Biotique Bio Palmyra

I bought this cream mainly due to what I read about it here and I'm not disappointed. The price was OK and you do get quite a large tub full, plus you don't need much to get a good lather, so it's good value for money.

The quality of the ingredients themselves appear to be first class, but they can be prone to a bit of separation in warm weather. This is easily remedied by giving the cream a good stirring with a teaspoon or similar and it's as good a new.

The scent is, to me, like the "green apple" scent some shampoos have. This is a bit odd as there is no perfume/parfum listed in the ingredients, so I guess that's a natural fragrance of one or more of the ingredients. In any case SWMBO likes it, "a nice fresh, clean smell". Happy wife = Happy life, so I'm not complaining.

Latherability is excellent, very little cream can be whipped up into a luscious, rich, slick lather with very little effort indeed. The lather doesn't disappear, fade or thin out with time and it seems to be reasonably forgiving on the water ratio too.

Efficacy is excellent, absolutely top shelf. The lather leaves a slick coating on the skin even after shaving over an area a couple of times. It leaves my skin soothed and shaven very closely without too much undue effort, real BBS stuff. No nicks, cuts or weepers, even on my neck area and no razor burn at all.

Moisturising is great, I can get by without any additional moisturiser. The only other cream I can do that with is Kiss my Face Lavender and Shea.

Packaging is a well made solid tub so no problems in that regard, though I think the logo design is a bit feminine. But there's nothing stopping you from scooping it out into something more masculine I suppose. So no biggie there.

Overall this is an excellent product and I heartily recommend it to anyone (almost).

NB: As mentioned above this cream contains Peanut Oil. So if you or anyone in your immediate family or your kids or grand kids have any sort of nut allergies...AVOID IT LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!!

I purchased this Indian cream from a seller on eBay (couldn't find a source in the U.S., where I live). The packaging has changed since the first review; it now comes in a green container with a plastic liner under the lid that I think will keep the cream lasting longer.

On the outside, it says that this cream is "not a cosmetic product. It has therapeutic properties," and says it is "Ayurvedic Medicine". Ayurveda is an ancient system of traditional medicine native to the Indian subcontinent.

I don't know much about Ayurveda, but I like this shaving cream. A very small amount quickly turns into a very large, protective lather. I've used a dry brush and a wet one, and I get similar lather. It's at least as good at T&H, Musgo, TOBS and many of the other creams I use.

The scent is mild, but I like it because it's not familiar to me. It is fresh without being "like" something (coconut, etc.). Whatever the scent is, it doesn't linger.

I've shaved the last five times with it, and have had exceptionally good shaves (using a Slim and a 34C, and Gillette Blacks and Astra SPs in various states). Fewer nicks than with other creams, but even my mileage may vary on this.

A little dryness, but my witch hazel and a very small amount of balm took care of this right away. On two days, I didn't put anything on my face after shaving and it still felt good. Pretty moisturizing.

You have to seek it out, unless you happen to see it in a S. Asian grocery store, but I like it and will continue to use it.

This is a little known Indian cream, referred to as "The Thing" in other forums. I have to agree, it's "the thing" once you use it.

WARNING: It contains peanut oil, so if you are allergic to peanuts, stay away.

Ingredients list:

Nariyal Tail (coconut oil)
Arandi Tail (castor oil)
Moongphali Tail (Peanut oil)
Neem Tail (Neem oil)
Khajur (Dates)
Pudina (Mint)
Taltar (Palm)
Parshrut Jal (Purifed water)

It reminds me a lot of the TOBS Avocado in terms of feel and performance.

It has a very mild natural scent from the ingredients, I think it would be safe to classify it as an unscented cream.

It lathers very well, it is slick and protective and leaves my face feeling smooth.

I think it competes very well with the 3T's and the price is acceptable at around $16 in the US (I am sure it is a lot cheaper in India).

The packaging is the classic tan tub we are used to from the 3T's, but Biotique went above and beyond sealing the tub: the tub is sealed on the outside and also there is a foil seal on the inside that cannot be peeled off, you need to cut it around the edge of the tub. That is a very nice touch that I have not yet seen in any of the creams in a tub I have tried.

I enjoy using creams off the beaten path, such as this Bio Palmyra, Fitjar and other great but harder to find creams.

In conclusion, if you like the performance of TOBS Avocado but do not like its scent, you should give this cream a try.

Discussion thread for this cream