Styler / Hairspray, polymer-set
Add it to your products. We’ll tell you if it’s ever recalled.
Scent:
The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.
Listing used for research: ulta.com
Personal fit
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.
$49 with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates
$99 with 12 months. Pay once; the year renews only if you choose.
The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
The consultation builds your hair profile, checks every factor in this table against it, and tells you where this product fits or what to use instead.
Start your consultation$49 once, with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates. Nothing renews, and you never have to buy a product.
Your avoid-list
Same job for less elsewhere
$6.44/oz at 4.5 oz, more than 89% of the 242 hairsprays , which mostly run $1.61–3.87/oz.
Great for
Maybe skip if
What the formula actually does
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.
Synthetic hold polymers, the firmest kind of hold.
Film formers with little to soften them, so expect a cast to scrunch out.
Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair.
No absorbent powders or starches.
No oils or butters in the list.
Fast-drying alcohol in the first three ingredients.
Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them.
Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.
Ingredients that matter
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.
| Ingredient | What it does | Why it matters | Chip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcohol Denat. | drying alcohol | Sets the style fast, which is also why it can feel dry | Drying |
| Hydrofluorocarbon 152a | propellant | Pushes the product out of the can | Neutral |
| Dimethyl Ether | propellant | Pushes the product out of the can | Neutral |
| Butyl Ester Of PVM/MA Copolymer | film former | Lays down the film that holds a shape | Holds |
| WaterWater/Aqua/Eau | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Polyurethane-14 | film former | Lays down the film that holds a shape | Holds |
| Glycerin | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Moisturizes |
| Lactamide MEA | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Detangles |
| Bisamino PEG/PPG-41/3 Aminoethyl PG-Propyl Dimethicone | silicone | A little smoothing and shine | Buildup |
| Isopropyl Alcohol | drying alcohol | A small amount, for fast setting | Drying |
| Linalool | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Limonene | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
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.
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.
In hairspray, denatured alcohol acts as a fast-evaporating solvent that carries the styling polymers and helps distribute them in a fine spray. As it evaporates, the polymers remain on the hair to form the hold film.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
May suit hair that needs a fast-drying, lightweight spray base rather than an oil- or wax-led finish.
Porous hair gives water up easily as it is; a fast-evaporating solvent high on the list accelerates that.
Consider if hair is very dry or highly damaged: when alcohol is this prominent, the fast-evaporating base may leave the hair feeling drier.
A non-flammable aerosol propellant used in dry shampoos and finishing sprays.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
An aerosol propellant that also helps the formula spray as a fine, fast-drying mist.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
A hold polymer that sets firmly and resists humidity, common in hairsprays.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Resins set into the hardest film a hair formula offers, which is the firmest hold available and the least forgiving of restyling.
A hard-setting resin is what makes a cast crack rather than bend, which is the opposite of a curl that still moves.
The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
A flexible hold polymer that bends rather than cracks, used for touchable styling.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
A set polymer film is a physical barrier to humidity, so a style keeps its shape longer in damp conditions.
Synthetic film formers dry into a continuous film, which is what holds a shape against movement and against humid air.
Some acrylate copolymers rinse with water and some need a detergent; the label alone does not say which one a formula used.
Glycerin, also called glycerol, attracts moisture and mixes completely with water.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.
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.
A humectant that also improves slip, used in conditioners and styling creams.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
Humectants bind water into the strand, and water — not oil — is what makes dry hair flexible instead of brittle.
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.
Provitamin B5. It draws in water and penetrates the strand a little, which is why it is the standard ingredient for softness and shine claims.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
It hydrates without adding oil or a film, which is the combination fine hair usually needs.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
A humectant that also penetrates the cuticle, so it holds water inside the strand rather than only on the surface.
A citrate ester used to stabilise fragrance and support the preservative system.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
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.
An amino silicone used in heat-protection and smoothing products for a durable film.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
A surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.
Lays a smooth film along the cuticle, which lowers combing friction and flattens the surface irregularities that read as frizz.
A firm hold polymer used in hairsprays and gels. It holds well in humidity and brushes out.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
A set polymer film is a physical barrier to humidity, so a style keeps its shape longer in damp conditions.
Synthetic film formers dry into a continuous film, which is what holds a shape against movement and against humid air.
Some acrylate copolymers rinse with water and some need a detergent; the label alone does not say which one a formula used.
A neutralised acrylate hold polymer used in sprays for firm, humidity-resistant set.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
A set polymer film is a physical barrier to humidity, so a style keeps its shape longer in damp conditions.
Synthetic film formers dry into a continuous film, which is what holds a shape against movement and against humid air.
Some acrylate copolymers rinse with water and some need a detergent; the label alone does not say which one a formula used.
A base used in trace amounts to neutralise acidic hold polymers so they thicken and set properly.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
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.
A light humectant and solvent that helps fragrance and extracts dissolve evenly.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Light and water-binding rather than oily, so it adds less weight than oils or butters do.
A small water-binding solvent. It holds moisture and helps the rest of the formula spread evenly over the strand.
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.
A fast-evaporating alcohol used as a solvent and to speed drying. Well down the list it is a processing aid; near the top it can leave hair feeling dry.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Evaporates on contact, which is how a spray sets almost instantly and leaves no weight behind it.
A floral fragrance component listed separately as a recognised contact allergen.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
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.
A citrus-smelling fragrance component that EU rules require to be named separately because some people react to it.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
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.
A soft floral fragrance component listed separately as a recognised allergen.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
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.
A jasmine-like fragrance component named separately as a recognised allergen.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
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.
A rose-like fragrance component named separately as a recognised allergen.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
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.
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.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
Ingredient list captured 2026-09-13. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 4.5 oz
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $7 line; products that do this job typically go for about $13 at this size.
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.
Formula
Sold through salons, and 7 products that do the same job cost less. Part of what you pay for is where it is sold.
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.
Does the same job, for less
Formulas that do the same things (cleanse, condition, coat or hold) for less per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy them can still differ.
See more alternatives in the product library
These products do a similar job. We haven’t matched them to you. Find the one that fits your hair, routine and budget
Final decision
Hair that stiffens on protein, for a protein-free formula and defined, clumped curls
Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, curly-method routines, or very dry or high-damage hair
Consider Matrix Fixer Hairspray, for similar results 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
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.
Flexible, workable hold
Hold polymers appear without the emollients that usually keep a film from setting firm.
Expect a cast you have to scrunch out.
Exceptional memory for shape (even when brushed)
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
—
Can’t be confirmed from label.
Brushable, touchable finish
Hold polymers appear without the emollients that usually keep a film from setting firm.
Expect a cast you have to scrunch out.
A flexible hold that lasts even when brushed
Hold polymers appear without the emollients that usually keep a film from setting firm.
Expect a cast you have to scrunch out.
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
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.
Reviewers who like it praise a flexible hold that keeps curls or styles in place all day without stiffness or crunch, even through exercise
curly-hair and active reviewersA recurring complaint is a strong, chemical or rancid-smelling fragrance that some reviewers find unpleasant enough to stop use
reviewers new to the brand or fragrance-sensitiveSome reviewers found it left a white, waxy residue on the hair or did nothing to hold their style
reviewers expecting a firmer, invisible holdThe 10 oz bottle's nozzle or cap is prone to clogging or breaking after regular use
repeat buyers who moved from a travel size to the full 10 oz bottle
