Side by side
Kenra Professional Clear Paste 20 vs Kenra Professional Platinum Working Wax 15
46% function match · 4 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. Kenra Professional Clear Paste 20 and Kenra Professional Platinum Working Wax 15 share no ingredient among each other's most prominent — which does not stop them doing the same job.
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.
- Clear Paste 20 — protein-sensitive hair
- Platinum Working Wax 15 — 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”.
- 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
- 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
- Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
- 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
- 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
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- curly-method compatible
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- curly-method compatible
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.
$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
What only one of them carries
Clear Paste 20
Full ingredient list — Clear Paste 20 (14)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
3
Steareth-20
- emulsifier
-
4
Vinyl Caprolactam/VP/Dimethylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
5
Oleth-2
- emulsifier
-
6
Squalane
- emollient
- conditioning agent
-
7
Glycerin
- humectant
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
8
Imidazolidinyl Urea
- formaldehyde releaser
- preservative
-
9
Peg-25 Castor Oil
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
10
Pvm/Ma Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
11
Propylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
12
Butylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
13
Methylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
14
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
Full ingredient list — Platinum Working Wax 15 (24)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Lanolin Wax
- film former
- sealant
- wax
-
3
Mineral Oil
- emollient
- sealant
- oil
-
4
Cetearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
5
Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
- emollient
- sealant
-
6
PVP
- film former
- polymer
-
7
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
8
Tribehenin
- wax
- emollient
-
9
Ceteareth-25
- emulsifier
-
10
VP/VA Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
11
Triethanolamine
- pH adjuster
-
12
Benzophenone-3
- UV filter
-
13
Peg-40 Castor Oil
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
14
Tetrasodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
15
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
- film former
- protein
- hydrolysed protein
-
16
Diazolidinyl Urea
- formaldehyde releaser
- preservative
-
17
Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract
- botanical extract
-
18
Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract
- botanical extract
-
19
C18-36 Acid Triglyceride
- emollient
- light ester
-
20
Propylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
21
Methylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
22
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
- thickener
- polymer
- film former
-
23
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
24
Peg-8 Beeswax
- emulsifier
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.
Clear Paste 20
Maximizes styling control
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.clean, intense gloss finish
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.water-soluble, shampoo-soluble without buildup
SupportedComes out in a normal wash.
Platinum Working Wax 15
Flexible hold for all day style modification
SupportedNatural movement without stiffness.Texturizes & molds styles
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.Non-greasy, matte finish
Stated 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.
Kenra Professional Clear Paste 20 draws complaints about hold and dullness.
Clear Paste 20
Lightweight, non-greasy, and smells great, cited by a large share of reviewers
multiple Ulta reviewersOnly product that got rid of frizz and gave a smooth, sleek straight look
Ulta reviewer with frizz-prone hairA small amount goes a long way and leaves hair shiny and healthy without weighing it down, preferred over heavier pastes
Ulta reviewer comparing to other styling productsA smaller group found it gave insufficient shine or hold for their hair type
Ulta reviewersNoticed the product was no longer clear with liquid separated at the bottom, a formula/consistency change
Ulta reviewer reporting a changed batchPlatinum Working Wax 15
Uses it on leave-out hair covering sewn-in extensions
Travelchic, Flushing NY, 4-star Ulta reviewerAlready a fan of Kenra's Texturizing Taffy and bought this to compare against it
Jen, KY, 5-star Ulta reviewerAdds volume while styling and expects to use it daily
Chris, Nashville TN, 5-star Ulta reviewerUses it on short curly temple hair alongside straighter lengths for texture control
Laura, Burnsville MN, 4-star Ulta reviewerRecommended as a substitute for discontinued Kenra Pomade 4 but found it not comparable
Ulta 'most helpful critical' reviewer, 2-starPrice 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.
$9.00/oz vs $17.86/oz — Kenra Professional Platinum Working Wax 15 costs about 2× more per ounce than Kenra Professional Clear Paste 20.
Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 90 pastes with a computable unit price.
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.
Clear Paste 20 · Platinum Working Wax 15 · 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.
- 2 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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