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Side by side

Pureology Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste vs Redken Brews Cream Pomade

93% function match · 11 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 96%. Pureology Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste and Redken Brews Cream Pomade share 4 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.

  • Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste — protein-sensitive hair
  • Brews Cream Pomade — fragrance-free

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
Pureology Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste — brand photograph Pureology

Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Redken Brews Cream Pomade — 3.4 oz container Redken

Brews Cream Pomade

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Fragrance-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$34 3.4 oz · $10.00/oz
$24 3.4 oz · $7.06/oz
Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a paste $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 74% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 58% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
None found No humectants found — nothing here pulls water into the hair. Your hair
Hold (as stated)
Medium A medium hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Medium A medium hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. 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
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
None listed No fragrance is listed. 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
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
Synthetic polymer Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Synthetic polymer Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. 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 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
  • Soft-hold stylesthat should stay touchable
  • Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label — scented
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • 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
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
  • 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
Stylerpaste
Stylercream
Where to buy
Ulta
Ulta
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
  • sulfate-free
  • fragrance-free
  • protein-free
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Fresh & airy
Hold
mediummedium hold
mediummedium hold
Finish
matte
satin
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

IngredientStyle + Protect Mess It Up Texture PasteBrews Cream Pomade
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Stearyl Alcohol
Softens
#2Leading
#3Leading
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Stabilizes
#3Leading
#2Leading
Tribehenin
Buildup
#4Supporting
#4Supporting
PVP
Holds
#5Supporting
#5Supporting
Petrolatum
Heavy
#6Supporting
#6Supporting
Dimethicone
Buildup
#7Supporting
#9Secondary
Hydrogenated Olive Oil Stearyl Esters
Buildup
#8Supporting
#7Supporting
Linalool
Fragrance
#26Below the 1% line
#10Below the 1% line
Polyacrylamide
Holds
#10Secondary
#8Supporting
Limonene
Fragrance
#31Below the 1% line
#11Below the 1% line
Citronellol
Fragrance
#30Below the 1% line
#12Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste

Brews Cream Pomade

Nothing notable here that the others do not also carry.

Full ingredient list — Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste (36)
Full ingredient list — Brews Cream Pomade (14)

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.

VerdictsStyle + Protect Mess It Up Texture PasteBrews Cream Pomade
Supported
3
2
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
2
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste

  • Medium hold & flexible controlSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • Soft texture & shineSupportedReflects light for visible shine.
  • Soft matte finishStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Extraordinary color protectionSupportedLess fade per wash.
  • 100% vegan formulaStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

Brews Cream Pomade

  • medium holdSupportedStructure that lasts the day.
  • smooth finishSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • for all hair typesStated by brandSee the fit panel instead.

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 a light feel. Pureology Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste draws complaints about weight; Redken Brews Cream Pomade draws complaints about hold.

Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste

Locks in the style with a lot of movement and doesn't weigh hair down, looks natural not stiff

reviewer with straight hair

Gives control, texture, and a tousled natural look on fine/thick short hair with no greasiness

reviewer with fine, thick, short hair

Helps manage frizz well in humid Florida summer conditions

general reviewer

Left hair feeling gooey, requiring a rewash within a day

general reviewer

Too heavy for curls, weighs them down and leaves parts straight, and dries hair out overly

reviewer with 3c low-porosity curly hair

Brews Cream Pomade

Multiple reviewers say the medium hold lasts through the day and washes out easily with regular shampoo

Ulta reviewer

Reviewers praise the creamy, easy-to-apply texture and a fresh masculine scent

Ulta reviewer

Reviewers like that it styles without looking greasy or waxy

Ulta reviewer

Reviewers with thick or coarse hair say the hold isn't strong enough and describe it as more of a smoothing cream than a traditional pomade

thick/coarse-hair customer on Ulta

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.

$7.06/oz vs $10.00/oz — Pureology Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste costs about 1.4× more per ounce than Redken Brews Cream Pomade.

$1.50/oz median $7.92/oz $73.33/oz $10.00/oz Style + Protect Mess It Up $7.06/oz Brews Cream Pomade

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Value readStyle + Protect Mess It Up Texture PasteBrews Cream Pomade
Label
Upper-mid price for a pasteSits in the middle of the range for pastes per ounce.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for pastes 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.

Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste vs Foxy Curls Contour Curl Cream for Increased DefinitionBed Head · 93% function matchBrews Cream Pomade vs Blow-Dry SprayKenra Platinum · 90% function matchStyle + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste vs Blow-Dry SprayKenra Platinum · 90% function matchBrews Cream Pomade vs Texture PasteRedken · 85% function matchStyle + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste vs Un-Frizz Hair Styling & Smoothing CreamVirtue · 89% function matchBrews Cream Pomade vs Potion Miracle Styling PotionIt's a 10 · 85% function matchStyle + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste vs Texture PasteRedken · 85% function matchBrews Cream Pomade vs Foxy Curls Contour Curl Cream for Increased DefinitionBed Head · 85% function match

Style + Protect Mess It Up Texture Paste · Brews Cream Pomade · All pastes 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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