Side by side
Paul Mitchell MITCH Clean Cut vs Paul Mitchell MITCH Dry Paste
44% function match · 3 of the 8 functions we compared match Formula overlap 22%. Paul Mitchell MITCH Clean Cut and Paul Mitchell MITCH Dry Paste share 2 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
- 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.
- MITCH Clean Cut — curl definition
- MITCH Dry 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”.
- Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
- Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
- Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
- Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
- Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
- Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
More facts about each one
- 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.
$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
What only one of them carries
MITCH Clean Cut
- Water
- Petrolatum
- Cetearyl Alcohol
- Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
- Ceteareth-25
- Carnauba Wax (Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Cire de Carnauba)
- Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum, Huile Minérale)
- Stearyl Behenate
- Benzyl Salicylate
Full ingredient list — MITCH Clean Cut (41)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Petrolatum
- sealant
- emollient
-
3
Ozokerite
- film former
- sealant
- wax
-
4
Cetearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
5
Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
- emollient
- sealant
-
6
Ceteareth-25
- emulsifier
- 7 Carnauba Wax (Copernicia Cerifera Cera, Cire de Carnauba)
- 8 Mineral Oil (Paraffinum Liquidum, Huile Minérale)
-
9
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
10
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
11
Diethylhexyl Malate
- light ester
- emollient
-
12
Ceteareth-20
- emulsifier
- 13 C32-36 Isoalkyl Stearate
-
14
VP/VA Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
15
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
- emulsifier
- emollient
-
16
PVP
- film former
- polymer
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
17
Caprylhydroxamic Acid
- preservative
- hard-water chelator
-
18
Glycerin
- humectant
-
19
Methylpropanediol
- humectant
- 20 Polyglyceryl-3 Stearate
-
21
Polysorbate 60
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
22
Sorbic Acid
- preservative
-
23
Stearyl Behenate
- light ester
- wax
- emollient
-
24
Laurtrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
-
25
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
26
BHT
- antioxidant
-
27
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
28
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
29
Benzyl Salicylate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
30
Citronellol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
31
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
32
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
33
acetyl cedrene
- fragrance
-
34
Amyl Salicylate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
35
Citrus Aurantium Peel Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
36
Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
37
Hexamethylindanopyran
- fragrance
-
38
Linalyl Acetate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
39
Terpineol
- fragrance
-
40
Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
- fragrance
-
41
trimethylcyclopentenyl methylisopentenol
- fragrance
Full ingredient list — MITCH Dry Paste (28)
-
1
Isopropyl Palmitate
- light ester
- emollient
-
2
Bentonite
- clay
- powder
-
3
Ozokerite
- film former
- sealant
- wax
-
4
Kaolin
- clay
- powder
-
5
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
6
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
7
Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
8
Ethylhexyl Stearate
- light ester
- emollient
-
9
C18-38 Alkyl Hydroxystearoyl Stearate
- light ester
- emollient
-
10
Silica
- powder
- thickener
- mineral
-
11
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Wax
- wax
- film former
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
12
Tocopheryl Acetate
- antioxidant
- vitamin
-
13
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
14
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
15
Citronellol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
16
Coumarin
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
17
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
18
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
19
Carvone
- fragrance
-
20
Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
21
Juniperus Virginiana Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
22
Lavandula Hybrida Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
23
Linalyl Acetate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
24
Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil
- fragrance
- botanical extract
-
25
Menthol
- fragrance
- active
-
26
Pinene
- fragrance
- 27 Tetramethylcyclopentenyl Methylisopentenol
-
28
Vanillin
- fragrance
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.
MITCH Clean Cut
Provides smooth, lasting control with a semi-matte finish and medium hold
SupportedStructure that lasts the day.Leaves hair soft and manageable
Partly supportedA little slip, not a lot.Suitable for all hair types, short to medium lengths
Stated by brandSee the fit panel instead.Ideal for creating messy, textured tops and crew cuts
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
MITCH Dry Paste
Add volume, enhance texture and create sculpted hairstyles
Potential conflictLikely to weigh hair down.Matte finish with high hold
Partly supportedSoft structure, not firm hold.
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.
MITCH Clean Cut
Works well on multiple hair types including straight and Asian hair
Delivers all-day hold throughout the day without leaving hair feeling stiff
Provides clean fresh styling look that is easy to apply and easy to wash out
Product can give a wet look with medium hold that washes out very easily
MITCH Dry Paste
Delivers strong, all-day hold that keeps hair styled and in place without losing the hold throughout the day.
customers needing reliable styling hold for all-day wearMatte finish provides styling without any shine or greasiness, creating a clean, natural-looking hold.
customers seeking matte styling and matte-finish aestheticsPrice 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.
$8.00/oz vs $8.00/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.
MITCH Clean Cut
Against 56 smoothing creams with a computable unit price.
MITCH Dry Paste
Against 90 pastes 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.
MITCH Clean Cut · MITCH Dry Paste · 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.
- 10 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.
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