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Side by side

PATTERN Styling Cream vs PATTERN Styling Custard

59% function match · 8 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 21%. PATTERN Styling Cream and PATTERN Styling Custard share 1 ingredient 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.

  • Styling Cream — fragrance-free
  • Styling 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”.

Trait
PATTERN Styling Cream — 25 oz container PATTERN

Styling Cream

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
PATTERN Styling Custard — 15 oz container PATTERN

Styling Custard

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$41.65 25 oz · $1.67/oz
about $29 15 oz · $1.93/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 59% of the 105 curl creams we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 54% of the 157 gels we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily Co-washes, curl creams, and gels are built around wave and curl. 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 system Differs
None No hold polymer, gum, or wax found in the list. Your hair
Synthetic polymer Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. 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
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Fragrance
None listed No fragrance is listed. 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 (as stated)
—
Light A light 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
Rich Butters near the top: a heavy, softening formula. Your hair
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating 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
Covers the core
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label
  • Unscentedfree of strong smells
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • 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
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
  • Styles that must holdno hold polymer, gum, or wax was found
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Styles that must holdthe brand states a light hold at most
  • 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
Where to buy
Brand website · Ulta · Target …
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • fragrance-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Vegan · label states
Vegan · label states
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Unscented
Scented, not described
Hold
—
lightDescribed as a 'lightweight' custard providing 'lightweight hold with easy application'
Finish
natural
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

IngredientStyling CreamStyling Custard
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#4Supporting
#2Leading

What only one of them carries

Styling Cream

Styling Custard

Full ingredient list — Styling Cream (9)
Full ingredient list — Styling Custard (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.

VerdictsStyling CreamStyling Custard
Supported
3
2
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
2
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Styling Cream

  • Boosts moistureSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • Softens curlsStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Prevents breakageStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Crunch-free holdSupportedNatural movement without stiffness.
  • Hydrated hold & definitionSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.

Styling Custard

  • High-porosity favoriteStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Family-friendly (tested for kids under 6)Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Lightweight hold with easy applicationSupportedLess likely to weigh hair down.
  • Reduces frizz while enhancing curl definitionSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.

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 and curl definition.

Styling Cream

Delivers strong wash-and-go definition on 3c/4a curl pattern, praised with before/after photos

verified buyer, 3c/4a hair, 5-star review

A staple for mini twists and under roller sets; credited with helping length retention

verified buyer, 5-star review

Feeds and moisturizes medium-density hair with nice hold and no white residue

verified buyer, medium-dense hair, 5-star review

Unimpressed overall, did not feel like a repurchase among a set of products tried

verified buyer, 2-star review

Gives braid-outs great definition, though the scent isn't to this reviewer's taste

verified buyer, 4-star review

Styling Custard

Hair stayed hydrated and soft after styling

reviewer Annette H.

Hair had noticeably more definition

reviewer Pamela A.

Curls came out looking just right after use

reviewer Dasia L.

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.

$1.67/oz vs $1.93/oz — PATTERN Styling Custard costs about 1.2× more per ounce than PATTERN Styling Cream.

Styling Cream

Against 105 curl creams with a computable unit price.

Styling Custard

Against 157 gels with a computable unit price.

Value readStyling CreamStyling Custard
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for curl creams per ounce.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for gels per ounce.

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.

Styling Cream vs Styling Cream - 15.0 ozPATTERN · 96% function matchStyling Custard vs Honey Curls CustardTGIN · 96% function matchStyling Cream vs Pure Honey Hair Food Smoothing & Frizz Control Curl Defining CreamCreme of Nature · 93% function matchStyling Custard vs Curl Refreshing MistRedken · 96% function matchStyling Cream vs Pure Honey Moisture Whip Twisting CreamCreme of Nature · 93% function matchStyling Custard vs Slick Styling Tamer - Edge GelMixed Chicks · 96% function matchStyling Cream vs Dream Kids Olive Miracle Smooth Edges Anti-Frizzy Conditioning GelAfrican Pride · 93% function matchStyling Custard vs African Pride Moisture Miracle Rose Water & Argan Oil Curl MousseAfrican Pride · 93% function match

Styling Cream · Styling Custard · 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.
  • 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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