Forming Cream

The Forming Cream is for the man who has graduated from whatever aerosol disaster he was using at 22 and wants something that looks like hair rather than a helmet. Specifically: medium-length to longer styles, textured cuts, modern quiffs, side parts, anything where you want definition without the crispy finish that announces 'I used product' from across the room. If your barber has been quietly judging your drugstore gel habit, this is the redemption arc.

What it actually does is deliver a pliable, medium-hold cream that gives hair a natural, low-shine finish — closer to matte than glossy, which is where most men's styling has been heading since roughly 2018 when the wet-look pomade finally had its cultural funeral. The water-soluble formula means it washes out cleanly, which sounds basic until you've spent three shampoos trying to remove a wax. It spreads easily through damp or dry hair, doesn't pill, and doesn't leave that chalky residue that plagues some paste-adjacent products. It also reworks reasonably well throughout the day, which is more than you can say for anything with strong polymer content.

Performance-wise: hold is honest medium — don't buy this expecting to sculpt a quiff that survives a headwind. Think 6/10 hold, 4/10 shine. Longevity runs about 6-8 hours before it starts to relax, which is adequate for an office day and a disappointment if you're going directly from work to something that requires looking intentional. Compared to Baxter of California's Pomade (around $22, slightly shinier, less reworkable) or American Crew Fiber (similar price, stiffer finish, drier feel), the Imperial sits comfortably in the same tier without obviously losing. Against Uppercut Deluxe Matt Clay at around $25, it's a near wash — Uppercut has marginally better hold but the Imperial is easier to distribute and better on fine hair. Against Hanz de Fuko Claymation at $28, the Imperial loses on hold but wins on feel and value by a clear margin.

At $17-19 for 6oz (170g), the cost-per-use is genuinely strong. Most premium styling products in this space run $22-32 for the same volume and don't deliver proportionally better results. The Imperial is not the most exciting product on the market — there's no dramatic story, no founder who discovered an ancient Moroccan clay ritual, no Goop-adjacent wellness angle to sell you. It is a well-made styling cream from a company that makes products for working barbers, which is possibly the most reliable quality signal in this category.

Jamie's verdict: this isn't a looksmaxxing revelation. You're not going to run a before/after claiming the Forming Cream restructured your facial harmony. What it will do is make your hair look like it was styled by someone who knows what they're doing, which — in a world drowning in 'hair clay for men' products that smell like synthetic fruit and perform like paste from a stationery shop — is quietly significant. It's the product equivalent of a well-fitted white shirt: not interesting, just correct. Buy it.