Acca Kappa 1869 **New Formulation in the Tub**

I have used Acca Kappa for the past 4 days. Short and simple, I love this stuff. Here are my particular comments:

Price, I give it a 9. At $20.00 for 6.7 oz of cream, this is a very fair price. Compares favorably to T&H and Trumper's which are both more expensive. It seems as if this tub will last a long time, even with daily use.

Quality: Excellent. It just seems like a well thought blend of quality ingredients, and not something that was just put together with little thought.

Scent: I give it a 5. It smells like sweet almonds. I don't really worry too much about scent from my shave cream/soap. It is pleasant enough for its purposes.

Latherability: 10. I have very hard water, and I face lather. This whips up into a beautiful, stable lather with little effort. The lather holds well during the shave, and does not dry out. I do dip my brush in my mug from time to time, which seems to help a great deal.

Efficacy: 10. It gives a great shave. Tremendous glide and cushion-what more can you ask from a cream?

Mositurizing: I give it a 7. Not the most moisturizing, but does not dry the skin. I use ASB after every shave, so not an item of concern for me.

Packaging. Nice plastic tub with that seems sturdy enough for its intended use. Looks nice in the den.

At the end of the day, for me it's all about the shave. Things like scent, moisturizing and packaging are just not that important. Based upon its ability to deliver a great shave, this is a 10 product. I have used the 3 T's, Musgo, Provence Sante' Institut Karit, and a host of other soaps and creams. Right now, in terms of shaving performance only, it is the best soap/cream I have used.

I also have to give a big shout out to Marco, who is the person that brought this outstanding product to my attention, so thanks, Marco!

I probably should start by making it clear that this is a review of the AK1869 tub NOT the tube.

Price Here in NZ there isn't a wide selection of products available in local shops so I buy online. I thought that the price was reasonable for what I expected to be a good quality product; I wasn't disappointed.

Quality Excellent! This is a well presented, good quality shaving cream. The ingredients used combine to produce an excellent cream.

Scent I've not experienced many almond fragranced creams. I wasn't taken with Cella but I do like this one. The scent in the tub is pleasant but it just explodes once lathered.

Latherability Magnificent! I soak my brush whilst showering, then squeeze it to remove most of the water. I swirl the brush around the tub, about three times is enough to load the brush, and set to bowl lathering. With a few drops of water the lather just builds up, giving me more than enough to properly lather my face with three passes.

Efficacy Really good. Feels great shaving, gives enough cushioning and lubrication to the blade and softens the whiskers.

Moisturising Properties Again we have a winner! My face still feels soft and smooth several hours after shaving and I don't use any sort of balm or lotion, just a good splash of AS.

Packaging The bowl looks modern and sits nicely on my bathroom shelf. There is a second inner lid, something I've also found with SMN's cream and Pre Shave Lotion. This adds to the sense of quality.

I used AK1869 two days running, the last shave of 7 for that blade on the first day and a fresh blade on the second day. The shave was superlative on both days.

Price: I paid $20 for a tub of roughly 7oz of cream. On a price/oz basis that is really on the low side.

Quality: Acca Kappa is definitely a high quality shaving cream that is one of the few shaving creams that contains both lanolin and shea butter.

Scent: Classic italian almond scent. Personally I love it, but I love the scent of all italian soaps and creams.

Latherability: Doesn't take much and this stuff explodes in lather providing plenty of cushion and slickness.

Efficacy: One of the best shaving creams there is on the market.

Moisturizing: Since it contains shea butter and lanolin it has great moisturizing properties and leaves my skin feeling great.

Packaging: Something to be desired here - just a plastic tub with a sticker on it. But since this cream only costs $20 - I would rather keep the price low as I'm sure a fancy bowl like AdP would significantly increase the cost.

very nice review ! one day I will try this one

"I think there is a bit of confusion regarding the Acca Kappa 1869 shaving creams. Acca Kappa is currently offering two completely different shaving creams. The first one is the old formulation in the tube, the second one is the new formulation in the bowl or tub. I think this is a unique case. All other brands offer the same product in different packages. This time we have two different shaving creams housed in two different packages and with the same name: “Acca Kappa 1869”. The new formulation is the one with lanolin and shea butter about which I posted an initial write up called “*NEW* Acca Kappa 1869” in the shaving cream review section, and the product that most B&B members seem to like. So please take this info in consideration, in order to avoid purchasing the wrong shaving cream and to avoid posting your review in the wrong place."


Acca Kappa 1869. Two words and one date that sum up the history of one of the greatest Italian companies, specialized in manufacturing fine quality bath and beauty care products. Acca Kappa are, in fact, the two initials for Hermann Krull, the founder of the factory (“H” in Italian is read “Acca”, “K” is read “Kappa”) and 1869 is the exact date in which this firm was established. Hermann Krull was a young German merchant from Prussia, who, after spending a period of time in north Italy, chose Treviso (north east Italy, close to Venice) as the right place where to set his plant, since here he had all the raw materials needed, coming directly from the Orient. German precision and Italian mastery married together to give life to a terrific mix of superior quality, true refinement and pure luxury. This is the proper description of Acca Kappa, which has always been a family business, proudly handed down by father to son, for over 140 years. Between the 1920’s and 1960’s AK became famous abroad for the incredible quality of its hairbrushes, that were universally recognised as the finest in the World. In the last fifty years the company has strongly rebuilt and strenghtened the Acca Kappa trademark and gradually widened the range of products offered, including top shelf soaps, creams, balms, colognes and lotions. One of the greatest novelties introduced in the 2008/2009 catalogue is the *NEW* Acca Kappa 1869 shaving cream. This amazing cream is, let me repeat it again, a brand new item, completely different in formulation from the traditional AK 1869 shaving cream in the 125 ml tube. And I have tested it only in the last two weeks, after receiving it as a present for my birthday. The old 1869 shaving cream, still produced and available on the market, is a good cream that works well, but, honestly, nothing that has ever stolen my heart. The new 1869 is a much, much, much better product. I am really impressed with the new Acca Kappa shaving cream, which is easily comparable, in quality and performance, to the very best Italian classics, like Cella, Valobra, P.160 or SMN.
This gorgeous gem comes in a large 200 ml plastic bowl and is priced, here in Italy, around € 15, which I consider a very reasonable price for a top notch cream. Its scent is a sweet, strong, traditional Almond fragrance that sticks around during the entire shaving process. The perfume of the new 1869 cream reminds me of the scent of Cella, which I consider an added bonus. The way it allows to shave is, again, simply spectacular. The reason? Just give a look at the ingredients list… Glycerin, coconut oil, lanolin and shea butter create a unique, natural and powerful mix that generates an incredibly good, dense, thick lather. The new AK 1869 cream is also very easy to work and, therefore, indicated even for the most inexperienced wet shaver. You only need a few swirls of your brush and in a few seconds you create mounds of super slick, super rich, super moisturizing lather. My face after the shave feels wonderfully soft, smooth and clean. This outstanding shaving cream has deserved a lifetime spot in my rotation. New Acca Kappa 1869, Italian quality at its best.


Discussion thread HERE

I was surprised how little AK gets any buzz; it isn't the easiest to find unless you go to a AK boutique or online vendors have it in stock. The normal shaving members in the states don't stock it but I think there are a few across the pond that do. I've really narrowed my creams down since I'm a soaps person and even then it is thinned because I've "been around the block" and know what works for me. If the software doesn't contain lanolin or tallow their welcome is officially worn out.

Price:10
I picked up my first tub at the boutique in Vegas at the Venetian months ago for about ~$34. I balked a bit at the price there but I really fell in love with the scent but also I rolled a pretty good "heater" so my wife and I got some goodies. After using it for a few months I knew this was a keeper so I looked for it online and found it from a Amazon vendor for $20 with free shipping. I picked up 3 more tubs so along with my abundance of inventory of a short rotation of products I'm stocked up if there should be any reformulation. It also comes in a 6.7 oz. tub so this is a no brainer.

Quality: 10
Are you kidding? After the first use I couldn't wait to get home after work to see what the ingredients were and came to see lanolin and karite butter! I nearly fell over because I also like IK very much but both of these. The consistency is equal to Castle Forbes, dense and should last a very long time.

Scent: 10
This is going to be the area where it may lose some folks. Unlike the original poster of the review I didn't catch any Dior Fahrenheit. It smells mirrored image to Cella but sweeter, a very nice almond scent. I love it!!! I've come to enjoy this scent since it 1. doesn't last 2. smells great 3. it has a short lifespan which is excellent because I don't care for many scents in my creams or soaps besides soapy or clean fragrance.

Latherability:10
Like many lanolin and shea products I have and used this like water. I load my brush like a soap and twirl a few times to load the brush. Swirl as normal, adding little water at a time until you get the ratio down. Once it peaks it explodes into a lather bomb, creamy and slick.

Efficiency: 10
Since it is dense it lasts a long time and doesn't take much to use for a 3-4 pass shave. It comes in a 6.7 oz. container, huge. Larger than most creams.

Moisturizing:10
Pfff, please. Lanolin and Shea...nuff said. But I'll say a little more, face feels soft and supple. Never an issue with redness or dryness but I hardly ever have. There are some other nice ingredients like glycerine and cocoa.

Packaging: 10
The tub not tube is plastic, nothing fancy but it scores a 10 because of the color. The label is very lovely and better than most creams I've ran into. It has a great nostalgic feel because it seems a little rustic.

This and Musgo Real are the only creams I have extras of in my bathroom and has become the best cream I've used. The AK sales person in Vegas told me that the main folks at AK don't seem to push it as much as the soap with the bowl so my fear is of this being reformulated or cut out in the future.

I added a few pics but now realize I should have used another lather bowl other than white.