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Side by side

Redken Brews Molding Paste vs Redken Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray

28% function match · 2 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. Redken Brews Molding Paste and Redken Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray 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.

  • Brews Molding Paste — curl definition
  • Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray — 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
Redken Brews Molding Paste — 5 oz container Redken

Brews Molding Paste

  • Styler
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Strong hold
Redken Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray — 8.5 oz container Redken

Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray

  • Styler
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$23–24 5 oz · $4.80/oz
$30–35 8.45 oz · $4.08/oz
Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most pastes $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 82% of the 90 pastes we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 56% of the 64 volumizers we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Straight–Wavy A light volumising formula — the lift it adds matters most on straighter hair. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Hold (as stated)
Strong A strong hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Light A light hold, as stated by the brand. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. 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
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 Differs
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Low Your hair
Hold system Differs
Mixed Gums and synthetic polymers together. Your hair
Synthetic polymer Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems. Your hair
Cast risk Differs
Unlikely Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely. Your hair
Likely Film formers without much softening them — expect a cast to scrunch out. Your hair
Oil absorption Differs
Some Absorbents appear, low in the list. Your hair
None No absorbent powders or starches. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
None No oils or butters in the list. 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
High in the list Fast-drying alcohol in the first three ingredients. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Covers the core
Who should choose this
  • 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
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
Why you might skip it
  • 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
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
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
Stylerspray
Where to buy
Ulta
Ulta
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Hold
strongUlta lists product under "Strong Hold" styling category; multiple reviewers describe "great hold" and "excellent hold without feeling stiff or sticky"
lightweightless, flexible volume with a crunch-free finish
Finish
matte
—
How often
as needed
every wash

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

IngredientBrews Molding PasteVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#14Below the 1% line
#9Below the 1% line
Benzyl Benzoate
Fragrance
#21Below the 1% line
#19Below the 1% line
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#11Below the 1% line
#7Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#22Below the 1% line
#14Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Brews Molding Paste

Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray

Full ingredient list — Brews Molding Paste (30)
Full ingredient list — Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray (20)

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.

VerdictsBrews Molding PasteVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray
Supported
1
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
2
0
Potential conflict
0
1

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.

Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray

  • Weightless, flexible volumeSupportedLeaves room for lift.
  • Crunch-free finishPotential conflictExpect a cast you have to scrunch out.

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.

Redken Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray draws complaints about weight and residue or cast.

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

Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray

Makes hair look thicker and bouncier

general reviewer

Makes fine, straight hair look pretty and much easier to manage

reviewer with fine straight hair

Leaves hair feeling sticky and looking greasy after every use

reviewer dissatisfied with finish

Sprayer jets a stream instead of misting, forcing users to spray into hands first

reviewer describing application struggle

Works well but the streaming (non-misting) sprayer makes even coverage harder to achieve

reviewer noting both a good result and an application flaw

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.

$4.08/oz vs $4.80/oz — Redken Brews Molding Paste costs about 1.2× more per ounce than Redken Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray.

Brews Molding Paste

Against 90 pastes with a computable unit price.

Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray

Against 64 volumizers with a computable unit price.

Value readBrews Molding PasteVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray
Label
Lower cost than most pastesCosts less per ounce than most pastes we have researched.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for volumizers 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.

Brews Molding Paste vs Curl Defining Hair MousseBumble and bumble · 85% function matchVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray vs Texturing Hair Styling Spray Gel for Wavy HairHerbal Essences · 99% function matchBrews Molding Paste vs Re-Works Styling CreamPaul Mitchell · 85% function matchVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray vs Sea Salt SprayMurdock London · 99% function matchBrews Molding Paste vs MITCH Clean CutPaul Mitchell · 83% function matchVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray vs Guava Beach Waves Texturizing SprayCeremonia · 99% function matchBrews Molding Paste vs Axe Styling Messy Look Medium Hold Low Shine Flexible Hair PasteAxe · 83% function matchVolume Maximizer Thickening Spray vs Liquid WaxAmerican Crew · 95% function match

Brews Molding Paste · Volume Maximizer Thickening Spray · 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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