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Side by side

Bumble and bumble Sumoclay Matte Texture Clay vs Bumble and bumble Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid

39% function match · 2 of the 8 functions we compared match Formula overlap 26%. Bumble and bumble Sumoclay Matte Texture Clay and Bumble and bumble Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid 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.

  • Sumoclay Matte Texture Clay — protein-sensitive hair
  • Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid — 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
Bumble and bumble Sumoclay Matte Texture Clay — container, alternate view Bumble and bumble

Sumoclay Matte Texture Clay

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Bumble and bumble Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid — 1.5 oz container Bumble and bumble

Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Moisture-rich
Price, size & price per ounce
$37 1.5 oz · $24.67/oz
$27.99 1.5 oz · $18.66/oz
Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 98% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 96% 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
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. 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 system Differs
Moderate Gums and synthetic polymers together. 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
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
Weight on 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
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
Cast risk
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
—
Oil absorption Differs
Some Absorbents appear, low in the list. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. 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 Differs
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
Present Fast-drying alcohol is present — it speeds drying and can read dry on the hair. 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
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
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
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • 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
Stylerpaste
Styler
Where to buy
Ulta · Brand website
—
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
—
Vegan
Vegan · label states
—
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
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

IngredientSumoclay Matte Texture ClaySumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
PVP
Holds
#6Supporting
#4Supporting
Cetearyl Alcohol
Softens
#7Supporting
#3Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#21Below the 1% line
#16Below the 1% line
Benzyl Benzoate
Fragrance
#23Below the 1% line
#17Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#24Below the 1% line
#21Below the 1% line
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#9Secondary
#7Supporting
Hexyl Cinnamal
Fragrance
#26Below the 1% line
#18Below the 1% line
Eugenol
Fragrance
#27Below the 1% line
#19Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Sumoclay Matte Texture Clay

Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid

Full ingredient list — Sumoclay Matte Texture Clay (31)
Full ingredient list — Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid (24)

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.

VerdictsSumoclay Matte Texture ClaySumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid
Supported
2
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
3
Potential conflict
0
0

Sumoclay Matte Texture Clay

  • Gritty, matte lookSupportedTexture without gloss.
  • Moldable holdStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Texturizes and bulks hairSupportedTexture without gloss.

Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid

  • Flexible hold with a low-shine finishStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Hybrid texture combining wax, paste, and cream propertiesStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Adds body and texture to hairStated 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.

Bumble and bumble Sumoclay Matte Texture Clay draws complaints about hold.

Sumoclay Matte Texture Clay

Applies more smoothly than cheaper clays and requires less product per use

male reviewer describing use on thick hair (relayed by his partner)

Gives noticeable extra volume and control

reviewer with fine hair

Go-to daily product for short, straight hair

daily user with straight hair

Adds some texture but not as much hold as expected for a pixie cut

reviewer with a pixie cut wanting stronger hold

Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid

Some reviewers find the product too thick, waxy or sticky and say it does not distribute evenly through the hair.

Many reviewers say a small amount melts easily between the fingers and gives light hold with definition and volume without leaving hair greasy or sticky.

A cluster of reviewers say a recent formula change made the product softer, goopier and much less effective than the version they had used for years.

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.

$18.66/oz vs $24.67/oz — Bumble and bumble Sumoclay Matte Texture Clay costs about 1.3× more per ounce than Bumble and bumble Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid.

$1.50/oz median $7.92/oz $73.33/oz $24.67/oz Sumoclay Matte Texture Cla $18.66/oz Sumotech Flexible Hold Cre

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

Value readSumoclay Matte Texture ClaySumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.

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.

Sumoclay Matte Texture Clay vs Bryce Harper Hair ClayBlind Barber · 96% function matchSumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid vs Sweet Tobacco Soft Hold, Medium Shine Hair Styling Paste18.21 Man Made · 99% function matchSumoclay Matte Texture Clay vs Finishing PasteTricoci · 93% function matchSumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid vs Shaper Fierce HairspraySebastian · 94% function matchSumoclay Matte Texture Clay vs Manipulator Matte Hair Wax Paste With Strong HoldBed Head · 93% function matchSumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid vs Style Sexy Hair Hard Up Hard Holding Gel - 5.1 ozSexy Hair · 94% function matchSumoclay Matte Texture Clay vs Inner Peace Whipped Creme Texturizer - Orange BlossomInnersense Organic Beauty · 91% function matchSumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid vs Style Sexy Hair Rough & Ready Styling PomadeSexy Hair · 94% function match

Sumoclay Matte Texture Clay · Sumotech Flexible Hold Cream Solid · 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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