
2
1
Potential conflict
1
0

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.

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.

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

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.

$2.44/oz vs $3.50/oz — American Crew Matte Clay costs about 1.4× more per ounce than American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel.

Matte Clay

Against 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Medium Hold Spray Gel

Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readMatte ClayMedium Hold Spray Gel
Label
Lower cost than most pastesCosts less per ounce than most pastes 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.

Matte Clay vs Brews Clay PomadeRedken · 100% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Locking + Coconut Curls Decadent Creamy MousseOGX · 89% function matchMatte Clay vs Green Grease Pomade Oil-Based Medium HoldREUZEL · 93% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Epic Shine Anti-Humidity SprayNexxus · 87% function matchMatte Clay vs Rosemary Mint Hydrating Styling CreamREUZEL · 93% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity SprayNexxus · 87% function matchMatte Clay vs MITCH Dry PastePaul Mitchell · 89% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Brooklyn Bombshell Blowout Spray - 6.7 ozamika · 87% function match

Matte Clay · Medium Hold Spray Gel · 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.
  • 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.

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