Brand comparison
Camille Rose vs Kinky-Curly: Which Curl Brand Is Better?
Two highly rated brands for curls and coils. Kinky-Curly has the stronger leave-in; the choice of gel depends on how much definition you want.
| Compared | Camille Rose | Kinky-Curly |
|---|---|---|
| What reviewers think | Mostly positive: Well liked and consistent, but pricey. | Mostly positive: Cult classics. Rising prices. |
| Curl Score | 4.1 Great | 4.3 Great |
| People with an opinion | 45 | 97 |
| Best-liked product | Curl Maker | Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner |
| More promising for | Thick, dry, low-porosity or coily hair that wants hydration and soft definition. | Fine or tangle-prone curls that need slip without weight, and anyone who wants a short, simple ingredient list. |
| Think twice if | Your hair is fine and easily weighed down, you want a firm cast, or you live somewhere humid and want hold that lasts. | You live somewhere humid and need firm hold, your hair is fine and wavy, or you're sensitive to aloe vera or scent. |
Camille Rose and Kinky-Curly are two of the best-rated brands we track. Both have loyal followings among people with curly and coily hair, and both are priced above the drugstore. Kinky-Curly has the higher Curl Score and about twice as many reviewers.
Their gels, Curl Maker and Curling Custard, are often recommended together. We compare them in detail in Curling Custard vs Curl Maker.
The main difference
Leave-in: Kinky-Curly wins clearly. Knot Today is a near-universal favorite for slip and detangling without weight. Camille Rose's Moisture Milk is softer and richer on coils, but thick enough that several reviewers dilute it.
Gel: Curling Custard gives more clumping and definition, but needs diffusing and can frizz in humidity. Curl Maker gives a softer, more hydrated finish with medium hold. A few reviewers report flaking from each.
Fine hair: Kinky-Curly's Knot Today is light enough for fine curls. Camille Rose's thick formulas are heavy on fine hair.
Price and availability: both are expensive. Kinky-Curly's prices keep rising, and it's hard to find outside the US.
Which to choose
Choose Kinky-Curly if your curls tangle easily or are fine, you want clumpy, shiny definition and will diffuse, or you prefer short ingredient lists.
Choose Camille Rose if your hair is thick, dry or low porosity and you want softness and hydration more than definition, and you enjoy a fragrant product.
Skip both if you live somewhere very humid and need firm hold.
The verdict
Buy Knot Today as your leave-in whichever gel you choose. Then pick Curling Custard for definition, or Curl Maker for softness.
Head to head
Each brand's strongest product of each type, by what reviewers say.
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Conditioner and leave-in
Camille Rose
6 positive·3 mixedWonderfully soft on coils and well smelling, but thick enough that several reviewers dilute it.
Best for Thick or coily hair that wants softness
Kinky-Curly
Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner
34 positive·4 mixedA near-universal favourite: a light leave-in with elite slip that detangles without weighing hair down.
Best for Detangling fine or tangle-prone curls without weight
Gel
Camille Rose
8 positive·4 mixed·1 negativeThe favourite: a hydrating, silky gel that most reviewers like, whose medium hold gives out in humidity for some.
Best for Soft, hydrated definition on fine to coily hair, alone or under a stronger gel
Kinky-Curly
22 positive·8 mixed·4 negativeA decade-long holy grail for many, with clumpy, shiny curls, but too heavy or frizzy for some, and pricier every year.
Best for Clumped, shiny definition on curly to coily hair, diffused
Which suits your hair
What reviewers with each kind of hair report.
Fine or wavy hair
Camille Rose
The Curl Maker is the safest bet: a reviewer with fine 2B/3A hair is on her fifth bottle and says one lasts six months or more. The thick, creamy products are riskier.
Try Curl Maker
Kinky-Curly
Knot Today is the safe pick: several reviewers with fine, low-porosity hair call it the only leave-in that doesn't weigh their hair down, and the only conditioner that has ever detangled it. The Custard is riskier.
Thick, dense or coily hair
Camille Rose
This is where the range gets its warmest reviews. A reviewer with type 4 coils says nothing leaves her hair as soft as the Moisture Milk, and a reviewer with 3C/4A hair loves the Curl Maker alone or under a stronger gel, though it flakes on her.
Try Moisture Milk
Kinky-Curly
Reviewers don't single out Kinky-Curly for this.
Strong hold
Camille Rose
The Curl Maker is a medium-hold gel, and reviewers who wanted a crunchy cast or hold through humid weather found it too soft. Its humectants can keep curls flexible or even swollen in humid air.
Kinky-Curly
Reviewers don't single out Kinky-Curly for this.
Humid weather
Camille Rose
Reviewers don't single out Camille Rose for this.
Kinky-Curly
The Custard's moisture is a mixed blessing. One reviewer prefers it for holding through humidity, but others got major halo frizz and curls that lasted a couple of hours, or found it doesn't work in high humidity.
Starting out or on a budget
Camille Rose
Start with the Curl Maker, the most reviewed product and the one most reviewers like. One buys it on sale, and another says it is cheaper than a similar gel depending where you buy it.
Try Curl Maker
Kinky-Curly
Start with Knot Today, the most-reviewed product and the one with almost no complaints beyond its scent. If you want hold, the Custard is the brand's styler: use very little, diffuse rather than air-dry, and know that a few reviewers say recent tubs flake.
Based on what commenters with similar hair reported. Hair varies.
What reviewers like and dislike
Camille Rose
- Praised: Smells that most reviewers enjoy
- Praised: Hydration and a silky finish from the Curl Maker
- Praised: Deep softness on thick and coily hair
- Praised: A solid, consistent brand
- Praised: Thick formulas that can be diluted to last longer
- Complaint: The price, and trouble finding it cheaper
- Complaint: Medium hold that gives out in humidity
- Complaint: Flakes from the Curl Maker, for a few
- Complaint: Hair that felt dry or like straw, for a few
- Complaint: Thick, heavy formulas on fine hair
Kinky-Curly
- Praised: Slip and detangling from Knot Today
- Praised: Light enough for fine hair
- Praised: Clumpy, shiny, hydrated curls from the Custard
- Praised: A little goes a long way
- Praised: Short, simple ingredient lists
- Complaint: The price, which keeps rising
- Complaint: Hard to find in shops and outside the US
- Complaint: Custard frizz or weak hold in humidity
- Complaint: Flaking from recent Custard tubs, for a few
- Complaint: Scents some find too strong