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Side by side

Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Garnier Fructis Surfer Hair Styling Power Paste

85% function match · 11 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 44%. Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste and Garnier Fructis Surfer Hair Styling Power 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.

  • Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste — protein-sensitive hair
  • Surfer Hair Styling Power 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
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
Garnier Fructis Surfer Hair Styling Power Paste — 3.4 oz container Garnier Fructis

Surfer Hair Styling Power Paste

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$8.89 1.75 oz · $5.42/oz
$5.99 3.4 oz · $1.91/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most pastes $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 78% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Lower cost than most pastes $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 99% 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)
Medium A medium hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Strong A strong hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. 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
  • 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
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • 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
  • 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
Stylerpaste
Stylerpaste
Where to buy
Target · Brand website
Brand website · Target
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
—
Scent
Scented, not described
Amber & spice
Hold
mediumMedium Hold (product name and label claim)
strongThe current product listing states all-day strong hold.
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

IngredientDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling PasteSurfer Hair Styling Power Paste
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Beeswax
Buildup
#3Leading
#2Leading
Glyceryl Stearate
Softens
#7Supporting
#4Supporting
Fragrance
Fragrance
#12Below the 1% line
#10Below the 1% line
PEG-100 Stearate
Stabilizes
#9Secondary
#3Leading
Limonene
Fragrance
#23Below the 1% line
#14Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#24Below the 1% line
#16Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste

Surfer Hair Styling Power Paste

Full ingredient list — Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste (25)
Full ingredient list — Surfer Hair Styling Power Paste (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.

VerdictsDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling PasteSurfer Hair Styling Power Paste
Supported
2
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
2
3
Potential conflict
0
0

Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste

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

Surfer Hair Styling Power Paste

  • windblown surfer lookStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • all-day strong holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Fruit Micro WaxesStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • non-flaking textureStated by brandSoothing, not an active treatment.

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

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

Surfer Hair Styling Power Paste

A long-time user says it gives substantial volume and beach-like texture after application to damp hair and blow-drying.

user seeking a surfer-texture look

A fine, wavy-haired reviewer says the product leaves their hair fuller and softer without a sticky, crunchy, or greasy feel.

fine, wavy hair

Recent reviewers repeatedly complain that a newer container smelled smoky or tobacco-like and no longer held as well as earlier purchases.

long-time users comparing newer formula or batches

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.

$1.91/oz vs $5.42/oz — Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste costs about 2.8× more per ounce than Garnier Fructis Surfer Hair Styling Power Paste.

$1.50/oz median $7.92/oz $73.33/oz $5.42/oz Dove Men+Care Medium Hold $1.91/oz Surfer Hair Styling Power

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

Value readDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling PasteSurfer Hair Styling Power 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.

Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Men+Care Medium Hold Molding PasteDove Men+Care · 100% function matchSurfer Hair Styling Power Paste vs Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Serum SprayKRISTIN ESS HAIR · 89% function matchDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair WaxAxe · 100% function matchSurfer Hair Styling Power Paste vs Men+Care Medium Hold Molding PasteDove Men+Care · 85% function matchDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Blue Extreme Hold Matte PomadeREUZEL · 96% function matchSurfer Hair Styling Power Paste vs Brews Texture PomadeRedken · 85% function matchDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Matte Styling Paste Flexible HoldREUZEL · 96% function matchSurfer Hair Styling Power Paste vs Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair WaxAxe · 85% function match

Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste · Surfer Hair Styling Power 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.
  • 5 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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