Matterial Finishing Clay
Styler / Paste, mixed-hold
- Styler
- paste
- Sulfate-free
- Silicone-free
- Protein-free
- Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
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.
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.
- About 20 minutes, and your answers save as you go.
- Every product matched against your hair across the 22 factors we check.
- A personalized routine built around your schedule, styling habits, and local weather.
- Find products that do the same job at a lower cost.
- Your goals, scalp, damage history, water, budget, and scent preferences all shape your plan.
$49 with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates
$99 with 12 months. Pay once; the year renews only if you choose.
Show all 22 factors we check
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
$6.88/oz at 3 oz, less than 56% 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
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.
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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterWater (Aqua/Eau) | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Ozokerite | film former | Lays down the film that holds a shape | Buildup |
| Behenyl Behenate | light ester | Light slip without much weight | Buildup |
| Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax (Candelilla Cera, Cire De Candelilla) | wax | Holds shape and adds weight | Buildup |
| Polyhydroxystearic Acid | emulsifier | Keeps oil and water mixed | Softens |
| Glyceryl Stearate | emulsifier | Keeps oil and water mixed | Softens |
| PEG-100 Stearate | emulsifier | Keeps oil and water mixed | Stabilizes |
| Propylene Glycol | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Moisturizes |
| FragranceParfum (Fragrance) | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil | botanical extract | A trace plant extract | Fragrance |
| Coumarin | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Hexyl Cinnamal | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
Full ingredient list (37)
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
· Water (Aqua/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 ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- solvent
-
2
Ozokerite
General function
A mineral wax used to give balms and pomades their firm structure.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChemMay suitMaximum-hold stylingA wax holds by staying solid on the strand, which gives grip and separation rather than a set film that cracks.
May suitVery dry or highly damaged hairForms a physical barrier on the strand that slows water leaving it. Nothing else in a formula holds moisture in as bluntly.
May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesIt does not disperse in water at all: removing it means a detergent wash, and until then it stays exactly where it landed.
- film former
- sealant
- wax
-
3
Behenyl Behenate
General function
A hard wax ester used to thicken balms and give them structure.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
May suitFine or easily flattened hairA light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairSpreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.
May suitMaximum-hold stylingA wax holds by staying solid on the strand, which gives grip and separation rather than a set film that cracks.
- light ester
- wax
- emollient
-
4
Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax (Candelilla Cera, Cire De Candelilla)
- wax
-
5
Polyhydroxystearic Acid
General function
An oil-side dispersant that keeps powders and pigments evenly suspended.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- emulsifier
- emollient
-
6
Glyceryl Stearate
General function
A workhorse emulsifier that holds oil and water together in a cream.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
PubChemMay suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairEmollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
- emulsifier
- emollient
-
7
PEG-100 Stearate
General function
The water-side half of the most common emulsifier pair in creams, used with glyceryl stearate.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- emulsifier
-
8
Propylene Glycol
General function
A small humectant and solvent that keeps formulas stable and helps active ingredients spread.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
PubChemMay suitFine or easily flattened hairLight and water-binding rather than oily, so it adds less weight than oils or butters do.
May suitVery dry or highly damaged hairA small water-binding solvent. It holds moisture and helps the rest of the formula spread evenly over the strand.
DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hairA 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
-
9
PVP
General function
A classic hairspray polymer. It gives firm hold but attracts moisture, so humidity can soften the set.
Secondary ingredientLower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
PubChemMay suitMaximum-hold stylingSynthetic film formers dry into a continuous film, which is what holds a shape against movement and against humid air.
DependsBuild-up-sensitive routinesSome acrylate copolymers rinse with water and some need a detergent; the label alone does not say which one a formula used.
May not suitClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hairThe 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.
- film former
- polymer
-
10
Diethylhexyl Maleate
- emollient
- light ester
-
11
Cetearyl Alcohol
General function
A waxy fatty alcohol - nothing like drying alcohol. It gives conditioners their body and leaves a soft, smoothing film on the hair.
Secondary ingredientLower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
PubChemMay suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairThe 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.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairDeposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
- 12 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate
-
13
Bentonite
General function
A clay that absorbs oil and gives a matte, gritty texture.
Secondary ingredientLower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
May suitFine or easily flattened hairAbsorbs oil and adds texture, which is what gives fine hair grip at the root instead of slip.
May not suitVery dry or highly damaged hairAn absorbent solid takes up oil, and hair already short of it has less to give.
- clay
- powder
-
14
Kaolin
General function
A soft white clay that absorbs oil and adds body without much grit.
Secondary ingredientLower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
May suitFine or easily flattened hairAbsorbs oil and adds texture, which is what gives fine hair grip at the root instead of slip.
May not suitVery dry or highly damaged hairAn absorbent solid takes up oil, and hair already short of it has less to give.
- clay
- powder
-
15
Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
General function
A gel-forming thickener that also keeps oils suspended. It contributes a little hold.
Secondary ingredientLower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
May suitClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hairA set polymer film is a physical barrier to humidity, so a style keeps its shape longer in damp conditions.
May suitMaximum-hold stylingSynthetic film formers dry into a continuous film, which is what holds a shape against movement and against humid air.
DependsBuild-up-sensitive routinesSome 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
- ▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
-
16
Aminomethyl Propanol
General function
A base used in trace amounts to neutralise acidic hold polymers so they thicken and set properly.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
PubChemDependsFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairpH 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.
- pH adjuster
-
17
Ceteareth-20
- emulsifier
-
18
Isostearyl Alcohol
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 zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
PubChemMay suitFine or easily flattened hairA light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairSpreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.
- light ester
- emollient
-
19
Palmitic Acid
General function
A saturated fatty acid used to thicken creams and give them body.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt 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 hairEmollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
- emollient
- thickener
-
20
Stearic Acid
General function
A fatty acid that thickens creams and helps them hold their texture.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
PubChemMay suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairThe 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.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairDeposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
- emulsifier
- thickener
- fatty alcohol
-
21
Lauric Acid
- emulsifier
-
22
Myristic Acid
- cleanser
- emulsifier
-
23
Sorbic Acid
- preservative
-
24
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
25
Potassium Sorbate
- preservative
-
26
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 zoneIt 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 routinesDeclared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
- 27 Amylcinnamyl Alcohol
-
28
Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil
General function
A cold-pressed citrus oil used for a fresh scent; naturally high in limonene.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt 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 routinesEssential 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.
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
29
Coumarin
General function
A sweet, hay-like fragrance component listed separately as a recognised allergen.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
PubChemMay not suitFragrance-sensitive routinesOne 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.
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
30
Hexyl Cinnamal
General function
A jasmine-like fragrance component named separately as a recognised allergen.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
PubChemMay not suitFragrance-sensitive routinesOne 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.
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
31
Juniperus Virginiana Oil
General function
Cedarwood essential oil, used as a woody fragrance note.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt 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 routinesEssential 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.
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
32
Lavandula Oil/Extract
- botanical extract
- essential oil
-
33
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 zoneIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
PubChemMay not suitFragrance-sensitive routinesOne 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.
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
- 34 Linaloool
-
35
Linalyl Acetate
General function
A lavender-like fragrance component, related to linalool and listed for the same allergen reason.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt 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 routinesOne 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.
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
36
Pinene
General function
A pine-scented component of essential oils, declared as part of the fragrance.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt 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 routinesDeclared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
- fragrance
-
37
Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
General function
A synthetic musk or woody-amber note used as a fragrance base.
Estimated lower-concentration zoneIt 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 routinesDeclared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
- fragrance
What the whole list adds up to
- 9 fragrances
- 7 emollients
- 7 emulsifiers
- 4 thickeners
- 4 named fragrance allergens
- 3 film formers
- 3 waxs
- 3 light esters
- 3 preservatives
- 3 botanical extracts
- 3 essential oils
- 2 solvents
- 2 polymers
- 2 fatty alcohols
Ingredient list captured 2026-10-07. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 3 oz
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $10 line; products that do this job typically go for about $17 at this size.
Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it3 listings · 3 stores
-
Beauty Plus Salon
$17.283 oz · $5.76/ozOct 22Lowest per oz
-
Paul Mitchell (brand site)
$24.003 oz · $8.00/ozOct 7
-
John Paul Mitchell Systems
$24.003 oz · $8.00/ozOct 22
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
- 3 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 $17.28 is the price we have observed for the 3 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
- Good value under $10 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $3.37/oz; at 3 oz that is $10. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
- About $17 is what those same products typically cost at this size: the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 3 oz.
Formula
A complete formula at an ordinary price: mid-range per ounce among pastes, with the working systems in place.
How the score is counted
- 3 products that do the same job cost less per ounce
- Costs less per ounce than 56% of the 197 pastes we’ve priced
- Covers 6 of the 6 things a paste should do
- Masstige tier, sold at Brand website
- 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.
- Protein-free
- Curly method
- Rich
- Differs
- Protein-free
- Curly method
- Rich
- Differs
- Protein-free
- Curly method
- Rich
- Function
- Also
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?
A solid pick for the hair it suitsHair that stiffens on protein, looking for a protein-free formula and moisture that stays in
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.
More from Paul Mitchell
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.
- 1 source consulted for this product (1 manufacturer or regulatory, 0 retailer, 0 editorial), last checked 2026-10-07.
- Ingredient references are linked for 11 of 22 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 2026-10-07.
