separation
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
—
Can’t be confirmed from label.
Styler / Paste, mixed-hold
Scent:
The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.
Listing used for research: ulta.com
Personal fit
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Your avoid-list
Same job for less elsewhere
$15.33/oz at 1.5 oz — more than 93% of the 90 pastes , which mostly run $5.59–10.34/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.
No absorbent powders or starches.
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. These 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterAqua/Water/Eau | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Propylene Glycol | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Moisturizes |
| Ceteareth-25 | emulsifier | Keeps oil and water mixed | Stabilizes |
| Glyceryl Stearate Se | emulsifier | Keeps oil and water mixed | Softens |
| Cetearyl Alcohol | fatty alcohol | Thickens and conditions — not a drying alcohol | Softens |
| Petrolatum | sealant | Seals moisture in | Heavy |
| Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2 | emollient | Softens and smooths the strand | Heavy |
| Paraffin | film former | Lays down the film that holds a shape | Buildup |
| PEG-8 Dimethicone | emulsifier | Stabilises the mix | Buildup |
| Dimethicone | silicone | A little smoothing and shine | Buildup |
| FragranceParfum/Fragrance | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Cera Microcristallina/Microcrystalline Wax | wax | Adds a little grip | Buildup |
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Annotations keep three readings separate: the ingredient's general function, its role in this product type, and what its position can support.
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 small humectant and solvent that keeps formulas stable and helps active ingredients spread.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
Light and water-binding rather than oily, so it hydrates without contributing weight.
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.
An emulsifier used to keep rich creams from separating.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
A self-emulsifying version of glyceryl stearate that builds a cream on its own.
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 heavy sealing agent that locks moisture in and takes detergent to remove.
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.
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 rich, lanolin-like emollient used in balms for a soft, sealing finish.
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.
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 mineral wax used for firm structure and sealing in pomades.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
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 very light ester that makes products glide and disappear quickly on the hair.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
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 water-soluble silicone that smooths without the build-up concern of standard silicones.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
The PEG- and PPG-modified silicones disperse in water, so ordinary washing carries them off instead of leaving a film to accumulate.
A surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.
Delivers the slip and surface smoothing of a silicone without needing a detergent wash to remove it afterwards.
A hold polymer that dries to a clear film. It sets the style and washes out with water.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
A set polymer film is a physical barrier to humidity, so a style keeps its shape longer in damp conditions.
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 most common conditioning silicone. It coats the strand for shine, slip, and frizz control, and needs a detergent (not just water) to wash out.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
A surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.
Lays a smooth film along the cuticle, which lowers combing friction and flattens the surface irregularities that read as frizz.
Dimethicone does not disperse in water. On a routine that skips detergent it stays on the hair and accumulates wash after wash.
A workhorse emulsifier that holds oil and water together in a cream.
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.
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.
Grabs metal ions from hard water so they cannot dull the hair or destabilise the formula.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Binds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.
Copper and iron carried in tap water deposit on the strand and read as a dull, warm cast on gray or light hair. A chelator holds those metals in solution so the wash carries them off.
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 jasmine-like fragrance component named 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 soft floral 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 jasmine-like fragrance component named 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 rose-like fragrance component named 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 soft floral fragrance component named 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 floral fragrance component listed separately as 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 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 rose-scented fragrance component, listed on its own 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 soft floral 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 cold-pressed orange peel oil used for scent. Citrus oils are naturally high in limonene.
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.
Ingredient list captured 2026-08-27. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 1.5 oz
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $9 line; products that do this job typically go for about $13 at this size.
1.5 ozmost listed
15 ozBest per ounce
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
This is a complete paste formula. It is also above the range for pastes per ounce, with 5 close matches selling for meaningfully less.
The formula score is completeness for the job: the share of the systems this product type is normally built around that we can find in this list, weighted. It is not efficacy, not quality, and it never compares across product types.
Does the same job, for less
Same derived functions — what it cleans, conditions, coats or holds — at a lower cost per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy it can still differ.
See more alternatives in the product library
These are functional neighbours, not personal recommendations — they are close on formula, not chosen for anyone. Get the one that fits your hair, routine, and budget

Final decision
Hair that stiffens on protein who want a protein-free formula and moisture that stays in
Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, curly-method routines, or oily scalps and fine hair
Sexy Hair Healthy Sexy Hair Styling Paste, 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 only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when the ingredient list actually speaks to it; everything else stays "stated by the brand", which is not a criticism — most claims simply cannot be read off a label.
separation
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
—
Can’t be confirmed from label.
flexible texture
Softening ingredients sit alongside the hold polymers, which is what keeps a film flexible.
Natural movement without stiffness.
remoldable styles
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 marketing. If the list doesn't speak to a claim, we don't assume.
Reviewers
Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.
Very easy to apply and leaves hair with a nice, subtle shine
reviewer identified as "Letty", HoustonGave shine and made hair more manageable while styling; hold lasted all day
reviewer identified as "Kyli", ChicagoLeft hair feeling oily and didn't give the styling result expected
critical Ulta reviewer