Skip to main content

Side by side

Moroccanoil Intense Curl Cream vs Redken Brews Molding Paste

78% function match · 9 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 17%. Moroccanoil Intense Curl Cream and Redken Brews Molding Paste 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.

  • Intense Curl Cream — protein-sensitive hair
  • Brews Molding Paste — 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
Moroccanoil Intense Curl Cream — 10.2 oz container Moroccanoil

Intense Curl Cream

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Redken Brews Molding Paste — 5 oz container Redken

Brews Molding Paste

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Strong hold
Price, size & price per ounce
$29.99 10.2 oz · $2.94/oz
$23–24 5 oz · $4.80/oz

Compared at different sizes — 10.2 oz against 5 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a curl cream $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 59% of the 105 curl creams we’ve priced
Lower cost than most pastes $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 82% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. Your hair
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
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)
None The brand states no hold. Your hair
Strong A strong hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. 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
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Differs
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. 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
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
Oil absorption Same
Some Absorbents appear, low in the list. Your hair
Some Absorbents appear, low in the list. Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. 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
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
  • Soft-hold stylesthat should stay touchable
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a strong 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
Stylercream
Stylerpaste
Where to buy
—
Ulta
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
  • sulfate-free
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
none
strongUlta lists product under "Strong Hold" styling category; multiple reviewers describe "great hold" and "excellent hold without feeling stiff or sticky"
Finish
—
matte
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

IngredientIntense Curl CreamBrews Molding Paste
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#4Below the 1% line
#14Below the 1% line
Dimethicone
Buildup
#5Below the 1% line
#3Leading
Linalool
Fragrance
#28Below the 1% line
#22Below the 1% line
Benzyl Benzoate
Fragrance
#29Below the 1% line
#21Below the 1% line
Stearyl Alcohol
Softens
#21Below the 1% line
#6Supporting

What only one of them carries

Intense Curl Cream

Brews Molding Paste

Full ingredient list — Intense Curl Cream (30)
Full ingredient list — Brews Molding Paste (30)

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.

VerdictsIntense Curl CreamBrews Molding Paste
Supported
1
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Intense Curl Cream

  • Intense hydration and fight frizz, leaving curls defined and refreshedSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • It has no hold and will not increase amount of curlsStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Brews Molding Paste

  • Strong holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Matte finishStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Reworkable textureStated 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.

Both praised for the scent and a clean rinse-out.

Intense Curl Cream

Multiple reviewers single out the fragrance as a standout, calling it amazing or wonderful.

general reviewers on the brand's own PDP

Reviewers repeatedly say the cream defines and holds curl pattern through humid weather without a crunchy or flaky feel.

curly-haired reviewers on the brand's own PDP

Several long-time users describe it as a permanent staple in their routine, often paired with the brand's argan Treatment oil.

repeat buyers on the brand's own PDP

One reviewer with a tighter natural curl pattern found the cream loosened her curls rather than defining them more tightly.

a reviewer describing tighter curl types

Brews Molding Paste

A little goes a long way and it's easy to work through hair

verified Ulta reviewer

Gives great hold and a pleasant, long-lasting scent

verified Ulta reviewer

Excellent hold without feeling stiff or sticky, works well on oily/frizzy hair without extra grease

verified Ulta reviewer

A clear liquid separates out and comes out of the tube first, so it needs shaking before use

verified 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.

$2.94/oz vs $4.80/oz — Redken Brews Molding Paste costs about 1.6× more per ounce than Moroccanoil Intense Curl Cream.

Intense Curl Cream

Against 105 curl creams with a computable unit price.

Brews Molding Paste

Against 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Value readIntense Curl CreamBrews Molding Paste
Label
Upper-mid price for a curl creamSits in the middle of the range for curl creams per ounce.
Lower cost than most pastesCosts less per ounce than most pastes we have researched.

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.

Intense Curl Cream vs TROPHY Shine + Texture SprayR+Co · 81% function matchBrews Molding Paste vs Curl Defining Hair MousseBumble and bumble · 85% function matchIntense Curl Cream vs Thickening Great Body Volumizing Blow Dry CreamBumble and bumble · 80% function matchBrews Molding Paste vs Re-Works Styling CreamPaul Mitchell · 85% function matchIntense Curl Cream vs Re-Works Styling CreamPaul Mitchell · 78% function matchBrews Molding Paste vs MITCH Clean CutPaul Mitchell · 83% function matchIntense Curl Cream vs Frizz Ease Dream Curls Curl Defining CremeJohn Frieda · 78% function matchBrews Molding Paste vs Axe Styling Messy Look Medium Hold Low Shine Flexible Hair PasteAxe · 83% function match

Intense Curl Cream · Brews Molding Paste · All curl 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.

Still unsure? Take your consultation or browse more products.

Your personalized hair plan

Tell us what’s going on with your hair, see what we understand, and get a plan built around it — with the reason behind every recommendation.

Free to start · $49.00 for your consultation and hair profile · No subscription · Nothing you must buy

Start your consultation