Side by side
KRISTIN ESS HAIR Ultra Light Styling Cream vs Rizos Curls Defining Custard
85% function match · 11 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 16%. KRISTIN ESS HAIR Ultra Light Styling Cream and Rizos Curls Defining Custard share 4 ingredients among each other's most prominent.
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
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When each one is the right call
What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.
- Ultra Light Styling Cream — protein-sensitive hair
- Defining Custard — 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”.
- 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
- 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
- Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Styles that must holdthe brand states a light hold at most
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
- Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- curly-method compatible
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-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.
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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
What only one of them carries
Ultra Light Styling Cream
Defining Custard
Full ingredient list — Ultra Light Styling Cream (37)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Isopropyl Palmitate
- light ester
- emollient
-
3
Polyquaternium-37
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
- thickener
-
4
Cetearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
5
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
6
Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate
- light ester
- emollient
-
7
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
8
Cetrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- cleanser
-
9
Polyquaternium-11
- film former
- polymer
- conditioning agent
-
10
PPG-1 Trideceth-6
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
11
Polyquaternium-46
- film former
- polymer
- conditioning agent
-
12
Ethylhexylglycerin
- preservative
- emollient
-
13
Hydroxyethylcellulose
- gum
- thickener
- film former
-
14
C11-13 Isoalkane
- solvent
-
15
Disodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
16
Glycerin
- humectant
-
17
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
- light ester
- emollient
-
18
Sodium PCA
- humectant
-
19
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
20
Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter
- butter
- emollient
-
21
Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract
- botanical extract
-
22
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
23
Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
24
Sodium Lactate
- humectant
- pH adjuster
-
25
Arginine
- amino acid
- humectant
-
26
Caprylyl Glycol
- preservative
- humectant
-
27
Aspartic Acid
- amino acid
- pH adjuster
-
28
Coco-Glucoside
- nonionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
29
Aminomethyl Propanol
- pH adjuster
-
30
Sodium PCA
- humectant
-
31
Triticum Vulgare Germ Extract
- botanical extract
-
32
Lecithin
- emulsifier
- emollient
-
33
Carrageenan
- gum
- thickener
-
34
Xanthan Gum
- gum
- thickener
- film former
-
35
Algin
- gum
- thickener
-
36
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- polymer
- gum
-
37
Chitosan
- film former
- polymer
- conditioning agent
Full ingredient list — Defining Custard (23)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Glycerin
- humectant
-
3
Hydroxyethylcellulose
- gum
- thickener
- film former
-
4
Polyquaternium-11
- film former
- polymer
- conditioning agent
-
5
Xanthan Gum
- gum
- thickener
- film former
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
6
Ethylhexylglycerin
- preservative
- emollient
-
7
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
- humectant
- botanical extract
- gum
-
8
Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter
- butter
- emollient
-
9
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
-
10
Litchi Chinensis (Lychee) Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
-
11
Disodium Phosphate
- pH adjuster
- salt
-
12
Polysorbate 60
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
13
Sodium Phosphate
- pH adjuster
- salt
-
14
Potassium Sorbate
- preservative
-
15
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
16
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
17
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
18
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
19
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
20
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
21
Benzyl Salicylate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
22
Citral
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
23
Coumarin
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
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.
Ultra Light Styling Cream
Lightweight hold
Partly supportedDepends how fine your hair is.Frizz fighting
SupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.Flyaway taming
Stated by brandMay help, but not a primary focus.Smooth finish
SupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.24 Hour Frizz Control for Blowouts, Curly and Wavy Hair
SupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
Defining Custard
Enhances curl definition (97% agree)
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.High-slip for easy styling (94% agree)
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.Moisturizing (88% agree)
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.Frizz control (85% agree)
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.Adds shine (85% agree)
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.Medium flexible hold
SupportedNatural movement without stiffness.
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. KRISTIN ESS HAIR Ultra Light Styling Cream draws complaints about irritation.
Ultra Light Styling Cream
Lightweight and smoothing, never greasy, tames frizz and adds soft shine without weighing hair down
Ulta reviewer Lulu, wavy hair, 4 starsKeeps fine, straight hair in place in hot humid weather without looking plastered down
Ulta reviewer Noreen, straight hair, 5 starsAdded noticeable shine to blowouts and works on both wet and dry hair; a little goes a long way
Ulta reviewer Madeline Rose, Long Island, 5 starsGood consistency, holds hair well, felt worth the money and would repurchase
Ulta reviewer Brianna, straight hair, 4 starsCaused a skin reaction on the face — hot, red, itchy sensation
Ulta reviewer Maya, wavy hair, 1 starDefining Custard
The scent is frequently called out as a standout positive
general reviewersMany reviewers say it defines curls without leaving hair stiff, hard or crunchy
curly-hair customersReviewers repeatedly praise the custard's slip and moisturizing feel during application
curly-hair customers using it as a styling stepA minority of reviewers found the texture thin or watery and wished for stronger hold or a bigger size
reviewers wanting more definition/hold or a larger jarPrice 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.
$2.20/oz vs $3.00/oz — KRISTIN ESS HAIR Ultra Light Styling Cream costs about 1.4× more per ounce than Rizos Curls Defining Custard.
Ultra Light Styling Cream
Against 56 smoothing creams with a computable unit price.
Defining Custard
Against 105 curl creams 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.
Ultra Light Styling Cream · Defining Custard · All smoothing 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.
- 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.
- This particular combination is not listed in our sitemap: we only submit pairs of comparable products that our similarity data says people would actually weigh against each other.
Still unsure? Take your consultation or browse more products.
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