Matte Finish. Medium Hold.
Synthetic hold polymers are present.
- Ozokerite
- PVP
- Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax
Structure that lasts the day.
Styler / Paste, medium-hold
Add it to your products. We’ll tell you if it’s ever recalled.
Scent:
Notes: absinthe, pepper, white cedar.
“White cedar, absinthe, and smooth black pepper.” (Brand page)
Manufacturer page: beautyshiptoyou.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
Priced with its peers
$5.50/oz at 4 oz, less than 70% of the 197 pastes , which mostly run $4.92–11.75/oz. The cost less.
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.
A medium hold, as stated by the brand.
Gums and synthetic polymers together.
Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely.
Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients.
Absorbents appear, low in the list.
No oils or butters in the list.
No fast-drying alcohol in the list.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterWater (Aqua/Eau) | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Ozokerite | film former | Lays down the film that holds a shape | Buildup |
| Petrolatum | sealant | Seals moisture in | Heavy |
| Glyceryl Stearate | emulsifier | Keeps oil and water mixed | Softens |
| Cetearyl Alcohol | fatty alcohol | Thickens and conditions (not a drying alcohol) | Softens |
| Isopropyl Myristate | light ester | Light slip without much weight | Softens |
| C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate | light ester | Light slip without much weight | Softens |
| PEG-100 Stearate | emulsifier | Keeps oil and water mixed | Stabilizes |
| Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil | botanical extract | A trace plant extract | Fragrance |
| Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax | wax | Adds a little grip | Buildup |
| Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil | botanical extract | A trace plant extract | Fragrance |
| FragranceFragrance (Parfum) | 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.
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 the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
A mineral wax used to give balms and pomades their firm structure.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
A wax holds by staying solid on the strand, which gives grip and separation rather than a set film that cracks.
Forms a physical barrier on the strand that slows water leaving it. Nothing else in a formula holds moisture in as bluntly.
It does not disperse in water at all: removing it means a detergent wash, and until then it stays exactly where it landed.
A heavy sealing agent that locks moisture in and takes detergent to remove.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
Forms a physical barrier on the strand that slows water leaving it. Nothing else in a formula holds moisture in as bluntly.
It does not disperse in water at all: removing it means a detergent wash, and until then it stays exactly where it landed.
A workhorse emulsifier that holds oil and water together in a cream.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
A waxy fatty alcohol - nothing like drying alcohol. It gives conditioners their body and leaves a soft, smoothing film on the hair.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
The waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.
Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.
A very light ester that makes products glide and disappear quickly on the hair.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
A light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.
Spreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.
A dry-feeling ester used for a silky, non-greasy finish - a common silicone substitute.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
A light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.
Spreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.
The water-side half of the most common emulsifier pair in creams, used with glyceryl stearate.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
A coconut-derived emulsifier that softens a cleanser and reduces the stripped feeling.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
A fatty acid that thickens creams and helps them hold their texture.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
The waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.
Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
A classic hairspray polymer. It gives firm hold but attracts moisture, so humidity can soften the set.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
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.
The film takes up water from the air. The patent work that produced the VP/VA copolymers describes a PVP film turning sticky after time in a humid atmosphere, and being dependable only where humidity is low — so hold and feel both move with the weather.
Tea tree essential oil, used in scalp products for its sharp scent and traditional clarifying reputation.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Essential oils are fragrance. Several carry constituents on the EU list of declared fragrance allergens, so a label with no fragrance line can still be a scented product.
A plant wax used as a vegan alternative to beeswax for hold and sheen.
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 wax holds by staying solid on the strand, which gives grip and separation rather than a set film that cracks.
How rigid the finish is depends on which polymer it is and what the formula pairs with it, not on there being one.
A soft white clay that absorbs oil and adds body without much grit.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Absorbs oil and adds texture, which is what gives fine hair grip at the root instead of slip.
Peppermint essential oil, used for scent and the cooling feeling on the scalp.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Essential oils are fragrance. Several carry constituents on the EU list of declared fragrance allergens, so a label with no fragrance line can still be a scented product.
Glycerin, also called glycerol, attracts moisture and mixes completely with water.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
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 small humectant and solvent that keeps formulas stable and helps active ingredients spread.
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 light humectant and carrier that helps extracts dissolve.
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.
Used to bring the product to a slightly acidic pH, which helps the cuticle lie flat. It is almost always near the end of the list.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Holds hard-water minerals in solution so they rinse away instead of depositing on the hair.
The acid side of pH adjustment, and the reason it matters is measured: alkaline formulas raise the fibre's surface negative charge, increase friction between strands and lift the scales, while lower-pH ones do the reverse.
Where a warm cast comes from water minerals rather than from the hair itself, holding those metals in solution is what removes it.
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.
A preservative booster that also adds a little softness. Almost always paired with phenoxyethanol.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
A fragrance component with a faint balsamic scent, named separately on the label because it is 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 sweet, hay-like 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 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 certified colour added to tint the product itself. It does not colour hair.
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 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.
A certified colour used to tint the product itself, not the hair.
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 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.
Ingredient list captured 2026-10-10. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 4 oz
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $13 line; products that do this job typically go for about $24 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
A complete formula at an ordinary price: mid-range per ounce among pastes, with the working systems in place.
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 who want a protein-free formula and a curly-method-compatible formula
Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance, oily scalps and fine hair, or anyone stretching time between washes
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.
Matte Finish. Medium Hold.
Synthetic hold polymers are present.
Structure that lasts the day.
Scoop out a nickel-sized amount, rub it through your fingertips until emulsified, and work it through either damp or dry hair
Humectants and emollients are present, but lower in the list than the claim implies.
Some hydration, at a low level.
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.