Joico JoiMist Medium Protective Finishing Spray — front of package

Joico

JoiMist Medium Protective Finishing Spray

Styler / Hairspray, medium-hold

Styler
hairspray
aerosol
Sulfate-free
Lightweight
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed

Size9.0 oz

Price$20seen at one store · 9 oz

Price / oz$2.66/ozat 9 oz

Where to buy3 stores · $20.00–27.90

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.

Manufacturer page: joico.com

Personal fit

Is this right for you?

Factor Your profile Fit

Best for hair types Straight–Wavy Not in your profile

Moisture level Low Not in your profile

Hold (as stated) Medium Not in your profile

Slip / detangling Moderate Not in your profile

Weight on hair Light Not in your profile

Fragrance Present Not in your profile

Protein Prominent Not in your profile

Silicone / wax buildup High Not in your profile

Clarifying wash needed Moderate Not in your profile

Parabens / preservatives None of these listed Not in your profile

Show all 22 factors we check

The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.

Essential oils None listed Not in your profile

Fast-drying alcohol High Not in your profile

Vegan / cruelty-free Cruelty-free · PETA-listed Not in your profile

Animal-derived ingredients Not yet verified Not in your profile

Aerosol can Pressurised can Not in your profile

Needs heat to set Not determined Not in your profile

Heavy humectants Not heavy Not in your profile

Hard-water defence None Not in your profile

UV filter Present Not in your profile

Ingredient list 20 ingredientsAbout average Not in your profile

Price tier Masstige Not in your profile

Where to buy it Salons · Specialty beauty Not in your profile

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.

Priced with its peers

$2.66/oz at 9 oz, less than 55% of the 242 hairsprays , which mostly run $1.61–3.87/oz.

Price and stores

Great for

Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet

Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together

Fine hairthat flattens under most products

Sun and colour fadea UV filter is in the list

Maybe skip if

this product has a scent

Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove

Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein

Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol

Aerosol avoidancethis is a pressurised can

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 Synthetic polymer

Synthetic hold polymers, the firmest kind of hold.

Cast risk Unlikely

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

Weight on the hair Light

Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair.

Oil absorption None

No absorbent powders or starches.

Oils and butters Present, lower down

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

Fast-drying alcohol High in the list

Fast-drying alcohol in the first three ingredients.

Needs detergent to remove Yes

Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them.

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. 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
Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer	film former	Lays down the film that holds a shape	Holds
Pentapeptide-29 Cysteinamide	protein	Firms up soft, over-stretchy hair	Protein
Pentapeptide-30 Cysteinamide	protein	Firms up soft, over-stretchy hair	Protein
Tetrapeptide-28 Argininamide	protein	Firms up soft, over-stretchy hair	Protein
Tetrapeptide-29 Argininamide	conditioning agent	Reduces combing force	Protein
Hydrolyzed Keratin	film former	Lays down the film that holds a shape	Protein
Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Keratin	conditioning agent	Adds slip, lower in the list	Protein
PEG/PPG-17/18 Dimethicone	emulsifier	Stabilises the mix	Buildup
Phenyl Trimethicone	silicone	A little smoothing and shine	Buildup
Limonene	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance

What the list leaves out, and what it carriesNo sulfates. Protein-forward: a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. Contains fragrance. The silicones here need a detergent wash to come off.

Full ingredient list (20)

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 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.

Role in this product type
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.

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

May suitFine or easily flattened hair
May suit hair that needs a fast-drying, lightweight spray base rather than an oil- or wax-led finish.

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.

DependsVery dry or highly damaged hair
Consider if hair is very dry or highly damaged: when alcohol is this prominent, the fast-evaporating base may leave the hair feeling drier.

Cosmetic Ingredient Review
- drying alcohol
- solvent
2 Hydrofluorocarbon 152a

General function
A non-flammable aerosol propellant used in dry shampoos and finishing sprays.

Leading ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChem
- propellant
3 Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer

General function
A firm hold polymer used in hairsprays and gels. It holds well in humidity and brushes out.

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 Pentapeptide-29 Cysteinamide

General function
A short synthetic peptide designed to bind to hair, used in bond-repair positioned products.

Supporting ingredient
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- protein
5 Pentapeptide-30 Cysteinamide

General function
A short synthetic peptide designed to bind to keratin, used in repair-positioned formulas.

Supporting ingredient
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- protein
6 Tetrapeptide-28 Argininamide

General function
A short synthetic peptide used in repair- and strength-positioned products.

Supporting ingredient
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- protein
7 Tetrapeptide-29 Argininamide
- conditioning agent
- protein
8 Hydrolyzed Keratin

General function
Fragments of the same protein hair is made of. They fill gaps on damaged strands and make hair feel firmer for a few washes.

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
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
Size decides where it goes. In fibre testing, fractions around 221 and 2,577 Da reached the cortex while a 75,440 Da fraction stayed on the surface. A label prints the name, never the size, so a protein line is a claim about the ingredient rather than about the depth.

International Journal of Cosmetic Science
- film former
- protein
- hydrolysed protein
9 Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Keratin

General function
A protein given a positive charge so it deposits where hair is damaged. It conditions and adds temporary firmness in one ingredient.

Secondary ingredient
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.

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.
- conditioning agent
- film former
- protein
- hydrolysed protein
10 Aleurites Moluccanus (Kukui) Seed Oil · Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil

General function
Kukui nut oil - a light oil used for softness on fine textured hair.

Secondary ingredient
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.

May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
- oil
- emollient
▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
11 Tocopheryl Acetate
- antioxidant
- vitamin
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 PEG/PPG-17/18 Dimethicone

General function
A water-soluble silicone that smooths and helps other silicones spread, without the build-up concern.

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
The PEG- and PPG-modified silicones disperse in water, so ordinary washing carries them off instead of leaving a film to accumulate.

May suitClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair
A surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
Delivers the slip and surface smoothing of a silicone without needing a detergent wash to remove it afterwards.
- emulsifier
- silicone
- water-soluble silicone
14 Phenyl Trimethicone

General function
A high-refractive silicone used specifically for visible shine in serums and finishing oils.

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 surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
Lays a smooth film along the cuticle, which lowers combing friction and flattens the surface irregularities that read as frizz.
- silicone
- emollient
15 Pentaerythrityl Tetracaprylate/Tetracaprate

General function
A fatty ester. Esters give slip and a smooth after-feel; lighter ones read dry and silky, heavier ones read rich.

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
A light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
Spreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.
- light ester
- emollient
16 Triethyl Citrate

General function
A citrate ester used to stabilise fragrance and support the preservative system.

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
- preservative
17 Benzophenone-4

General function
A UV filter added to keep the product itself, and dyed hair, from fading in light.

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
Sunlight oxidises hair pigment, and on gray, silver or lightened hair that shows up as yellowing. A UV filter on the label absorbs some of the light that drives it.

PubChem
- UV filter
18 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
19 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
20 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

What the whole list adds up to

6 proteins
3 film formers
3 emollients
3 fragrances
2 hydrolysed proteins
2 pH adjusters
2 silicones
2 named fragrance allergens
1 drying alcohol
1 solvent
1 propellant
1 polymer
1 conditioning agent
1 conditioning agent

Ingredient list captured 2026-10-17. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 9 oz

Seen at $20 lowest of 2 stores · checked Oct 17

Good value under $22 Under $2.42/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 8 products we score as doing the same job

Good value on sale. Some stores sell it under the $22 line; products that do this job typically go for about $25 at this size.

Show the price ladder

Price for 9 ozlower is better

Where we’ve seen it3 listings · 3 stores

Beauty Ship To You
$20.00

9 oz · $2.22/oz

Oct 17Lowest per ozSale · was $22.50
Ulta Beauty (ulta.com)
$22.50

9 oz · $2.50/oz

Oct 17
Pomelo Beauty
$27.90

9 oz · $3.10/oz

Oct 17

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

9 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 $20 is the price we have observed for the 9 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
Good value under $22 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $2.42/oz; at 9 oz that is $22. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
About $25 is what those same products typically cost at this size: the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 9 oz.

Formula

Formula score

7 of 10

Both the formula and the price land mid-range: it covers the core of what a hairspray does and costs about what hairsprays cost per ounce.

How the score is counted

1 products we score as doing the same job cost less per ounce
Costs less per ounce than 55% of the 242 hairsprays we’ve priced
No no drying alcohol in the first three in the formula
Reviewers mention 2 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.

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.

Sexy HairLowest cost per oz Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play Harder Firm Volumizing Hairspray $1.00/oz $1.66/oz less

Lightweight
Humidity

· Close function

Function: Oils and butters
Protein
Also: 10 oz bottle

Compare

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

Should you buy it?

Good for the right person

Best user

Soft, over-stretchy hair who want protein high in the formula and defined, clumped curls

Biggest tradeoff

Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance, curly-method routines, or hair that stiffens on protein

Best alternative if not

Sexy Hair Big Sexy Hair Spray & Play Harder Firm Volumizing 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

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.

SupportedBacked by ingredients

Partly supportedSome supporting logic

Stated by brandNo clear evidence

Potential conflictFormula works against claim

All-day holding power

Synthetic hold polymers are present.

Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Hydrolyzed Keratin
Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Keratin

Supported

Structure that lasts the day.

Helps control flyaways & frizz

Possible from silicones or film formers, but not something the list targets.

Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Hydrolyzed Keratin
Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Keratin

Stated by brand

May help, but not a primary focus.

Thermal protection

Heat protection is a performance claim; an ingredient list cannot confirm it.

Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Pentapeptide-29 Cysteinamide
Pentapeptide-30 Cysteinamide

Stated by brand

Only lab testing can show this.

Protects against humidity

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

Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer
Hydrolyzed Keratin
Cocodimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Keratin

Supported

Smoother strands, less frizz.

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.

Many reviewers say it holds hair in place without feeling sticky or stiff, including on fine and short styles.

Reviewers with fine hair, short hair or gray hair

Several reviewers have used this spray for years and keep coming back to buy it.

Reviewers who have used it for years

Some reviewers find the added fragrance overpowering, while one reviewer says the scent is pleasant.

Reviewers across hair types

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 (0 manufacturer or regulatory, 2 retailer, 1 editorial), last checked 2026-10-31.
Ingredient references are linked for 7 of 14 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 2026-10-17.