Matte finish
Absorbent powders are present, which is how a matte finish is normally produced.
- Kaolin
- Silica
- Quaternium-90 Bentonite
Texture without gloss.
Styler / Paste, mixed-hold
Add it to your products. We’ll tell you if it’s ever recalled.
Scent:
No added fragrance, no scenting essential oils, and no declared fragrance allergens on the list.
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
$13.53/oz at 1.7 oz, more than 85% of the 197 pastes , which mostly run $4.92–11.75/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.
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.
Absorbent powders or starches high 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.
No fragrance is listed.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrolatum | sealant | Seals moisture in | Heavy |
| BeeswaxCera Alba/Beeswax/Cire d'abeille | wax | Holds shape and adds weight | Buildup |
| Dicaprylyl Maleate | light ester | Light slip without much weight | Softens |
| Propylene Glycol | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Moisturizes |
| Kaolin | clay | Absorbs oil and adds texture | Neutral |
| Peg-10 Sunflower Glycerides | emulsifier | Keeps oil and water mixed | Softens |
| Silica | powder | Mattifies and absorbs oil | Stabilizes |
| Quaternium-90 Bentonite | clay | Absorbs oil and adds texture | Stabilizes |
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.
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 firm natural wax that grips and holds hair in place. It resists water and can take repeated washing to remove.
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 light ester used for spreading and a soft finish.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
A small humectant and solvent that keeps formulas stable and helps active ingredients spread.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
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 soft white clay that absorbs oil and adds body without much grit.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Absorbs oil and adds texture, which is what gives fine hair grip at the root instead of slip.
An absorbent solid takes up oil, and hair already short of it has less to give.
A plant fat made water-dispersible by ethoxylation. It softens the formula and helps the oil and water phases stay together.
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 fine mineral powder that absorbs oil and adds grip. It is what makes texture powders and matte pastes feel dry to the touch.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
A dry powder takes up oil and adds friction between strands, which is most of what root lift in fine hair actually is.
A clay modified with a quaternary group so it thickens oil rather than water. Used to give balms and pomades structure.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
A white mineral pigment that makes a product opaque or pearly.
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 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 that tints 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.
Ingredient list captured 2026-08-27. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 1.7 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 $11 at this size.
Formula
The formula carries what a paste is built around, and 4 products we score as close matches cost at least a quarter less per ounce. The difference is the label, not the formula.
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
People sensitive to fragrance who want a formula with no added fragrance and a product with no scent
Not ideal for oily scalps and fine hair, anyone stretching time between washes, or very dry or very humid climates
Consider American Crew Molding Clay, 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.
Matte finish
Absorbent powders are present, which is how a matte finish is normally produced.
Texture without gloss.
Flexible hold
Softening ingredients sit alongside the hold polymers, which is what keeps a film flexible.
Natural movement without stiffness.
Separates and defines
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
—
Can’t be confirmed from label.
Piecey texture
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
—
Can’t be confirmed from label.
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.
Delivers volume without leaving hair feeling stiff, heavy, or sticky; style stays put all day
5-star Ulta reviewer (Isa K)Good hold with easy removal and no sticky residue; gives clean definition
5-star Ulta reviewer (Andrea)Adds noticeable shine while keeping hair manageable, with style holding through the day
5-star Ulta reviewer (Kyli)Holds curls but leaves hair feeling hard and crunchy rather than softly textured
3-star Ulta reviewer (Jhomara)