Goldwell Superego Molding Gum vs. Schwarzkopf OSIS Fiber Gum

Seeing a Goldwell product in Haircare Face-Off is like watching an ex-girlfriend stepping into a boxing ring.  I used to love Goldwell, and even though part of me still loves her, another part of me wants to see her get knocked out.  My issue with Goldwell is that they change their retail product lines so much that it's nearly impossible to keep track of what's still being made and what's been discontinued.  Goldwell Superego Molding Gum is one such product.  Created a few years ago for their now-defunct Trendline line of products, Superego is still sold in just about every Goldwell salon.

Squaring off against Goldwell Superego is a similar styling gum made by another haircare company with German roots, Schwarzkopf's OSIS Fiber Gum.  Let's see which gum can git 'er done!

As always, the scoring will be on a 1-10 scale judging each product's performance, ingredients, sensory appeal, and value. 

Performance: While both products are labeled as gums, OSIS has a noticeably lighter consistency, while the Superego is thicker and somewhat stickier.  This gives Superego an edge when it comes to creating gravity-defying styles.  However, the OSIS Fiber Gum's lighter consistency makes it better-suited for medium-length and longer styles which demand texture.  Both are best applied to dry hair as a finishing product, and both provide a gloss-free matte finish.  The longer the competition goes on, the more I gravitate toward Superego because I can also use it on men's hair.  OSIS, on the other hand, just doesn't have the same ferosity in terms of hold.  Even though I prefer to use OSIS on curly and wavy hair, I'm giving this round to Superego.  Both products lose points though for not being as good as other styling gums or pastes I have used.  (Goldwell Superego:7  OSIS Fiber Gum:6)

Ingredients: Since Goldwell Superego Molding Gum has been discontinued (it's been replaced by Goldwell StyleSign Superego Styling Cream), it's nearly impossible to find the ingredients.  My tube of Superego lacks a listing of ingredients, except for a line that says it's made with Flexshine technology.  As a styling gum, I suspect the ingredients are similar to OSIS, so it most likely contains the same wax, acrylamides, and parabens found in similar products. OSIS Fiber Gum, however, contains honey extract, thus giving it a slight edge in terms of natural ingredients. (OSIS Fiber Gum:6 Goldwell Superego:5)

Sensory Appeal: To be honest, both products smell awful, like something you'd use to caulk around a bathtub.  The main difference is that OSIS comes in a stylish round metal can with a screw-off lid while Superego comes in a tube that looks like toothpaste.  Because Superego's tube is made of soft metal, it began to leak all over the place when the tube began to crease and crack.  The product also gunks up easily around the cap.  OSIS wins this round by looking better and making less of a mess. (OSIS Fiber Gum:6  Goldwell Superego:2)

Value: OSIS Fiber Gum comes in a 3.39 ounce can, while Superego comes in a 2.5 ounce tube.  Superego retails for around 18.95, but since it's been discontinued you can probably find it on many salon clearance racks for a fraction of that price.  OSIS Fiber Gum sells for 14.00 in most salons and online retailers.  Since Schwarzkopf OSIS Fiber Gum is over three dollars cheaper per ounce, this round easily goes to OSIS. (OSIS Fiber Gum:8 Goldwell Superego:5)

And the winner is.....

Schwarzkopf OSIS Fiber Gum, by a healthy margin.  While both products were slightly disappointing, OSIS came out on top because it's not as messy to use as Superego.  I often get asked why I think it's important to grade a product on its container, and this battle proves why packaging is so important.  If a product comes in a leaky tube or bottle and is frustrating and messy to use, it's not going to survive very long on the market.  And this just might be the reason why Goldwell decided to discontinue this product.  (Final Score- OSIS Fiber Gum:26 Goldwell Superego:19)