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Side by side

Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Curling Crème vs Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard

70% function match · 8 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 31%. Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Curling Crème and Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard 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.

  • Almond & Avocado Curling Crème — protein-sensitive hair
  • Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard — maximum slip

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
Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Curling Crème — 12 oz container Design Essentials

Almond & Avocado Curling Crème

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard — 12 oz container Design Essentials

Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Moisture-rich
Price, size & price per ounce
$13–14 12 oz · $1.17/oz
$17–18 12 oz · $1.48/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most curl creams $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 75% of the 106 curl creams we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 64% of the 106 curl creams we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. Your hair
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. 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 Same
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. 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
Cast risk Differs
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Likely Film formers without much softening them — expect a cast to scrunch out. Your hair
Oil absorption Same
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
Present, lower down Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. 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
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • 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
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
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
Stylercream
Styler
Where to buy
Brand website · Beauty supply
Brand website · Retail
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
  • sulfate-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Finish
shine
—
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

IngredientAlmond & Avocado Curling CrèmeAlmond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#2Leading
#5Supporting
Polyquaternium-11
Detangles
#5Supporting
#4Supporting
Fragrance
Fragrance
#25Below the 1% line
#21Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#29Below the 1% line
#22Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Almond & Avocado Curling Crème

Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard

Full ingredient list — Almond & Avocado Curling Crème (30)
Full ingredient list — Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard (22)

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.

VerdictsAlmond & Avocado Curling CrèmeAlmond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard
Supported
4
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
0
Potential conflict
0
0

Almond & Avocado Curling Crème

  • lasting moistureSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • curl and coil definitionSupportedHolds a clump together.
  • flexible holdSupportedNatural movement without stiffness.
  • adds shineSupportedReflects light for visible shine.
  • for wash-and-gos and twist-outsStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard

  • moisturized, shiny, and long-lasting with flexible holdSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.

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 moisture, hold, and curl definition. Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard draws complaints about dryness and residue or cast.

Almond & Avocado Curling Crème

A twist-out user praises defined, shiny curls without buildup and says the consistency works well for twisting.

twist-out styling

A high-density, low-porosity reviewer says the cream left their hair lush and moisturized while smelling beautiful.

high-density, low-porosity hair

A type-4, high-porosity user reports that layering it with a leave-in and gel produced a soft, defined twist-out that lasted six days.

type 4, high-porosity hair using a layered twist-out routine

A thick, curly-haired reviewer says the cream gives their hard-to-manage curls better definition and more control.

thick, curly hair

Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard

Customers praise the product for leaving hair soft, moisturized, and nourished while providing styling hold and frizz control

customers describing product effects on hair texture and appearance

Multiple reviewers report the product provides excellent curl definition, hold, and longevity, with curls staying defined and bouncy for extended periods

customers describing styling results and curl performance

Several customers report the product makes their hair dry, crunchy, or creates buildup and matting after it dries, particularly noting a formula change from the original

customers describing product performance decline and texture issues

Some reviewers report the product has a heavy, sticky consistency similar to corn syrup that adds significant weight to hair and does not wash out easily

customers noting texture and cleansing difficulty

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.

$1.17/oz vs $1.48/oz — Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard costs about 1.3× more per ounce than Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Curling Crème.

$0.26/oz median $2.11/oz $14.55/oz $1.17/oz Almond & Avocado Curling C $1.48/oz Almond & Avocado Honey Cur

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 106 curl creams with a computable unit price.

Value readAlmond & Avocado Curling CrèmeAlmond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard
Label
Lower cost than most curl creamsCosts less per ounce than most curl creams we have researched.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for curl creams 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.

Almond & Avocado Curling Crème vs Sculpting Foam - 6.7 ozPaul Mitchell · 93% function matchAlmond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard vs Compositions Foaming Wrap LotionDesign Essentials · 96% function matchAlmond & Avocado Curling Crème vs All In One Multi-Benefit Magic Styling CreamSuave · 90% function matchAlmond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard vs Volumize & Protect Style DuoKeranique · 91% function matchAlmond & Avocado Curling Crème vs Miracle Curls 2nd Day Curl ActivatorAussie · 89% function matchAlmond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard vs Liquid Effects Medium-Hold Weightless Styling GelAG Care · 91% function matchAlmond & Avocado Curling Crème vs This Is A Curl Building SerumDavines · 89% function matchAlmond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard vs Wavetech Wave Foam - OriginalXMONDO · 87% function match

Almond & Avocado Curling Crème · Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard · All curl creams 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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