Texturizing Surf Paste
Styler / Paste, mixed-hold
- Styler
- paste
- Sulfate-free
- Silicone-free
- Moisture-rich
- 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.
Manufacturer page: sunbum.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
Priced with its peers
$5.66/oz at 3 oz, less than 67% 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.
Butters near the top: a heavy, softening formula.
No fast-drying alcohol in the list.
Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterAqua (Water/Eau) | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Cetearyl Alcohol | fatty alcohol | Thickens and conditions (not a drying alcohol) | Softens |
| Sucrose | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Moisturizes |
| Garcinia Indica Seed Butter | butter | The heavy softener that makes it rich | Heavy |
| PVP | film former | Lays down the film that holds a shape | Holds |
| Isopropyl Myristate | light ester | Light slip without much weight | Softens |
| PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil | solubilizer | Keeps oils dissolved in water | Stabilizes |
| Petrolatum | sealant | Seals moisture in | Heavy |
| FragranceFragrance/ Parfum | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Hydrolyzed Quinoa | film former | A supporting film former | Protein |
| Citronellol | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Limonene | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
Full ingredient list (31)
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
· Aqua (Water/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
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 ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this 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.
DependsFine or easily flattened hairNear the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
3
Sucrose
General function
Table sugar, used as a humectant and, in scrubs, as a physical exfoliant.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChemMay suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairHigh-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 hairBinds 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 hairA 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.
- humectant
-
4
Garcinia Indica Seed Butter
General function
The solid fat from Garcinia Indica's seed. Plant butters seal the surface and soften coarse or dry hair; high on a list they make a product decidedly rich.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- butter
- emollient
- sealant
-
5
PVP
General function
A classic hairspray polymer. It gives firm hold but attracts moisture, so humidity can soften the set.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
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
-
6
Isopropyl Myristate
General function
A very light ester that makes products glide and disappear quickly on the hair.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
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
-
7
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
General function
A castor-oil derivative that dissolves fragrance and oils into water so the product stays clear and does not separate.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
8
Petrolatum
General function
A heavy sealing agent that locks moisture in and takes detergent to remove.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
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 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.
- sealant
- emollient
- 9 Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax/Cera Carnauba/Cire de carnauba
-
10
Ceteareth-20
- emulsifier
-
11
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
General function
One of the few oils small enough to move into the strand, which is why it is used for pre-wash treatments. It can feel heavy or stiff on protein-sensitive hair.
Secondary ingredientLower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
International Journal of TrichologyMay suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairBecause it penetrates rather than sits on top, it works on hair that loses water through a worn cuticle instead of only slowing evaporation from the surface the way a non-penetrating oil does.
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 suitVery dry or highly damaged hairThe exception to the class read: lauric acid is small and linear enough to enter the shaft rather than only coat it, and in comparison testing coconut oil was the one that reduced protein loss from washing on both undamaged and damaged hair.
- oil
- emollient
- ▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
-
12
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.
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
-
13
Hydrolyzed Quinoa
General function
A quinoa-derived protein used for light strengthening and colour retention claims.
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 hairFilling surface gaps evens out the cuticle, which is part of what makes damaged hair comb and reflect light more like undamaged hair.
May suitMaximum-hold stylingFilm formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
May suitVery dry or highly damaged hairHydrolysed fragments are small enough to sit in the gaps of a worn cuticle for a wash or two, temporarily restoring stiffness and cutting breakage in combing.
- film former
- protein
- hydrolysed protein
-
14
Musa Sapientum (Banana) Flower Extract
- botanical extract
-
15
Musa Sapientum (Banana) Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
-
16
Musa Sapientum (Banana) Peel Extract
- botanical extract
-
17
Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
-
18
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
General function
A light, widely used oil that softens without much weight.
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.
International Journal of TrichologyMay 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.
- oil
- emollient
-
19
Macrocystis Pyrifera (Kelp) Extract
- botanical extract
-
20
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
General function
Argan oil. A medium-weight oil used for shine and softness on the outside of the strand.
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 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.
- oil
- emollient
-
21
Glycerin
General function
Glycerin, also called glycerol, attracts moisture and mixes completely with water.
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.
Scientific ReportsMay suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairHigh-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 hairBinds 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 hairWater 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.
- humectant
-
22
Sodium Chloride
· Sea Salt/Maris Sal/Sel marin
- salt
- thickener
-
23
Charcoal Powder
General function
Activated charcoal, used to absorb oil and for a clarifying claim. It also tints the product black.
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 suitFine or easily flattened hairA dry powder takes up oil and adds friction between strands, which is most of what root lift in fine hair actually is.
- absorbent
- powder
-
24
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
General function
A UV filter added to protect the product's colour and, in leave-ins, to slow colour fade.
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 suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hairSunlight oxidises hair pigment, and on gray, silver or lightened hair that shows up as yellowing. A UV filter on the label absorbs some of the light that drives it.
- UV filter
-
25
Polyacrylamide
General function
A thickening polymer that also leaves a light film, used in gels and styling creams.
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 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.
- film former
- polymer
- thickener
-
26
C13-14 Isoparaffin
General function
A light carrier used to spread silicones and polymers thinly.
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
- solvent
-
27
Laureth-7
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
28
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
29
Citronellol
General function
A rose-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
-
30
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
-
31
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
- preservative
What the whole list adds up to
- 8 emollients
- 5 botanical extracts
- 3 thickeners
- 3 film formers
- 3 emulsifiers
- 3 oils
- 3 fragrances
- 2 solvents
- 2 humectants
- 2 sealants
- 2 polymers
- 2 solubilizers
- 2 preservatives
- 2 named fragrance allergens
Ingredient list captured 2026-10-08. 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 $5 line; products that do this job typically go for about $16 at this size.
Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it2 listings · 2 stores
-
CVS Pharmacy
$16.993 oz · $5.66/ozOct 12Lowest per oz
-
Sun Bum (sunbum.com)
$16.993 oz · $5.66/ozOct 11
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 $16.99 is the price we have observed for the 3 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
- Good value under $5 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $1.66/oz; at 3 oz that is $5. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
- About $16 is what those same products typically cost at this size: the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 3 oz.
Formula
The formula carries the systems a paste is built around, and it sits in the middle of the range for pastes per ounce.
How the score is counted
- 3 products we score as doing the same job cost less per ounce
- Costs less per ounce than 67% of the 197 pastes we’ve priced
- Covers 6 of the 6 things a paste should do
- Reviewers mention 2 things they like about how it performs
- 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
- Curly method
- Rich
- Silicone-free
- Function
- Also
- Curly method
- Rich
- Silicone-free
- 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 craves moisture who want moisture that stays in and a curly-method-compatible formula
Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, oily scalps and fine hair, or very dry or very humid climates
ORS Curlshow Chic Style Curl Pudding, 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.
Reviewers
What people report
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.
Several reviewers say it adds texture and body without weighing hair down or leaving it greasy.
Reviewers with fine or straight hairMany reviewers say the beachy scent is the standout reason they keep using it.
Reviewers across hair typesHold splits reviewers: some find it lasts all day, while others say it needs frequent reapplying or barely holds.
Reviewers across hair types, with results depending on how much product they useMore from Sun Bum
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.
- 5 sources consulted for this product (3 manufacturer or regulatory, 1 retailer, 1 editorial), last checked 2026-10-31.
- Ingredient references are linked for 10 of 17 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 2026-10-12.
