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Side by side

Living Proof No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream vs Rizos Curls Defining Custard - 2.5 oz

85% function match · 10 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 5%. Living Proof No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream and Rizos Curls Defining Custard - 2.5 oz 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.

  • No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream — protein-sensitive hair
  • Defining Custard - 2.5 oz — 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
Living Proof No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream — 2 oz container Living Proof

No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream

  • Styler
  • Prestige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Rizos Curls Defining Custard - 2.5 oz — 2.5 oz container Rizos Curls

Defining Custard - 2.5 oz

  • Styler
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$46 8 oz · $5.75/oz
$11 2.5 oz · $4.40/oz

Compared at different sizes — 8 oz against 2.5 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a smoothing cream $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 56% of the 56 smoothing creams we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs more than 90% of the 157 gels we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. 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 (as stated)
None The brand states no hold. Your hair
Medium A medium hold, as stated by the brand. 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 Differs
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. 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 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
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low 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
Humidity resistance
Claimed The brand claims humidity resistance; the ingredient list cannot confirm it. Your hair
—
Oil absorption Differs
Some Absorbents appear, low in the list. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
Rich Butters near the top: a heavy, softening formula. Your hair
Rich Butters near the top: a heavy, softening formula. 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
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • 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
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
  • 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
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
Stylergel cream
Where to buy
Brand website · Ulta · Sephora …
Ulta · Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Vegan · label states
—
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
noneBrand product page states the cream does not provide hold, positioning it as a smoothing/conditioning treatment rather than a styling-hold product
mediumMedium flexible hold
Finish
shine
shine
Humidity claim
Yes
—
How often
every wash
—

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

IngredientNo Frizz Smooth Styling CreamDefining Custard - 2.5 oz
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#25Below the 1% line
#15Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#26Below the 1% line
#19Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#28Below the 1% line
#20Below the 1% line
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#15Secondary
#2Leading
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Holds
#24Below the 1% line
#3Leading

What only one of them carries

No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream

Defining Custard - 2.5 oz

Full ingredient list — No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream (30)
Full ingredient list — Defining Custard - 2.5 oz (23)

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.

VerdictsNo Frizz Smooth Styling CreamDefining Custard - 2.5 oz
Supported
3
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
3
5
Potential conflict
0
0

No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream

  • Reduces frizz by 75%Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Leaves hair 6x smoother after one useStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Smoothness and frizz control that lasts 96 hoursSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Heat protection up to 450°F/232°CStated by brandOnly lab testing can show this.
  • Blocks humidity to prevent frizzSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Silicone-freeSupportedNothing that needs a strong wash.

Defining Custard - 2.5 oz

  • 97% agree enhanced curl definitionStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 94% agree helped shape hairstyles easilyStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 88% agree product felt moisturizingStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 85% agree reduced frizzStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 85% agree enhanced shineStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

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 frizz control and a clean rinse-out. Living Proof No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream draws complaints about weight and hold; Rizos Curls Defining Custard - 2.5 oz draws complaints about the scent and curl definition.

No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream

Leaves long, thick, naturally curly (straightened) hair smooth, shiny and frizz-free while staying lightweight and manageable

Ulta reviewer with long, thick, naturally curly hair (straightens it)

Gives straight hair a healthy, soft, frizz-free shine without weighing it down or leaving residue

Ulta reviewer with straight hair

Keeps curly hair smooth without a stiff feel and reduces knotting at the ends

Ulta reviewer with curly hair

Reformulated version feels like a lotion and leaves hair looking/feeling greasy, missing the hold of the prior formula

Ulta reviewer comparing to an earlier formula

Defining Custard - 2.5 oz

Applied on damp hair, curls came out defined and results described as beautiful and transformative for curl pattern

5-star Ulta reviewer

Used with a leave-in conditioner, left curls very defined and touchably soft with minimal flaking

5-star Ulta reviewer

Worked well across different curl types, described as amazing and manageable with no frizz

5-star Ulta reviewer

Dries flaky, leaving dandruff-like residue that shows up on clothing

2-star Ulta reviewer

Caused scalp irritation within hours despite pleasant scent and good curl definition

2-star Ulta reviewer

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.

$4.40/oz vs $5.75/oz — Living Proof No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream costs about 1.3× more per ounce than Rizos Curls Defining Custard - 2.5 oz.

No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream

Against 56 smoothing creams with a computable unit price.

Defining Custard - 2.5 oz

Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readNo Frizz Smooth Styling CreamDefining Custard - 2.5 oz
Label
Upper-mid price for a smoothing creamSits in the middle of the range for smoothing creams per ounce.
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.

No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream vs No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream For Medium Hair - 8.0 ozLiving Proof · 100% function matchDefining Custard - 2.5 oz vs Defining CustardRizos Curls · 100% function matchNo Frizz Smooth Styling Cream vs Curlshow Chic Style Curl PuddingORS · 85% function matchDefining Custard - 2.5 oz vs Sleek Styling Cream + Taming WandRizos Curls · 89% function matchNo Frizz Smooth Styling Cream vs Defining CustardRizos Curls · 85% function matchDefining Custard - 2.5 oz vs Butter Blend & Flaxseed Double Duty Curl Definer & BoosterCreme of Nature · 89% function matchNo Frizz Smooth Styling Cream vs Tea Tree Lavender Mint Curl Refresh FoamPaul Mitchell · 85% function matchDefining Custard - 2.5 oz vs Guava Cream Hair GelCantu · 89% function match

No Frizz Smooth Styling Cream · Defining Custard - 2.5 oz · 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.
  • 4 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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