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Side by side

Axe Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax vs Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste

13 of 13 functions match Formula overlap 43%. Axe Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax and Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste share 3 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.

  • Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax — protein-sensitive hair
  • Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste — 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
Axe Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax — brand photograph Axe

Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste — container Dove Men+Care

Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$7.99 2.64 oz · $3.03/oz
$8.89 1.75 oz · $5.42/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most pastes $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 93% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Lower cost than most pastes $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 78% 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 Same
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)
Strong A strong hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Medium A medium hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. 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
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 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 system Same
Mixed Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Mixed 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 Same
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. 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
  • 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
  • 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 strong 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
Stylerwax
Stylerpaste
Where to buy
Target · Drugstore · H E B …
Target · Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
strongEpic Hold (product name; reviewer: "hold is super strong")
mediumMedium Hold (product name and label claim)
Finish
matte
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

IngredientAxe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair WaxDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Beeswax
Buildup
#3Leading
#3Leading
Petrolatum
Heavy
#4Supporting
#2Leading
Propylene Glycol
Moisturizes
#6Supporting
#10Secondary
Fragrance
Fragrance
#15Below the 1% line
#12Below the 1% line
Citronellol
Fragrance
#21Below the 1% line
#21Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax

Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste

Full ingredient list — Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax (23)
Full ingredient list — Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste (25)

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.

VerdictsAxe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair WaxDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste
Supported
0
2
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
3
2
Potential conflict
0
0
Matte finish
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax

  • Epic HoldStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Urban Messy LookStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste

  • Medium holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Can be reshaped and restyled throughout the dayStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Paraben-freeSupportedPreserved without parabens.

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 hold and a clean rinse-out. Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste draws complaints about weight and hold.

Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax

A reviewer notes the finish doesn't feel crunchy despite the strong hold

Target verified purchaser ("mayingotwn")

Multiple reviewers say the wax delivers strong, all-day hold as advertised

Target verified purchasers ("Momoftwobayarea", "Maritza")

Reviewers note it leaves hair with a natural matte look, not greasy or oily-looking

Target verified purchasers ("Abc", "Maritza", "Sadtablelady")

One reviewer felt the fragrance was too strong and lingered on the hair

1-star Target reviewer

Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste

Doesn't leave much visible residue in the hair after styling

Target verified reviewer

Hold lasts all day without the paste feeling hard or crunchy

Target verified reviewer

Works as well as or better than pricier styling pastes they'd tried before

Target verified reviewer

Some reviewers with straight/fine hair say it provides little to no hold and leaves hair looking greasy

Target verified reviewer, straight/fine hair

Scent is noticeably strong for some users

Target verified 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.

$3.03/oz vs $5.42/oz — Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste costs about 1.8× more per ounce than Axe Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax.

$1.50/oz median $7.92/oz $73.33/oz $3.03/oz Axe Urban Messy Look Epic $5.42/oz Dove Men+Care Medium Hold

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

Value readAxe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair WaxDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste
Label
Lower cost than most pastesCosts less per ounce than most pastes we have researched.
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.

Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax vs Men+Care Medium Hold Molding PasteDove Men+Care · 100% function matchDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Men+Care Medium Hold Molding PasteDove Men+Care · 100% function matchAxe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax vs Blue Extreme Hold Matte PomadeREUZEL · 96% function matchDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Blue Extreme Hold Matte PomadeREUZEL · 96% function matchAxe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax vs Matte Styling Paste Flexible HoldREUZEL · 96% function matchDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Matte Styling Paste Flexible HoldREUZEL · 96% function matchAxe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax vs MITCH Clean CutPaul Mitchell · 94% function matchDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Platinum Whipped Taffy 20 Matte Defining PasteKenra · 94% function match

Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax · Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste · 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.
  • 6 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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