Wella

EIMI Extra Volume Mousse Strong Hold Volumizing Mousse

Styler / Mousse, strong-hold

Styler
mousse
aerosol
Sulfate-free
Silicone-free
Protein-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed

Size10.1 fl oz

Price$11.25seen at one store · 10.1 oz

Price / oz$1.11/ozat 10.1 oz

Where to buy2 stores · $11.25–22.50

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

Is this right for you?

Factor Your profile Fit

Best for hair types All types Not in your profile

Moisture level Moderate Not in your profile

Hold (as stated) Strong Not in your profile

Slip / detangling High Not in your profile

Weight on hair Light Not in your profile

Fragrance Prominent Not in your profile

Protein None Not in your profile

Silicone / wax buildup None Not in your profile

Clarifying wash needed Low Not in your profile

Parabens / preservatives Present Not in your profile

Show all 22 factors we check

The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.

Essential oils None listed Not in your profile

Fast-drying alcohol None Not in your profile

Vegan / cruelty-free Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed Not in your profile

Animal-derived ingredients Not yet verified Not in your profile

Aerosol can Pressurised can Not in your profile

Needs heat to set Not determined Not in your profile

Heavy humectants Not heavy Not in your profile

Hard-water defence High Not in your profile

UV filter None listed Not in your profile

Ingredient list 11 ingredientsA short list Not in your profile

Price tier Masstige Not in your profile

Where to buy it UltaOne channel Not in your profile

The consultation builds your hair profile, then reads every factor in this table against it — and tells you where this product fits, or what to use instead.

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Lower cost than most mousses

$1.11/oz at 10.1 oz — less than 85% of the 138 mousses , which mostly run $1.54–4.12/oz. The cost less.

Price and stores

Great for

Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added

Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet

Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones

Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together

Fine hairthat flattens under most products

Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list

Maybe skip if

this product carries a scent

Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm

Soft, touchable finishesthe brand states a firm hold

Aerosol avoidancethis is a pressurised can

Vegan and cruelty-freeour record does not support both claims here

Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only

Whether this hold level is right for you depends on your density, porosity, and how long your style has to last — that is what the consultation works out.

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.

Hold (as stated) Strong

A strong hold, as stated by the brand.

Hold system Synthetic polymer

Synthetic hold polymers — the firmest of the hold systems.

Cast risk Likely

Film formers without much softening them — expect a cast to scrunch out.

Weight on the hair Light

Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair.

Oil absorption None

No absorbent powders or starches.

Oils and butters None

No oils or butters in the list.

Fast-drying alcohol None

No fast-drying alcohol in the list.

Needs detergent to remove No

Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.

Fragrance Prominent

Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula.

from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.

Ingredients that matter

The ingredients that change a decision

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
Water	solvent	The base everything else is dissolved in	Neutral
Isobutane	propellant	Pushes the product out of the can	Neutral
Propane	propellant	Pushes the product out of the can	Neutral
Polyquaternium-11	film former	Lays down the film that holds a shape	Detangles
Phenoxyethanol	preservative	Keeps the product from spoiling	Stabilizes
Panthenol	humectant	Adds a little water-binding	Detangles
Laureth-4	emulsifier	Stabilises the mix	Stabilizes
Fragrance	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance

What the list leaves out, and what it carriesThe list carries no sulfates, silicones, or drying alcohols. No protein — a moisture formula, not a repair one. Fragrance is on the label. This is a pressurised can.

Full ingredient list (11)

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.

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 Isobutane

General function
A pressurised gas that pushes an aerosol out of the can and evaporates on contact.

Leading ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChem
- propellant
3 Propane

General function
An aerosol propellant, usually blended with butane to set the spray pressure.

Leading ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChem
- propellant
4 Polyquaternium-11

General function
A styling and conditioning polymer that adds light hold and shine, common in mousses and setting sprays.

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

May suitCurls or waves needing flexible hold
Cationic polymers hold a curl loosely and stay soft, which is why they turn up in definition products rather than firm-hold ones.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
A cationic polymer stays on the hair through rinsing, which is what keeps static and combing friction down after the wash.

May suitMaximum-hold styling
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
- film former
- polymer
- conditioning agent
▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
5 Phenoxyethanol

General function
The most common modern preservative; it keeps the product free of bacteria and mould. It sits well below 1% of 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.
PubChem
- preservative
6 Panthenol

General function
Provitamin B5. It draws in water and penetrates the strand a little, which is why it is the standard ingredient for softness and shine claims.

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 suitFine or easily flattened hair
It hydrates without adding oil or a film, which is the combination fine hair usually needs.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
A humectant that also penetrates the cuticle, so it holds water inside the strand rather than only on the surface.

PubChem
- humectant
- conditioning agent
- vitamin
7 Laureth-4

General function
An oil-side emulsifier that helps a cream hold together.

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.
- emulsifier
8 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
9 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
10 Methylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
11 Cetrimonium Chloride

General function
A quick-acting conditioning agent that reduces static and combing force. It also helps keep the formula stable.

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 suitFine or easily flattened hair
The C16 quat binds mostly by charge rather than by chain, so it deposits measurably less than the C22 ones. Less deposit is less conditioning and also less weight, which is usually the trade fine hair wants.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.

DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines
Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.

International Journal of Cosmetic Science
- conditioning agent
- cleanser

What the whole list adds up to

2 propellants
2 conditioning agents
2 preservatives
1 solvent
1 film former
1 polymer
1 humectant
1 conditioning agent
1 vitamin
1 emulsifier
1 fragrance
1 declared fragrance
1 hard-water chelator
1 paraben

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

Price · 10.1 oz

Seen at $11.25 1 store · checked Sep 5

Good value under $9 Under $0.94/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 8 products we score as doing the same job

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 $14 at this size.

Show the price ladder

Price for 10.1 ozlower is better

Where we’ve seen it3 listings · 2 stores

10.1 ozmost listedBest per ounce

United Salon Supplies
$11.25

10.1 oz · $1.11/oz

Sep 5Lowest per ozSale · was $22.50
Ulta
$22.50

10.1 oz · $2.23/oz

Aug 27

Ulta
$22.50

Aug 25

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

10.1 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 $11.25 is the price we have observed for the 10.1 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
Good value under $9 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $0.94/oz; at 10.1 oz that is $9. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
About $14 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 10.1 oz.

Formula

Formula score

7 of 10

Not the most complete mouss formula we have read, but it is under most of the range for mousses per ounce.

How the score is counted

2 products that do the same job cost less per ounce
Costs less per ounce than 85% of the 138 mousses we’ve priced
No softeners alongside the hold in the formula
Masstige tier, sold at Ulta

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 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.

Herbal EssencesLowest cost per oz Curl Boosting Mousse for Frizzy Hair $0.73/oz $0.38/oz less

Protein-free
Curly method
Lightweight

· Same function

Differs: Cruelty-free
Value tier

Compare

AussieSame function Instant Volume Mousse $0.83/oz $0.28/oz less

Protein-free
Curly method
Lightweight

Differs: Cruelty-free
Value tier

Compare

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

Should you buy it?

A solid pick for the hair it suits

Best user

Hair that stiffens on protein — for a protein-free formula and real detangling slip

Biggest tradeoff

Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance, anyone who will not scrunch out a cast, or anyone who wants a soft, touchable finish

Best alternative if not

Herbal Essences Curl Boosting Mousse for Frizzy Hair — 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

What the brand says, against what the formula shows

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.

SupportedBacked by ingredients

Partly supportedSome supporting logic

Stated by brandNo clear evidence

Potential conflictFormula works against claim

Head-turning volume and perfect body

It reads light on the strand, which is what volume claims depend on.

Polyquaternium-11

Supported

Leaves room for lift.

Helps protect hair against dehydration whilst blow drying

Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.

Panthenol

Supported

Helps hair feel hydrated.

How to read this

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.

How this page was made

Everything above is generated from our researched product record — identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. No part of this page is written per 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, 2 retailer, 0 editorial), last checked 2026-09-05.
Ingredient references are linked for 3 of 5 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are conditional formulation guidance, not a conclusion about the finished product or about you.
We have not tested this product in a lab and we do not physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list; behaviour claims are labelled as the brand's.
Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice.
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 v22. Record last updated 2026-09-05.