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Side by side

Matrix Food For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse vs Matrix Over Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste

37% function match · 5 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. Matrix Food For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse and Matrix Over Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste share no ingredient among each other's most prominent — which does not stop them doing the same job.

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.

  • Food For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse — protein-sensitive hair
  • Over Achiever 3-in-1 Cream 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
Matrix Food For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse — container Matrix

Food For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Matrix Over Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste — container, alternate view Matrix

Over Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$29
$24–31 1.7 oz · $15.29/oz
Value / price positioning
Not enough priced mousses to place it Salon tier
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 92% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. 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 system Differs
High Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Mixed Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
Weight on hair Differs
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. 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 Differs
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Hold (as stated)
—
Strong A strong hold, as stated by the brand. 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 Differs
Present, lower down Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Differs
None No fast-drying alcohol in the list. Your hair
Present Fast-drying alcohol is present — it speeds drying and can read dry on the hair. 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
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • 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
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Vegan and cruelty-freeour record does not support both claims here
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
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
Stylerfoam
Stylerpaste
Where to buy
Ulta
Ulta
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
Cruelty-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
—
strongholds like a wax; long-lasting hold, easily reworkable
Finish
shine
—
How often
as needed
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

IngredientFood For Soft XXL Volumizing MousseOver Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Propylene Glycol
Moisturizes
#3Leading
#9Secondary
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#8Below the 1% line
#20Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#10Below the 1% line
#18Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#14Below the 1% line
#29Below the 1% line
Benzyl Salicylate
Fragrance
#15Below the 1% line
#28Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#23Below the 1% line
#26Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Food For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse

Over Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste

Full ingredient list — Food For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse (28)
Full ingredient list — Over Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste (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.

VerdictsFood For Soft XXL Volumizing MousseOver Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste
Supported
0
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
0
3
Potential conflict
0
0

Food For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse

No claims recorded for this product beyond the ones above.

Over Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste

  • Spreads like a cream, texturizes like a paste, holds like a waxStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • never tacky, never stickyStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • easily reworkableStated 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.

Food For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse

Hair feels soft and touchable after application, with improved texture quality and manageable softness.

The mousse dispenses easily from the foam pump and requires minimal product per application.

The mousse delivers visible volume and lift without weighing hair down or creating crunchiness.

The product can feel heavy or flat on fine and thin hair types, reducing intended volume.

Over Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste

Overall well-rated for reworkability across the day without going stiff

Ulta reviewer aggregate (4.5/5, 90 reviews)

Holds like a wax but spreads and applies more easily than one, good for molding curls

Ulta reviewer

Gooey/glue-like consistency made it hard to distribute evenly through hair

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.

Over Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste

Against 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Value readFood For Soft XXL Volumizing MousseOver Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste
Label
Not enough priced mousses to place itWe need more comparable products before we can place this.
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.

Food For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse vs Rosewater Hydrating Curl Creamtgin · 96% function matchOver Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste vs Platinum Whipped Taffy 20 Matte Defining PasteKenra · 99% function matchFood For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse vs Rose Water Hydrating Curl Creamtgin · 96% function matchOver Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste vs Forming CreamAmerican Crew · 95% function matchFood For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse vs Slick Styling Tamer - Edge GelMixed Chicks · 94% function matchOver Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste vs Styling Microweb FiberSebastian · 93% function matchFood For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse vs Curl Refreshing MistRedken · 94% function matchOver Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste vs Healthy Sexy Hair Styling PasteSexy Hair · 93% function match

Food For Soft XXL Volumizing Mousse · Over Achiever 3-in-1 Cream Paste · All mousses 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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