The DeLuxe Shaving Company is a small family run business based in Toronto. Their shaving soaps are hand made by a local Canadian artisan in small batches using very simple ingredients. Like B&M and CFG, their scents are unique and nowhere near traditional.
I'll be reviewing all three DeLuxe Shaving soaps. Since they all use the same soap base, all comments except scent apply to all soaps.
Packaging: DeLuxe Shaving soaps come in a relatively standard 4" plastic tub with a screw-on lid, which makes stacking with other artisan soaps like B&M, MLS and CFG neat and tidy. The tubs are not filled to the top, perfect for loading. The labels are very cool looking - minimalistic and classy.
Lather: Lathers very easily, not a very thirsty soap like many of the other artisan products. Slickness is perfect; I tried shaving a third pass ATG with a very thin layer of lather and the residual slickness was still there to avoid irritation. This is a good, solid soap. Note that I have water that's classified as "very hard" by my city, and don't use citric acid and/or distilled water to shave - just what comes out of the tap.
Price: A 4oz tub of soap costs US$15.56 ($3.89/oz), which puts the price right in the sweet spot among current artisan offerings. Note that you can buy a combo of Mods and Rockers and get a few bucks off, but I don't know how long that will last.
Ingredients: I much prefer soaps that have short, natural, easy to pronounce ingredients, and DeLuxe Shaving does not disappoint. The ingredients list is short and sweet: Stearic Acid; Tallow; Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil; Aqua (Water/Eau); Potassium Hydroxide; Ricinus Communis (Caster Seed) Oil; Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter); Lanolin; Fragrance (Parfum); Silk Fibres
Scents: I like all three. Mods is a cologne with character, and does indeed go well with Pinaud Clubman. Rockers is a sweet leather, but I found the sweetness to overpower the leather. Thats just me I worked in a leather factory for 10 years during my days as a student, and leather is a scent that brings back good memories. Lucky 13 is the oddball. I really like it and cant explain why. Its both weird and wonderful. From the descriptions, I thought Rockers would be my favorite, but Lucky 13 wins out.
Scent Strength: I find all three scents weaker than I prefer, but for most people, the strength is probably bang on; midway between weak and moderate. Even the Lucky 13, which the website says is a strong scent, seemed weak to me. Anthony at DeLuxe Shaving replied to me saying that they "really increased the strength of Mods in the next batch" which is being currently being manufactured.
TL;DR: I'm happy there's another Canadian soap maker on the scene. A month ago, I discovered Henri et Victoria, and now DeLuxe Shaving. The performance is there, the scents are interesting and off the beaten path, and I'll definitely be a customer once they up the scent strength a bit.
I'll be reviewing all three DeLuxe Shaving soaps. Since they all use the same soap base, all comments except scent apply to all soaps.
- Mods -- a refined and sophisticated woody aromatic cologne scent patterned after Burberry Men cologne. Notes of Bergamot, Mint, Lavender, Sandalwood, Jasmine, Cedar, Musk and Vanilla.
- Rockers -- a sweet and dirty scent patterned after Tom Fords Tuscan Leather cologne. Notes of Raspberry, Lemon, Tanned Leather, Fresh Muddy Dirt, Moist Mossy Notes, Tahitian Vanilla and Tropical Flowers.
- Lucky 13 -- a mystical, warm and comforting scent, perfect for cool autumn and winter mornings. Warm notes of incense, amber, vanilla and patchouli, with floral notes of rose, jasmine and lilac to lighten the scent, and aromatic notes of blood orange and grapefruit to provide a hint of sweetness.
Packaging: DeLuxe Shaving soaps come in a relatively standard 4" plastic tub with a screw-on lid, which makes stacking with other artisan soaps like B&M, MLS and CFG neat and tidy. The tubs are not filled to the top, perfect for loading. The labels are very cool looking - minimalistic and classy.
Lather: Lathers very easily, not a very thirsty soap like many of the other artisan products. Slickness is perfect; I tried shaving a third pass ATG with a very thin layer of lather and the residual slickness was still there to avoid irritation. This is a good, solid soap. Note that I have water that's classified as "very hard" by my city, and don't use citric acid and/or distilled water to shave - just what comes out of the tap.
Price: A 4oz tub of soap costs US$15.56 ($3.89/oz), which puts the price right in the sweet spot among current artisan offerings. Note that you can buy a combo of Mods and Rockers and get a few bucks off, but I don't know how long that will last.
Ingredients: I much prefer soaps that have short, natural, easy to pronounce ingredients, and DeLuxe Shaving does not disappoint. The ingredients list is short and sweet: Stearic Acid; Tallow; Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil; Aqua (Water/Eau); Potassium Hydroxide; Ricinus Communis (Caster Seed) Oil; Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter); Lanolin; Fragrance (Parfum); Silk Fibres
Scents: I like all three. Mods is a cologne with character, and does indeed go well with Pinaud Clubman. Rockers is a sweet leather, but I found the sweetness to overpower the leather. Thats just me I worked in a leather factory for 10 years during my days as a student, and leather is a scent that brings back good memories. Lucky 13 is the oddball. I really like it and cant explain why. Its both weird and wonderful. From the descriptions, I thought Rockers would be my favorite, but Lucky 13 wins out.
Scent Strength: I find all three scents weaker than I prefer, but for most people, the strength is probably bang on; midway between weak and moderate. Even the Lucky 13, which the website says is a strong scent, seemed weak to me. Anthony at DeLuxe Shaving replied to me saying that they "really increased the strength of Mods in the next batch" which is being currently being manufactured.
TL;DR: I'm happy there's another Canadian soap maker on the scene. A month ago, I discovered Henri et Victoria, and now DeLuxe Shaving. The performance is there, the scents are interesting and off the beaten path, and I'll definitely be a customer once they up the scent strength a bit.
