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18.21 Man Made

Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade

Styler / Paste, medium-hold

  • Styler
  • paste
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
  • Moisture-rich
  • Cruelty-free · brand states
Size2 fl oz
Price$26seen at one store · 2 oz
Price / oz$13.00/ozat 2 oz
Where to buy2 stores · $26.00–26.00

Add it to your products. We’ll tell you if it’s ever recalled.

Scent:

Notes: sweet, tobacco.

Listing used for research: ulta.com

Personal fit

Is this right for you?

Complete the consultation to see how well this product fits your hair and your goals. With 6,000+ products in our library, we can match you to the right ones.

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Priced above most pastes

$13.00/oz at 2 oz, more than 80% of the 197 pastes , which mostly run $4.92–11.75/oz.

Price and stores

Great for

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
Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Stretching wash daysnothing here needs a detergent to remove
Soft-hold stylesthat should stay touchable

Maybe skip if

this product has a scent
Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers

Whether this hold suits you depends on your density, porosity and how long your style needs to last. The consultation works that out.

What the formula actually does

Read from the label, not the marketing

Each row says where it comes from: F means we derived it from this product’s own ingredient list, S means it is a claim the brand makes that the formula neither confirms nor contradicts.

Hold (as stated) Medium

A medium hold, as stated by the brand.

Hold system Mixed

Gums and synthetic polymers together.

Cast risk Unlikely

Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely.

Weight on the hair Medium

Middle of the range: noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair.

Oil absorption Some

Absorbents appear, low in the list.

Oils and butters Present, lower down

Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch.

Fast-drying alcohol None

No fast-drying alcohol in the list.

Needs detergent to remove No

Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.

Fragrance Prominent

Fragrance is in the first eight ingredients, so it makes up a larger share of the formula.

from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.

Ingredients that matter

The ingredients that change a decision

The workhorse ingredients, plus anything lower down that changes a decision. The chips name what an ingredient does. They are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.

IngredientWhat it doesWhy it mattersChip
Water solvent The base everything else is dissolved in Neutral
Ceteareth-20 emulsifier Keeps oil and water mixed Stabilizes
AMP-Acrylates/Allyl Methacrylate Copolymer film former Lays down the film that holds a shape Holds
PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate emulsifier Keeps oil and water mixed Softens
Glycereth-26 humectant Pulls water into the hair Moisturizes
Peg-16 Macadamia Glycerides emulsifier Keeps oil and water mixed Softens
Peg-40 Castor Oil solubilizer Keeps oils dissolved in water Stabilizes
FragranceFragrance (Parfum) fragrance The scent Fragrance
Hydrolyzed Quinoa film former A supporting film former Protein
Coumarin fragrance The scent Fragrance
Eugenol fragrance The scent Fragrance
What the list leaves out, and what it carriesThe list carries no sulfates, silicones, or drying alcohols. Fragrance is on the label. Hard-water chelators are present.
Full ingredient list (18)

In the US, ingredients above 1% are listed from most to least. Below 1% they can appear in any order. Each note keeps three things apart: what the ingredient generally does, its role in this type of product, and what its position can tell you.

  • 1 Water
    General function

    The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    • solvent
  • 2 Ceteareth-20
    General function

    An emulsifier that holds oil and water together in a conditioner or cream.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    • emulsifier
  • 3 AMP-Acrylates/Allyl Methacrylate Copolymer
    General function

    A hold polymer used for strong, humidity-resistant set in hairsprays.

    Leading ingredient

    Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

    May suitClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

    A set polymer film is a physical barrier to humidity, so a style keeps its shape longer in damp conditions.

    May suitMaximum-hold styling

    Synthetic film formers dry into a continuous film, which is what holds a shape against movement and against humid air.

    DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines

    Some acrylate copolymers rinse with water and some need a detergent; the label alone does not say which one a formula used.

    • film former
    • polymer
  • 4 PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
    General function

    A coconut-derived emulsifier that softens a cleanser and reduces the stripped feeling.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

    • emulsifier
    • emollient
  • 5 Glycereth-26
    General function

    A glycerin derivative used as a light humectant and carrier.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitFine or easily flattened hair

    Light and water-binding rather than oily, so it adds less weight than oils or butters do.

    May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    A small water-binding solvent. It holds moisture and helps the rest of the formula spread evenly over the strand.

    DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

    A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.

    • humectant
    • solvent
  • 6 Peg-16 Macadamia Glycerides
    General function

    A plant fat made water-dispersible by ethoxylation. It softens the formula and helps the oil and water phases stay together.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

    • emulsifier
    • emollient
  • 7 Peg-40 Castor Oil
    General function

    An ethoxylated castor-oil derivative. It dissolves fragrance and oils into a water-based formula, which is what keeps a clear liquid from separating.

    Supporting ingredient

    Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

    • solubilizer
    • emulsifier
  • ▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
  • 8 Fragrance · Fragrance (Parfum)
    General function

    An undisclosed blend of scent ingredients. Regulations let it stay unlisted, so a fragrance-free product is the only way to be certain what is not in it.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines

    Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.

    • fragrance
    • declared fragrance
  • 9 Glycerin
    General function

    Glycerin, also called glycerol, attracts moisture and mixes completely with water.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.

    May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.

    DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

    Water moves both ways. Measured across concentrations, glycerin solutions give water up in some conditions and take it from the air in others. What it does for you depends on how much of it is there and on the air around it.

    Scientific Reports
    • humectant
  • 10 Butryospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
    • butter
    • emollient
    • sealant
  • 11 Phenoxyethanol
    • preservative
  • 12 Zea Mays (Corn) Starch
    General function

    A starch that soaks up oil at the roots and adds texture.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitFine or easily flattened hair

    Adds grip and body with no oil attached, which is what lifts fine hair at the root instead of weighing it down.

    DependsMaximum-hold styling

    Starch gives texture and grip rather than a set film; firm hold usually needs a polymer alongside it.

    • starch
    • powder
  • 13 PEG-45m
    • thickener
  • 14 Tetrasodium EDTA
    General function

    Binds the metal ions in hard water so they cannot dull hair or destabilise the formula.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

    Binds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.

    May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

    Copper and iron carried in tap water deposit on the strand and read as a dull, warm cast on gray or light hair. A chelator holds those metals in solution so the wash carries them off.

    PubChem
    • hard-water chelator
  • 15 Hydrolyzed Quinoa
    General function

    A quinoa-derived protein used for light strengthening and colour retention claims.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Filling surface gaps evens out the cuticle, which is part of what makes damaged hair comb and reflect light more like undamaged hair.

    May suitMaximum-hold styling

    Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.

    May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    Hydrolysed fragments are small enough to sit in the gaps of a worn cuticle for a wash or two, temporarily restoring stiffness and cutting breakage in combing.

    • film former
    • protein
    • hydrolysed protein
  • 16 Caramel
    General function

    A colour added to tint the product itself. It does not colour hair.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

    A violet or blue colorant sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so a trace of it deposited on the surface makes a warm cast read cooler. It washes out over the following few washes.

    • colourant
  • 17 Coumarin
    General function

    A sweet, hay-like fragrance component listed separately as a recognised allergen.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines

    One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.

    PubChem
    • fragrance
    • named fragrance allergen
  • 18 Eugenol
    General function

    A clove-scented fragrance component listed separately as a recognised allergen.

    Estimated lower-concentration zone

    It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

    May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines

    One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.

    PubChem
    • fragrance
    • named fragrance allergen

What the whole list adds up to

  • 4 emulsifiers
  • 3 emollients
  • 3 fragrances
  • 2 solvents
  • 2 film formers
  • 2 humectants
  • 2 named fragrance allergens
  • 1 polymer
  • 1 solubilizer
  • 1 declared fragrance
  • 1 butter
  • 1 sealant
  • 1 preservative
  • 1 starch

Ingredient list captured 2026-08-26. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 2 oz

Seen at $26 1 store · checked Aug 26
Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it2 listings · 2 stores

2 ozusual store sizeBest per ounce

  • Ulta Beauty
    $26.00
    2 oz · $13.00/oz
    Aug 26Lowest per oz
  • Ulta
    $26.00
    Aug 25

Sorted by price per ounce. Dated observations from our research, not live prices. Direct store pages, no affiliate links. We don’t sell this product.

How we work this out
  1. 2 oz is the size stores list most often; every comparison on this page is made at it. Other sizes are shown in the Sizes row and the store list.
  2. Seen at $26 is the price we have observed for the 2 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
  3. About $16 is what pastes typically cost at this size. Too few of the products that do the same job carry a price for us to draw a good-value line.

Formula

Formula score
9 of 10

Above the range for pastes per ounce for a complete formula, with no close, lower-priced match in our library.

How the score is counted
  • Nothing in our library does the same job for less
  • Costs more per ounce than 80% of the 197 pastes we’ve priced
  • Covers 5 of the 6 things a paste should do
  • Reviewers mention 3 things they like about how it performs
  • A hold systemThe polymer, gum, or wax that holds the shape.3 pts
  • Softeners alongside the holdWhat keeps a film flexible instead of brittle.2 pts
  • No drying alcohol in the first threeFast drying without leading on alcohol.2 pts
  • A humectantBinds water into the hair.1 pt
  • A humidity claim with a mechanismThe claim has a film former or silicone behind it.1 pt
  • Fragrance kept out of the top eightScent as a finishing touch, not a major share.1 pt

The formula score measures completeness for the job: a weighted share of the systems this product type is usually built around that we find in this list. It does not rate how well the product works or its quality, and it never compares across product types.

Similar products

Suits every hair pattern

Final decision

Should you buy it?

An above-range pick for the hair it suits
Best user

Hair that craves moisture, looking for moisture that stays in and a curly-method-compatible formula

Biggest tradeoff

Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, very dry or very humid climates, or people shopping on a budget

Best alternative if not

Nothing in our library matches it closely at a lower price.

We do not sell products or take placement fees. This page states what the formula and the prices show; the consultation is what matches it to a person.

Claims check

What the brand says, and what the formula shows

Claims are quoted from the brand. We mark a claim supported, partly supported or conflicting only when the ingredient list speaks to it. Everything else stays "stated by the brand". That isn’t a criticism: most claims can’t be checked from a label.

4
SupportedBacked by ingredients
0
Partly supportedSome supporting logic
1
Stated by brandNo clear evidence
0
Potential conflictFormula works against claim
medium hold

Synthetic hold polymers are present.

  • AMP-Acrylates/Allyl Methacrylate Copolymer
  • Hydrolyzed Quinoa
Supported

Structure that lasts the day.

high shine

Nothing in the list reads as a shine system.

  • Butryospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

frizz control

Silicones or film formers smooth the cuticle, which is the usual mechanism.

  • AMP-Acrylates/Allyl Methacrylate Copolymer
  • Hydrolyzed Quinoa
Supported

Smoother strands, less frizz.

touchable

Softening ingredients sit alongside the hold polymers, which is what keeps a film flexible.

  • AMP-Acrylates/Allyl Methacrylate Copolymer
  • PEG-7 Glyceryl Cocoate
  • Peg-16 Macadamia Glycerides
Supported

Natural movement without stiffness.

water soluble

The film is built from water-soluble polymers, not wax.

  • Water
  • AMP-Acrylates/Allyl Methacrylate Copolymer
  • Glycereth-26
Supported

Comes out in a normal wash.

How to read this

We look at the first 10–15 ingredients and what they do in a formula, not at the marketing. If the list doesn't speak to a claim, we don't assume.

Reviewers

What people report

Themes that come up again and again in sourced reviews, written by our researchers in their own words. We don’t store or scrape star ratings.

One reviewer says it looks and smells good in their husband's hair without a heavy or greasy-looking result.

Ulta customer review from Georgia

Another buyer reports a little goes a long way, with long-lasting performance and no heavy or greasy feel.

Ulta customer review from New Jersey

A long-time user says the pomade provides all-day staying power, then reactivates quickly with a little water after many hours of wear.

Ulta customer review from Virginia Beach, Virginia

A dissatisfied purchaser says the pomade is overpriced and believes it thinned their hair.

Ulta customer review from Oxnard, California

More from 18.21 Man Made

How this page was made

  • Everything above comes from our researched product record: identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated prices and review themes our researchers wrote in their own words. No part of this page is written by hand for one product.
  • 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.
  • Both scores out of ten are defined on this page. The formula score is completeness for the job, computed from a fixed per-format checklist shown beneath the gauge; the price score is cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced.
  • 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.
  • 3 sources consulted for this product (1 manufacturer or regulatory, 2 retailer, 0 editorial), last checked 2026-08-26.
  • Ingredient references are linked for 4 of 12 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are general formulation guidance. They aren’t a verdict on the finished product or on you.
  • We haven’t tested this product in a lab, and we don’t physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list. Claims about how it behaves are labelled as the brand's.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are what we saw on the dates shown and can change.
  • Ingredient names link to our ingredient library, where each entry shows what it does, which product types use it, and where it usually sits on a label across everything we have researched.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
  • Formula readings: derivation v23. Record last updated 2026-08-27.

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