On it — great ingredient list, lots to work with here. Writing now. SEO Page Title Imperial Barber Matte Pomade Paste | Light-Medium Hold Natural Finish Hair Paste | MASC SEO Meta Description Imperial Barber Matte Pomade Paste. Light-medium hold, zero shine, natural finish. Plant-based ingredients strengthen & volumise. Shop at MASC - Canada's grooming destination. Description Imperial Barber Products grew out of decades of hands-on barbershop experience - a team that has spent careers behind the chair understanding what products actually need to do, not just what they say on the label. Every formula in the lineup was developed with that same craft-first mentality: cosmetic-grade ingredients, real-world testing, and a genuine focus on utility over gimmick. Matte Pomade Paste is a perfect example of that philosophy in action.
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Hold: Light-Medium (4/10)
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Finish: Matte (0/10 shine)
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Base: Wax-based (water-soluble)
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Scent: Clean and subtle
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Best For: Fine to medium hair; loose, messy, and bed-head styles; groomed business looks; anyone who wants zero shine with natural-looking texture and control
Matte Pomade Paste is Imperial's most natural-looking finish product - the one you reach for when you want your hair to look like it's just doing its thing rather than being styled. The light-to-medium hold gives enough structure to keep a style in place without weighing the hair down or leaving it feeling coated, and the zero-shine matte finish means what you see is just your hair at its best, no gloss or polish in sight.
What makes this one stand out from a standard matte paste is the ingredient story behind it. Carnauba Wax provides the flexible hold backbone alongside Ozokerite Wax, while a botanical complex of Green Tea Extract, Bamboo Extract, Horsetail Extract, and Organic Rice Syrup works to strengthen, protect, and volumize the hair over time. Squalane and Glycerin keep moisture locked in so the hair doesn't feel dry or stripped underneath the hold, and Tocopherol (Vitamin E) adds antioxidant protection to keep hair healthy with daily use. Applied to dry hair it delivers a loose, piecey, effortless look; applied to damp hair and combed through it gives a cleaner, more controlled result that still reads as completely natural.
Who's It For
Matte Pomade Paste is ideal for fine or thinner hair that gets weighed down easily by heavier products, and for anyone who wants texture and definition without any shine whatsoever. It covers a wide stylistic range - from genuinely messy bed-head looks to clean, groomed business styles - making it one of the more versatile options in the Imperial lineup for everyday wear. If you need more hold with the same natural aesthetic, stepping up to Classic Pomade on dry hair gets you closer to that territory. For high shine with a similar level of hold, Fiber Pomade is the natural alternative.
Key Benefits
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Light-to-medium hold (4/10) that keeps styles looking natural and effortless - Carnauba Wax and Ozokerite Wax provide a flexible, buildable hold structure that controls without stiffening.
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True zero-shine matte finish (0/10) means the result looks entirely like your own hair - no gloss, no polish, no giveaway that there's product in it.
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Green Tea Extract (Camellia Oleifera) protects hair from environmental damage including UV exposure and free radicals, making this a smart daily-use product for anyone regularly outdoors.
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Bamboo Extract and Horsetail Extract work together to strengthen existing hair strands and support scalp health, contributing to thicker, more resilient hair over time with consistent use.
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Organic Rice Syrup adds natural volume and body to the hair, making it particularly effective for fine or thinner hair that needs a lift without weight.
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Squalane deeply conditions and moisturises the hair shaft, keeping strands soft and healthy underneath the hold so the hair never feels dry or brittle.
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Glycerin draws moisture into the hair and locks it in, maintaining hydration throughout the day and preventing the dryness that some matte formulas can cause.
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Tocopherol (Vitamin E) provides antioxidant protection that guards the hair against daily environmental stressors, supporting long-term hair health with regular use.
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Applies lightly and dries naturally without residue or heaviness - the formula genuinely doesn't weigh fine hair down.
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Works on both dry and damp hair with noticeably different results - dry for loose and piecey, damp and combed for clean and controlled.
- Vegan-friendly, paraben-free, and not tested on animals.
How To Use
Scoop out one knuckle's worth and rub between your palms until evenly distributed and slightly warm. For a loose, messy, effortless look, apply to dry hair and work through with your fingertips - don't over-distribute, as a little unevenness adds to the natural result. For a cleaner, more controlled no-shine look, apply to towel-dried damp hair instead and style through with a comb. Build hold gradually by starting with less product and adding more if needed - this formula is lighter than it looks and a little goes a long way on finer hair.
Why MASC Recommends This
Matte Pomade Paste is the product for anyone who wants to look put-together without looking like they tried. The zero-shine finish is genuinely natural rather than flat or dull, and the botanical ingredient list - Green Tea, Bamboo, Horsetail, Rice Syrup - does real work on hair health over time rather than just sitting there. It's also one of the most forgiving products in the Imperial range, covering everything from a deliberately messy Saturday look to a clean business style without skipping a beat. If you've been avoiding styling products because everything feels too heavy or too shiny, start here.
