Are Artisan Products Better Than Drugstore Ones?

[Frank Shaves]

There are definitely good drugstore brands, but you need to be selective. But that applies to artisan products too. Drugstore products can be a good way to find out about things like what fragrances do you like, the difference between cream and soap, etc., especially if you include ordering European drugstore products online.

That said, I would say that artisan products often have cleaner ingredient lists, if that is important to you.


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[Noodles]

I can get many excellent products at local brick and mortar stores. So, I could get by without artisan, which I don’t use that often anyway.

 

[never-stop-learning]

Sorry if this has been discussed already, but artisan products are all the rage in the wet shaving community ( atleast going by what i see on social media ). It’s almost like more people use them instead of drugstore products, which i’m sure isn’t actually true, but it just goes on to show the market size and impact of artisan products.

I prefer using drugstore products personally, because they’re cheaper in most cases, tend to be more easily available and lastly and perhaps most importantly, there isn’t a huge difference in quality from what i’ve noticed. The only thing that they appear to beat drugstore products consistently on is packaging, which is very impressive to say the least. The fact that drugstore products have been around longer and carry much more nostalgic value for me is also something that makes me pick them.

Do you guys feel or the same way? Or do you feel that artisan products really do offer superior quality, justifying their higher prices?


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It depends.

I enjoy using artisnal products. I also enjoy drugstore splashes like Pinaus Clubman, Brut, Aqua Velva, Old Spice and the like.

Not much to choose from in the soap arena in my local drug stores so I buy online and use both artisnal and mass produced.

 

[md1234]

I love the artisan stuff like B&M, DG, Stirling and many others but have been using more of the traditional soaps lately... Cremo, Proraso, Nivea, Arko, Williams Mug, Pre de Provence, St James of London, etc.

There is a place for both IMO but I have no problem finding excellent products at Walmart or Shoppers Drug Mart (Canada).

In my neck of the woods Jean Coutu also has some good stuff!

 

[Boogley12]

It’s interesting to read what is available in American drugstores compared to the uk high street pharmacies nowadays.

our choice is very very limited mainly canned goo and the odd tub of Wilkinson sword soap. Spoilt for choice is not exactly something that springs to mind.

For me, it comes down to what do I feel like buying and how quickly do I actually want it.

A lot of the artisan products you guys enjoy are not easy to get over here
I tend to favour the more artisan “type” products because I have to wait I prefer to choose what I fancy at any given time

Supply really limits high street options

 

[Shawn1]

I’m happy with my can of Gillette Barbershop Fresh and bottle of Brut.

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

I went into my local Walgreens about ten years ago. I unscrewed the caps on Brute, Old Spice, and Skin Bracer and gave them a sniff. Each one caused me to wince as I inhaled. So I went home and came up with an aftershave that I did like. So I like what the drug store offers but for a different reason.

True story.

 

[kingfisher]

I much prefer artisan products, both for the shave and for the aftershave.

 

[cryhavoc]

It depends on where you live. The only shave soap I can get in a drug store near me is Williams so for me artisan is better when it comes to soaps. However, I get Aqua Vela, Skin Bracer, Old Spice and Pinaud Clubman in my drugstores and I like them better than most artisan aftershaves.

 

[pdillon]

The artisan soaps I have tried (as of now Barrister & Mann and Declaration Grooming) set a very high bar. Indeed I think some of the artisan soaps out there are setting the standard for top-notch performance. More importantly for their popularity they are dead simple to lather.

So I think, like with most things, you are going to pay a premium to get the best and you can find great value elsewhere.

 

[Badgerstate36]

I say that it really depends whats available at your local drug store. If you can find something like Proraso at your local drug store, then Id say theres really no difference from drugstore to artisan.
Theres a great many mass market products that are just as good as anything artisan and theres even things like Gillette Pure and King C Gillette shave gel, as well as some Van Der Hager shave gels and other similar products from other mass market companies that work quite well also.

 

[Noodles]

I can get many excellent products at local brick and mortar stores. So, I could get by without artisan, which I don’t use that often anyway.

Pleased to report, after an afternoon trip to my local Italian supermarket, that they are now carrying Proraso red Soap in the super formula. That is a non-artisan I could be happy with for high value shaves. $7 CAD. Now, if they would carry the red splash!

 

[pdillon]

If you can find something like Proraso at your local drug store, then Id say theres really no difference from drugstore to artisan.

To me the difference between Proraso (at least Proraso green soap) and the artisans I have used is night and day. Artisans outperform Proraso easily. I have a soft spot for Proraso green as it was my first soap. I love the fragrance and face feel. I used a tub exclusively this summer (no other soaps) so I really tried to dial it in. Ironically Marco's Method works so much better for DG Original than Proraso. I will not buy Proraso again. Instead I would look for an artisan based soap inspired by Proraso. Maybe something like Noble Otter Northern Elixir.