Style Sexy Hair Frenzy Matte Texturizing Paste

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
  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 ingredient

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

  • solvent
• 2 Petrolatum
  General function

  A heavy sealing agent that locks moisture in and takes detergent to remove.

  Leading ingredient

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

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Forms 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 routines

  It does not disperse in water at all: removing it means a detergent wash, and until then it stays exactly where it landed.

  • sealant
  • emollient
• 3 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.

  Leading ingredient

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

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  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.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.

  DependsFine or easily flattened hair

  Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.

  PubChem
  • fatty alcohol
  • emollient
  • thickener
• 4 Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2
  General function

  A rich, lanolin-like emollient used in balms for a soft, sealing finish.

  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

  Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Forms 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 routines

  It does not disperse in water at all: removing it means a detergent wash, and until then it stays exactly where it landed.

  • emollient
  • sealant
• 5 Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax
  General function

  A hard palm wax that gives firm hold and shine.

  Supporting ingredient

  Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

  May suitMaximum-hold styling

  A wax holds by staying solid on the strand, which gives grip and separation rather than a set film that cracks.

  May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

  Waxes do not dissolve in water. They need a detergent wash to come off, and they are the classic cause of a coated feel.

  DependsCurls or waves needing flexible hold

  How rigid the finish is depends on which polymer it is and what the formula pairs with it, not on there being one.

  • wax
  • film former
• 6 Lanolin Wax
  General function

  The solid fraction of lanolin, used to give balms body and hold.

  Supporting ingredient

  Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

  May suitMaximum-hold styling

  A 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 hair

  Forms 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 routines

  It 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
• 7 Glycerin
  General function

  Glycerin, also called glycerol, attracts moisture and mixes completely with water.

  Supporting ingredient

  Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.

  DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

  Water moves both ways. Measured across concentrations, glycerin solutions give water up in some conditions and take it from the air in others. What it does for you depends on how much of it is there and on the air around it.

  Scientific Reports
  • humectant
• 8 PVP
  General function

  A classic hairspray polymer. It gives firm hold but attracts moisture, so humidity can soften the set.

  Supporting ingredient

  Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

  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.

  May not suitClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

  The 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.

  PubChem
  • film former
  • polymer
• 9 Ceteareth-25
  • emulsifier
• 10 Ceresin
  General function

  A refined mineral wax used to thicken balms and pomades.

  Secondary ingredient

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

  May suitMaximum-hold styling

  A 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 hair

  Forms 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 routines

  It does not disperse in water at all: removing it means a detergent wash, and until then it stays exactly where it landed.

  • wax
  • sealant
• 11 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.

  Secondary ingredient

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

  May suitFine or easily flattened hair

  Evaporates on contact, which is how a spray sets almost instantly and leaves no weight behind it.

  PubChem
  • drying alcohol
  • solvent
• 12 VP/VA Copolymer
  General function

  A hold polymer that dries to a clear film. It sets the style and washes out with water.

  Secondary ingredient

  Lower 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 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
• 13 Mineral Oil
  General function

  A sealing oil that sits on the surface, adds slip and shine, and needs a detergent to remove.

  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.

  May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

  It does not disperse in water at all: removing it means a detergent wash, and until then it stays exactly where it landed.

  International Journal of Trichology
  • emollient
  • sealant
  • oil
• 14 Propylene Glycol
  General function

  A small humectant and solvent that keeps formulas stable and helps active ingredients spread.

  Secondary ingredient

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

  May suitFine or easily flattened hair

  Light and water-binding rather than oily, so it adds less weight than oils or butters do.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  A small water-binding solvent. It holds moisture and helps the rest of the formula spread evenly over the strand.

  DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

  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.

  PubChem
  • humectant
  • solvent
• 15 Peg-40 Castor Oil
  • solubilizer
  • emulsifier
• 16 Diethylhexyl Malate
  General function

  A cushiony ester used for a rich but non-greasy glide.

  Secondary ingredient

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

  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
• ▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
• 17 Phenoxyethanol
  • preservative
• 18 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 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
• 19 Mica
  General function

  A mineral that adds shimmer or opacity to the product. It affects how the bottle looks, not how hair behaves.

  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

  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.

  PubChem
  • colourant
  • mineral
  • opacifier
• 20 Peg/Ppg-18/18 Dimethicone
  General function

  An ethoxylated or propoxylated formulation aid. Ingredients of this family keep oils, silicones and fragrance evenly dispersed in a water-based product.

  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
• 21 Ethylhexylglycerin
  General function

  A preservative booster that also adds a little softness. Almost always paired with phenoxyethanol.

  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 suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

  PubChem
  • preservative
  • emollient
• 22 Titanium Dioxide
  General function

  A white mineral pigment that makes a product opaque or pearly.

  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

  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.

  • colourant
  • opacifier
  • mineral
• 23 Sucrose
  General function

  Table sugar, used as a humectant and, in scrubs, as a physical exfoliant.

  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 suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.

  DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

  A humectant moves water in whichever direction the air allows: it holds moisture in humid conditions and can pull it back out of hair in very dry ones.

  PubChem
  • humectant
• 24 Cereus Grandiflorus (Cactus) Flower Extract
  • botanical extract
• 25 Methylparaben
  • paraben
  • preservative
• 26 Ethylparaben
  • paraben
  • preservative
• 27 Disodium EDTA
  General function

  Grabs metal ions from hard water so they cannot dull the hair or destabilise the formula.

  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

  Binds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.

  May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

  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.

  PubChem
  • hard-water chelator
• 28 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
• 29 Benzyl Benzoate
  General function

  A fragrance component with a faint balsamic scent, named separately on the label because it is 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
• 30 Hexyl Cinnamal
  General function

  A jasmine-like fragrance component named separately as a recognised 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
• 31 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
• 32 Citronellol
  General function

  A rose-like fragrance component named separately as a recognised 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
• 33 Hydroxycitronellal
  General function

  A soft floral fragrance component named separately as a recognised 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
• 34 Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
  General function

  A violet-like fragrance component named separately as a recognised 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
• 35 Amyl Cinnamal
  General function

  A jasmine-like fragrance component named separately as a recognised 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
• 36 Ext. D&C Violet No. 2
• 37 D&C Red No. 33

What the whole list adds up to

• 9 fragrances
• 8 named fragrance allergens
• 6 emollients
• 5 sealants
• 4 film formers
• 4 preservatives
• 3 solvents
• 3 waxs
• 3 humectants
• 3 emulsifiers
• 2 polymers
• 2 colourants
• 2 minerals
• 2 opacifiers

Ingredient list captured 2026-08-27. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.