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Side by side

Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Paul Mitchell MITCH Clean Cut

94% function match · 7 of the 8 functions we compared match Formula overlap 31%. Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste and Paul Mitchell MITCH Clean Cut share 2 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
  • MITCH Clean Cut — curl definition

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
Paul Mitchell MITCH Clean Cut — container, alternate view Paul Mitchell

MITCH Clean Cut

  • Styler
  • Masstige
Price, size & price per ounce
$8.89 1.75 oz · $5.42/oz
$24 3 oz · $8.00/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most pastes $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 78% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 82% of the 56 smoothing creams 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
—
Slip / detangling Differs
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. 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
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
Moderate Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Cast risk
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
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
  • 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 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
Stylercream
Where to buy
Target · Brand website
Brand website
Free of
  • 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
mediumMedium Hold (product name and label claim)
—
Finish
matte
—

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

IngredientDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling PasteMITCH Clean Cut
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Petrolatum
Heavy
#2Leading
#2Leading
PVP
Holds
#5Supporting
#16Secondary
Fragrance
Fragrance
#12Below the 1% line
#27Below the 1% line
Citronellol
Fragrance
#21Below the 1% line
#30Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste

MITCH Clean Cut

Full ingredient list — Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste (25)
Full ingredient list — MITCH Clean Cut (41)

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 PasteMITCH Clean Cut
Supported
2
1
Partly supported
0
1
Stated by brand
2
2
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.

MITCH Clean Cut

  • Provides smooth, lasting control with a semi-matte finish and medium holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Leaves hair soft and manageablePartly supportedA little slip, not a lot.
  • Suitable for all hair types, short to medium lengthsStated by brandSee the fit panel instead.
  • Ideal for creating messy, textured tops and crew cutsStated 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.

Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste draws complaints about weight and the scent.

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

MITCH Clean Cut

Works well on multiple hair types including straight and Asian hair

Delivers all-day hold throughout the day without leaving hair feeling stiff

Provides clean fresh styling look that is easy to apply and easy to wash out

Product can give a wet look with medium hold that washes out very easily

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.

$5.42/oz vs $8.00/oz — Paul Mitchell MITCH Clean Cut costs about 1.5× more per ounce than Dove Men+Care Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste.

Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste

Against 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

MITCH Clean Cut

Against 56 smoothing creams with a computable unit price.

Value readDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling PasteMITCH Clean Cut
Label
Lower cost than most pastesCosts less per ounce than most pastes we have researched.
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.

Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Men+Care Medium Hold Molding PasteDove Men+Care · 100% function matchMITCH Clean Cut vs Matte SeparationBed Head · 99% function matchDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair WaxAxe · 100% function matchMITCH Clean Cut vs Brews Texture PomadeRedken · 99% function matchDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Blue Extreme Hold Matte PomadeREUZEL · 96% function matchMITCH Clean Cut vs Forming CreamAmerican Crew · 94% function matchDove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste vs Matte Styling Paste Flexible HoldREUZEL · 96% function matchMITCH Clean Cut vs Axe Urban Messy Look Epic Hold Matte Hair WaxAxe · 94% function match

Dove Men+Care Medium Hold Hair Styling Paste · MITCH Clean Cut · 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.

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