American Crew Liquid Wax — 5.1 oz container

American Crew

Liquid Wax

Styler / Gel, polymer-set

Styler
gel

Size5.1 fl oz

Price$3.74 Good valueseen at one store · 5.1 oz

Price / oz$0.75/ozat 5.1 oz

Where to buy2 stores · $3.74–19.00

Scent:

The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.

Manufacturer page: americancrew.com

Personal fit

Is this right for you?

Factor Your profile Fit

Best for hair types Wavy–Coily Not in your profile

Moisture level High Not in your profile

Hold system High Not in your profile

Slip / detangling Little Not in your profile

Fragrance Present Not in your profile

Silicone / wax buildup None Not in your profile

Clarifying wash needed Low Not in your profile

Parabens / preservatives Not determined Not in your profile

Essential oils Not determined Not in your profile

Fast-drying alcohol Moderate Not in your profile

Show all 20 factors we check

The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.

Vegan / cruelty-free Not yet verified Not in your profile

Animal-derived ingredients Not yet verified Not in your profile

Aerosol can Not determined Not in your profile

Needs heat to set Not determined Not in your profile

Heavy humectants Heavy Not in your profile

Hard-water defence High Not in your profile

UV filter None listed Not in your profile

Ingredient list 26 ingredientsAbout average Not in your profile

Price tier Masstige Not in your profile

Where to buy it Brand websiteOne channel Not in your profile

The consultation builds your hair profile, then reads every factor in this table against it — and tells you where this product fits, or what to use instead.

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Lower cost than most gels

$0.75/oz at 5.1 oz — less than 89% of the 157 gels , which mostly run $1.18–3.50/oz.

Price and stores

Great for

Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together

Maybe skip if

this product carries a scent

Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol

Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm

Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you

Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only

Whether this hold level is right for you depends on your density, porosity, and how long your style has to last — that is what the consultation works 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 system Synthetic polymer

Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems.

Cast risk Likely

Film formers without much softening them — expect a cast to scrunch out.

Oil absorption None

No absorbent powders or starches.

Oils and butters None

No oils or butters in the list.

Fast-drying alcohol Present

Fast-drying alcohol is present — it speeds drying and can read dry on the hair.

Needs detergent to remove No

Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.

Fragrance Present

Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.

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. These chips name what an ingredient does — they are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.

Ingredient	What it does	Why it matters	Chip
WaterAqua/Water/Eau	solvent	The base everything else is dissolved in	Neutral
Peg-75	humectant	Pulls water into the hair	Moisturizes
Peg-32	humectant	Pulls water into the hair	Moisturizes
PEG-6	—	—	Neutral
Butylene Glycol	humectant	Pulls water into the hair	Moisturizes
Alcohol Denat.Alcohol	drying alcohol	Sets the style fast — the same reason it can read dry	Drying
AMP-Acrylates/C1-18 Alkyl Acrylate/C1-8 Alkyl Acrylamide Copolymer	—	—	Neutral
Dimethyl Acrylamide/Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Methoxyethyl Acrylate Copolymer	—	—	Neutral
Alcohol Denat.	drying alcohol	A small amount, for fast setting	Drying
Menthol	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
FragranceParfum (Fragrance)	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Benzyl Salicylate	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance

What the list leaves out, and what it carriesContains fragrance. Chelators for hard water. Fast-drying alcohol is in the list.

Full ingredient list (26)

US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Annotations keep three readings separate: the ingredient's general function, its role in this product type, and what its position can support.

1 Water · Aqua/Water/Eau

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 Peg-75

General function
A polyethylene glycol of the stated chain length, used as a carrier and to hold a little water. At this size it is a formulation aid, not an active.

Leading ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- humectant
- solvent
3 Peg-32

General function
A polyethylene glycol of the stated chain length, used as a carrier and to hold a little water. At this size it is a formulation aid, not an active.

Leading ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- humectant
- solvent
4 PEG-6
5 Butylene Glycol

General function
A light humectant and carrier that helps extracts dissolve.

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 hydrates without contributing weight.

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.

PubChem
- humectant
- solvent
6 Alcohol Denat. · Alcohol

General function
Fast-drying alcohol used to make sprays set quickly. In leave-on products it can leave hair feeling dry, especially in high position on the list.

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
Evaporates on contact, which is how a spray sets almost instantly and leaves no weight behind it.

May not suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
Porous hair gives water up easily as it is; a fast-evaporating solvent high on the list accelerates that.

May not suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
It evaporates quickly and takes some water with it. On hair already short of moisture, a formula built on a lot of it can finish drier than it started.

PubChem
- drying alcohol
- solvent
7 AMP-Acrylates/C1-18 Alkyl Acrylate/C1-8 Alkyl Acrylamide Copolymer
8 Dimethyl Acrylamide/Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Methoxyethyl Acrylate Copolymer
▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
9 Ethylhexylglycerin

General function
A preservative booster that also adds a little softness. Almost always paired with phenoxyethanol.

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

PubChem
- preservative
- emollient
10 Alcohol Denat.

General function
Fast-drying alcohol used to make sprays set quickly. In leave-on products it can leave hair feeling dry, especially in high position on the list.

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
Evaporates on contact, which is how a spray sets almost instantly and leaves no weight behind it.

PubChem
- drying alcohol
- solvent
11 Carbomer

General function
A thickener that turns a liquid into a clear gel. It also contributes a light hold.

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 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.
- thickener
- polymer
- film former
12 Aminomethyl Propanol

General function
A base used in trace amounts to neutralise acidic hold polymers so they thicken and set properly.

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.

DependsFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
pH adjusters are how a formula is brought to a chosen acidity, and an acidic formula keeps the cuticle lying flatter than an alkaline one. Which way this one moves the pH depends on the formula, and the finished pH is not on the label.

PubChem
- pH adjuster
13 Disodium EDTA

General function
Grabs metal ions from hard water so they cannot dull the 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
14 Menthol

General function
Produces the cooling, tingling feeling on the scalp. The sensation is real; it is not evidence that anything else is happening.

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.

PubChem
- fragrance
- active
15 Fragrance · Parfum (Fragrance)

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
16 Benzyl Salicylate

General function
A soft floral 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
17 Limonene

General function
A citrus-smelling fragrance component that EU rules require to be named separately because some people react to 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
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 Linalool

General function
A floral fragrance component listed separately as a recognised contact 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
19 Butylphenyl Methylpropional

General function
A floral fragrance component (lilial) named separately as a recognised allergen; increasingly reformulated out.

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
20 Hexyl Cinnamal

General function
A jasmine-like fragrance component named 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
21 Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone

General function
A violet-like fragrance component named 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
22 hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde

General function
An individual aroma chemical. It is part of the product's fragrance; brands that print these are disclosing more of the blend than the rules require.

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
23 Citronellol

General function
A rose-like fragrance component named 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
24 Hydroxycitronellal

General function
A soft floral fragrance component named 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
25 Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
26 Blue 1 (CI 42090)

General function
A certified colour used to tint the product itself, not the 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
- direct dye
- blue dye

What the whole list adds up to

11 fragrances
8 named fragrance allergens
6 solvents
3 humectants
2 drying alcohols
2 preservatives
1 emollient
1 thickener
1 polymer
1 film former
1 pH adjuster
1 hard-water chelator
1 active
1 declared fragrance

Ingredient list captured 2026-09-12. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 5.1 oz

Seen at $3.74 1 store · checked Sep 12

Good value under $16 Under $3.13/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 8 products we score as doing the same job

Usually a good value. Most stores sell it under the $16 line, and products that do this job typically go for about $21 at this size.

Show the price ladder

Price for 5.1 ozlower is better

Where we’ve seen it2 listings · 2 stores

Frends Beauty
$3.74

5 oz · $0.75/oz

Sep 12Lowest per oz
Brand website
$19.00

5.1 oz · $3.73/oz

Sep 12

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. and 2 listings we don’t count — grey-market or unverified sellers.

How we work this out

5.1 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.
Seen at $3.74 is the price we have observed for the 5.1 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
Good value under $16 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $3.13/oz; at 5.1 oz that is $16. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
About $21 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 5.1 oz.

Formula

Formula score

10 of 10

This formula covers the systems a gel is built around, and it costs less per ounce than most of the gels we have researched.

How the score is counted

Costs less per ounce than 89% of the 157 gels we’ve priced
Covers 6 of the 6 things a gel should do
Masstige tier, sold at Brand website
Masstige tier

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 is completeness for the job: the share of the systems this product type is normally built around that we can find in this list, weighted. It is not efficacy, not quality, and it never compares across product types.

Does the same job

Same derived functions — what it cleans, conditions, coats or holds — at a lower cost per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy it can still differ.

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See more alternatives in the product library

These are functional neighbours, not personal recommendations — they are close on formula, not chosen for anyone. Get the one that fits your hair, routine, and budget

Final decision

Should you buy it?

Only for a specific need

Best user

Curls that need definition — for defined, clumped curls

Biggest tradeoff

Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance, very dry or high-damage hair, or anyone who will not scrunch out a cast

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, against what the formula shows

Claims are quoted from the brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when the ingredient list actually speaks to it; everything else stays "stated by the brand", which is not a criticism — most claims simply cannot be read off a label.

SupportedBacked by ingredients

Partly supportedSome supporting logic

Stated by brandNo clear evidence

Potential conflictFormula works against claim

Delivers medium hold with shine

Synthetic hold polymers are present.

Carbomer

Supported

Structure that lasts the day.

Controls like a gel, finishes like a wax

This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

Allows easy re-styling without tackiness; washes out with shampoo

This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

How to read this

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

Reviewers

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.

Several reviewers describe the product as slightly sticky but appreciate that it lasts throughout the day.

Reviewers say only a small amount is needed for effective medium hold that lasts a long time.

Some long-time users say a reformulation changed the scent to an artificial lemon and reduced how well it holds.

How this page was made

Everything above is generated from our researched product record — identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. No part of this page is written per 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.
6 sources consulted for this product (0 manufacturer or regulatory, 1 retailer, 5 editorial), last checked 2026-09-12.
Ingredient references are linked for 15 of 19 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are conditional formulation guidance, not a conclusion about the finished product or about you.
We have not tested this product in a lab and we do not physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list; behaviour claims are labelled as the brand's.
Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice.
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 v22. Record last updated 2026-09-12.

Liquid Wax

Is this right for you?

Read from the label, not the marketing

The ingredients that change a decision

What the whole list adds up to

Should you buy it?

What the brand says, against what the formula shows

What people report

More from American Crew

How this page was made

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