Castor & Amla Nourishing Pomade
Styler / Paste, polymer-free
- Styler
- paste
- Sulfate-free
- Silicone-free
- Protein-free
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: qhemetbiologics.com
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
Lower cost than most pastes
$4.73/oz at 4 oz, less than 76% 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.
No hold polymer, gum, or wax found in the list.
Softening ingredients sit alongside the film formers, so a hard shell is unlikely.
Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients.
No absorbent powders or starches.
Oils sit high in the list: a softening, coating formula.
No fast-drying alcohol in the list.
Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them.
Fragrance is in the first eight ingredients, so it makes up a larger share of the formula.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil | oil | Softens the film so it does not set hard | Softens |
| Hydrogenated Castor Oil | wax | Holds shape and adds weight | Buildup |
| FragranceFragrance (Parfum) | fragrance | The scent, and a large share of the formula this high up | Fragrance |
| Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Seed Oil* Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Seed Oil | oil | Softens the film so it does not set hard | Softens |
| Emblica Officinalis Fruit ExtractEmblica Officinalis (Amla) Fruit Extract | botanical extract | A plant extract, there as much for marketing as for function | Neutral |
| Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil | oil | Softens the film so it does not set hard | Softens |
| Tocopherol | antioxidant | Protects the formula | Stabilizes |
Full ingredient list (7)
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
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
General function
A thick, tacky oil used for sealing ends and for slick, held-down styles.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairCoats 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 hairA thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
May not suitFine or easily flattened hairNear the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.
- oil
- emollient
-
2
Hydrogenated Castor Oil
General function
Castor oil hardened into a wax. It thickens balms and gives a firm, sealing feel.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
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.
May 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.
- wax
- emollient
- sealant
-
3
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.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
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
-
4
Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Seed Oil
· * Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Seed Oil
General function
A light, inexpensive plant oil used as a base emollient.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairCoats 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 hairA thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
May not suitFine or easily flattened hairNear the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.
- oil
- emollient
-
5
Emblica Officinalis Fruit Extract
· Emblica Officinalis (Amla) Fruit Extract
General function
An extract from the fruit of Emblica Officinalis. Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- botanical extract
-
6
Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil
General function
A medium-weight oil used for conditioning and scalp application.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairCoats 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 hairA thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
May not suitFine or easily flattened hairNear the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.
- oil
- emollient
- ▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
-
7
Tocopherol
General function
Vitamin E. It keeps the oils in a formula from going rancid and is used at very low levels.
Estimated lower-concentration zonePubChemIt appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
- antioxidant
- vitamin
What the whole list adds up to
- 4 emollients
- 3 oils
- 1 wax
- 1 sealant
- 1 fragrance
- 1 declared fragrance
- 1 botanical extract
- 1 antioxidant
- 1 vitamin
Ingredient list captured 2026-11-01. 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 $7 line; products that do this job typically go for about $19 at this size.
Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it3 listings · 3 stores
-
Ulta Beauty
$16.804 oz · $4.20/ozNov 1Lowest per ozSale · was $21.00
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Qhemet Biologics (brand site)
$21.004 oz · $5.25/ozNov 1
-
Qhemet Biologics
$21.004 oz · $5.25/ozNov 1
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
- 4 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 $16.80 is the price we have observed for the 4 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
- Good value under $7 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $1.77/oz; at 4 oz that is $7. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
- About $19 is what those same products typically cost at this size: the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 4 oz.
Formula
Low cost per ounce, with a short formula: there is no hold system here, and that is a system most pastes carry.
How the score is counted
- 2 products that do the same job cost less per ounce
- Costs less per ounce than 76% of the 197 pastes we’ve priced
- No hold system in the formula
- No humectant either
- 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
- Function
- Also
- 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?
Good for the right personHair that stiffens on protein who want a protein-free formula and a curly-method-compatible formula
Less suited to anyone sensitive to fragrance, oily scalps and fine hair, or styles that need real hold
Mielle Organics Pomegranate & Honey Twisting Souffle 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.
More from Qhemet Biologics
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.
- 2 sources consulted for this product (0 manufacturer or regulatory, 0 retailer, 2 editorial), last checked 2026-11-01.
- Ingredient references are linked for 0 of 5 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 2026-11-01.
