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Side by side

American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel vs American Crew Molding Clay

22% function match · 1 of the 8 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel and American Crew Molding Clay share 1 ingredient 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.

  • Medium Hold Spray Gel — dry, thirsty hair
  • Molding Clay — 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 Medium Hold Spray Gel — container, alternate view American Crew

Medium Hold Spray Gel

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Moisture-rich
American Crew Molding Clay — 3 oz container American Crew

Molding Clay

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Strong hold
  • Moisture-rich
Price, size & price per ounce
$20–21 8.4 oz · $2.44/oz
$18–21 3 oz · $6.50/oz

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

Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a gel $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 54% of the 157 gels we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 62% of the 90 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 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 Differs
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Wax Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. 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
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
—
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
Low The silicones here are the water-soluble kind. 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 (as stated)
—
Strong A strong hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Cast risk
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
Some Absorbents appear, low in the list. Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. 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
  • 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
  • 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
Why you might skip it
  • 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
  • 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
Stylerspray
Stylerpaste
Where to buy
Brand website
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • curly-method compatible
—
Vegan
—
Not vegan · ingredient list
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
—
strong
Finish
—
shine

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

IngredientMedium Hold Spray GelMolding Clay
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#10Below the 1% line
Propylene Glycol
Moisturizes
#5Supporting
#5Supporting
Fragrance
Fragrance
#19Below the 1% line
#19Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#29Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#30Below the 1% line
#20Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Medium Hold Spray Gel

Molding Clay

Full ingredient list — Medium Hold Spray Gel (39)
Full ingredient list — Molding Clay (23)

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.

VerdictsMedium Hold Spray GelMolding Clay
Supported
2
0
Partly supported
0
1
Stated by brand
1
3
Potential conflict
0
0

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.

Molding Clay

  • High hold and medium shine for polished, structured lookPartly supportedSoft structure, not firm hold.
  • Touchable shape and textureStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Maintains style throughout the dayStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Natural extracts and beeswaxStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

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.

American Crew Molding Clay draws complaints about weight and residue or cast.

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.

Molding Clay

Delivers strong styling hold while keeping hair looking natural and not stiff.

Multiple reviewers across styling preferences reported this as a key benefit

Features a pleasant, masculine fragrance that most reviewers find appealing and fresh.

Scent quality was mentioned positively in numerous reviews as a product strength

May have inconsistent texture ranging from smooth to stringy or thick putty-like consistency.

Multiple reviewers reported experiencing product consistency variations between purchases

Produces an overly greasy or sticky feel on hands and hair for some users.

Several reviewers reported greasiness concerns, though not universal across all hair types

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 $6.50/oz — American Crew Molding Clay costs about 2.7× more per ounce than American Crew Medium Hold Spray Gel.

Medium Hold Spray Gel

Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.

Molding Clay

Against 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Value readMedium Hold Spray GelMolding Clay
Label
Upper-mid price for a gelSits in the middle of the range for gels per ounce.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for pastes 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.

Medium Hold Spray Gel vs Locking + Coconut Curls Decadent Creamy MousseOGX · 89% function matchMolding Clay vs Craft Clay Texturizing & Flexible Styling ClaySebastian · 83% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Epic Shine Anti-Humidity SprayNexxus · 87% function matchMolding Clay vs Green Grease Pomade Oil-Based Medium HoldREUZEL · 78% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Sleek Polish Anti-Humidity SprayNexxus · 87% function matchMolding Clay vs Rosemary Mint Hydrating Styling CreamREUZEL · 78% function matchMedium Hold Spray Gel vs Brooklyn Bombshell Blowout Spray - 6.7 ozamika · 87% function matchMolding Clay vs Original Hold PomadeSuavecito · 75% function match

Medium Hold Spray Gel · Molding 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.
  • 9 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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