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Side by side

Axe Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax vs REUZEL Clay Matte Medium Hold Pomade

85% function match · 9 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 56%. Axe Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax and REUZEL Clay Matte Medium Hold Pomade share 4 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
  • Clay Matte Medium Hold Pomade — curly-method routines

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
REUZEL Clay Matte Medium Hold Pomade — container, alternate view REUZEL

Clay Matte Medium Hold Pomade

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$7.99 2.64 oz · $3.03/oz
$20 3.38 oz · $6.20/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most pastes $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 93% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 69% 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 Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
Hold (as stated)
Strong A strong 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 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 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
Moderate 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
Some Absorbents appear, low in the list. 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
  • 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
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
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 light 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 …
Brand website · Salons · Grocery / mass
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · brand states
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
strongEpic Hold (product name; reviewer: "hold is super strong")
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

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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 WaxClay Matte Medium Hold Pomade
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
Heavy
#2Leading
#5Supporting
Beeswax
Buildup
#3Leading
#2Leading
Petrolatum
Heavy
#4Supporting
#6Supporting
Propylene Glycol
Moisturizes
#6Supporting
#28Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#15Below the 1% line
#16Below the 1% line
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Stabilizes
#12Secondary
#8Supporting
Limonene
Fragrance
#22Below the 1% line
#36Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Full ingredient list — Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax (23)
Full ingredient list — Clay Matte Medium Hold Pomade (36)

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 WaxClay Matte Medium Hold Pomade
Supported
0
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
3
1
Potential conflict
0
1

Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax

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

Clay Matte Medium Hold Pomade

  • Delivers touchable, medium hold with true matte finishSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Won't weigh down hairPotential conflictExpect it to sit on the strand.
  • Ideal for textured, natural-looking styles on most hair types, rinsing out easilyStated 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.

Both praised for a light feel and a clean rinse-out. Axe Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax draws complaints about the scent; REUZEL Clay Matte Medium Hold Pomade draws complaints about dryness and weight.

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

Clay Matte Medium Hold Pomade

Reviewers repeatedly praise the scent as a standout, calling it one of their favorite parts of the product.

general reviewers on the brand's Yotpo widget

Reviewers say the matte finish holds without feeling crunchy, greasy or overly stiff, describing it as natural-looking and flexible.

general reviewers

Multiple reviewers with thick hair note it washes out easily with little residue, some using it as a daily-restylable product.

reviewers who self-identified thick hair

A minority of reviewers with thick hair say the hold does not last a full day on one application, and a couple report occasional dryness or frizz.

reviewers with thick hair or heavy styling needs

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 $6.20/oz — REUZEL Clay Matte Medium Hold Pomade costs about 2× 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 $6.20/oz Clay Matte Medium Hold Pom

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 WaxClay Matte Medium Hold Pomade
Label
Lower cost than most pastesCosts less per ounce than most pastes we have researched.
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.

Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair Wax · Clay Matte Medium Hold Pomade · 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.
  • 8 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.
  • This particular combination is not listed in our sitemap: we only submit pairs of comparable products that our similarity data says people would actually weigh against each other.

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