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Institute Karite

Pros: Skin conditioning, ease of lather, cushion.
Cons: Hard to find.
Fantastic soap. If you don't mind the mild floral range of this scent, IK is a top notch product in every respect, particularly if you like a soap that doesn't dry your skin. In my top 5.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Scent
4.00 star(s)
Lather
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Efficacy
5.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
5.00 star(s)
Pros: Latherability, scent.
Cons: Delivery costs from maker.
A top soap, classic French style, shea butter works wonders. Highly recommended.
Price
2.00 star(s)
Scent
4.00 star(s)
Lather
3.00 star(s)
Quality
3.00 star(s)
Efficacy
3.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
3.00 star(s)
Every time I use this one, I wonder why I don't use it more. I plan to change that!

The only negative for me is scent. It's not unpleasant by any means, just clean and soapy. Fairly neutral, and won't clash with anything after a few minutes.

However, the lather and performance are just fantastic. Lovely glide and cushion, plenty of "afterslip", meaning just a bit of water between passes will create a slippery film, great for buffing/touch-ups.

One of the least-drying soaps I've used, on a par with Cella, La Toja, and Nanny's.

Partner it with the IK balm, which is also excellent, in spite of the scary ingredients list!

All I can say is I never get any redness, stinging or irritation with these products.

Highly recommended, particularly in colder months.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Scent
3.00 star(s)
Lather
4.00 star(s)
Quality
4.00 star(s)
Efficacy
4.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
4.00 star(s)
I've been using this soap in my rotation for a few months and it is a great soap, probably the best and my favorite now among all I have (Martin de Candre, Proraso, Trumper Lime, Maison du Barbier, L'Occitane Cade, VDH, Taylor Sandalwood, Tabac and Monsavon).

Price.
13,5 euros for a refill, not a bargain not too expensive. I guess the soap will last a long time.

Quality
A 100g soap that comes in a cardboard bow. The soap itself is well protected by some kind of a film. IK do not propose a bowl but I've put it in a small VDH bowl that was in the VDH starter kit I received along with the Fatboy I bought on Ebay.
The soap fits perfectly in that bowl.

Scent
Scent is very clean and soapy. Nothing fancy about it but nothing repulsive either. It is the traditionnal Institut Karité scent for those who know other products in the range.

Lather
Here we are, this soap will easily give you an abundant, thick, slick and moisturized lather. All you tallow lovers, you will be amazed to see the quality of the lather from this soap that does not contain tallow. It is better for me than Tabac lather !!!!

Efficacy
The incredible lather will provide a great shave with no irritation.

Moisturizing
The shea butter in this soap will make your skin supple, smooth, greatly moisturized. You would not need any after shave. Anyway, I usually use a splash for the scent but I do not need it.
Price
3.00 star(s)
Scent
3.00 star(s)
Lather
5.00 star(s)
Quality
4.00 star(s)
Efficacy
5.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
5.00 star(s)
The French can throw down in the shave soap world and this is a fine example of such. IK is a malleable soap, somewhat firmer than Arko, and has a very mild clean scent. It's a little pricey for a non triple milled soap but the performance is worth it and it appears that it will last a good while. Your brush loads easily and the lather booms with not much effort. The shave is slick and very protective with excellent moisturizing properties. The face feels refreshed, supple, and smooth. This soap deserves more attention and should be on your radar.
Price
3.00 star(s)
Scent
3.00 star(s)
Lather
4.00 star(s)
Quality
4.00 star(s)
Efficacy
4.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
5.00 star(s)
This soap produces a rich, slick and protective lather. The scent reminds me of some bath soaps like Dove or something like that, it is pleasant. The lather is easy to produce with a Semogue boar brush. It's not that easy to buy but IMO it's a very good shaving soap. It contains lanolin and 25% shea butter.
Price
3.00 star(s)
Scent
3.00 star(s)
Lather
5.00 star(s)
Quality
4.00 star(s)
Efficacy
4.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
4.00 star(s)
Always surprised this soap is not more popular. Started using IK for the past 2 weeks with a slant and feather.

Initially experienced problems with lathering (too much water). Reduced water and presto -- nice, thick and protective lather. Provides a close shave that rivals tabac. Closer shave than cella though.

The price is a tad high but appears to have a long shelf life. Whatever scent existed in the beginning quickly diminishes.

A soap worthy for a wet shaver's rotation.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Scent
1.00 star(s)
Lather
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Efficacy
5.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
4.00 star(s)
great soap that i'm very happy to shave with.
Produce a lot of protective and moisturising lather.
On a side of the box we can read it's triple milled.
Each puck will last many months :wink2:
Price
5.00 star(s)
Scent
3.00 star(s)
Lather
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Efficacy
5.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
5.00 star(s)
Just finishing up a puck of this soap. I have been using it exclusively for the better part of a month but I have had it for quite awhile now. I have used it with Simpsons, Rooney, Shavemac and a Edwin Jagger and every brush works this soap into a very good lather.

I think for the price, this soap is a decent buy and a quality product for about $15.00. No frills packaging keeps the cost down and after opening this soap it went into a plastic container.

There is very little scent here but it is pleasant enough. This product's strength lies in its latherability and moisturizing qualities. The lather is thick and slick and of course the shea butter moisturizes the skin. This soap provides a very nice cushion for your razor to glide over.

Nice mid-range soap. You can't go wrong with this one from Institut Karite.

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Price
4.00 star(s)
Scent
3.00 star(s)
Lather
4.00 star(s)
Quality
4.00 star(s)
Efficacy
4.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
4.00 star(s)
This soap is ok. You won't go wrong by choosing it.
Its lather is creamy, closer to a cream than a soap. It is an experience to be had.

What I don't like about it, and it might be something you don't mind because it is personal taste, is that when its lather touches my face my skin feels somewhat "ashy".
Not dry as you might expect, but I feel like I applied talk on my beard skin, and the upper layer feels a little numb and "ashy".
The lather lets my razor slide ok. The talk feeling never makes me feel like the lather lets my razor slide as well as it potentially can, but it is acceptable.

After the shave, my skin feels exactly like I applied talk on it. Not dry, but with an aftershave I can get back the original feeling.

If you want a really good soap, something exceptionally good on all fronts, try L'Othantique. Better than this by leaps and bounds, but you won't really beat yourself up if you get this. It is will be just ok, just passable, just ok.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Scent
4.00 star(s)
Lather
3.00 star(s)
Quality
4.00 star(s)
Efficacy
3.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
3.00 star(s)
For moisturizing and skin care, this is the best soap I've used. It really leaves my face soft and well moisturized after using, which is great in the winter months.

Makes a thick and rich lather, one of the best veg based soaps that I've used in that regard. It's also very cushoning and protective and provides a very comfortable shave. The flip slide of all that protectiveness is that it doesn't cut exceptionally close.

Scent is dull but not offensive. Reminds me of Dove bath soap. Overall, if you're looking for outstanding moiturizing skincare in the winter months, this is a great choice.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Scent
4.00 star(s)
Lather
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Efficacy
4.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
5.00 star(s)
Price - I dinged it a little on price, but not much. It's nto cheap soap, but for what you get out of it I feel it's worth the money. I think all higher end soaps and creams sell at a somewhat inflated price. But to me this soap is worth it.

Quality - the soap contains all kinds of good stuff. It seems to contain lanolin which is probably why it works so well.

Scent - it's not anything citrusy or flowery. It's a clean soap scent that hits you as soon as it crosses your doorstep. I was able to smell it before i even opened the shipping box. I love the scent of this stuff, and it doesn't linger to interfer with cologne or aftershave.

Lather - lathers easily and the lather works beautifully. Very smooth and comfortable shave.

Efficacy - works like a charm. The most comfortable shave I've had in a very long time.

Moisturizing - I can't say it's a good mositurizer, but it didn't dry me out. So plus marks there too.

All in all, if you want a simple straight up really good shaving soap, this is your stuff. If you are allergic to lanolin you might want to avoid it. But if you are not, go for it. It's simply awesome soap.
Price
3.00 star(s)
Scent
5.00 star(s)
Lather
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Efficacy
5.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
4.00 star(s)
If you are looking for your basic, straight-up, everyday shaving soap and don't care much for variation, foo-foo scents and all that, this is probably your soap. It is what I envision when I think of "vanilla" shaving soap; this is what I think should be in the Williams box instead of Williams. It lathers very easily and has a huge shea butter percentage so it is extremely moisturizing and very cushioning. I get great shaves using this soap. The scent is almost nil - very, very faint. That is either a plus or a minus depending on your perspective. The soap is not triple milled and is fairly soft, but definitely harder than a glycerin soap. The puck is a simple round shape that would fit most bowls you would want to put it in, plus you could mash it down if needed. As long as I can find it, I will always have a puck of this on hand.
Price
2.00 star(s)
Scent
2.00 star(s)
Lather
4.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Efficacy
5.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
5.00 star(s)
Hi All,
I've used this soap 25-30 times now, and have a good handle on it's performance. I've used many many soaps and creams, and this one does the best in combining shaving comfort with skin care. The thick, unusually creamy lather provides plenty of slick to help the razor slide along without effort. Best thing tho, is how my face feels after the shave. The skin care feature of this soap really makes it a standout, only equaled by the Floris I've used in the past.
The scent is very light and pleasant.....kinda reminds me of the C&E SAO SC a bit. Price WAS good, except it's now extremely difficult to find a place to order it from. Yeah, some kinda distributor thing, from what I've heard.
If you happen to run into a puck somehow, grab the thing and consider yourself lucky.
Martin
Price
4.00 star(s)
Scent
3.00 star(s)
Lather
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Efficacy
5.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
5.00 star(s)
It's too bad this soap doesn't get more press around the forums. I thought I found THE soap for me with MWF, but I'm glad I went out on a limb and purchased IK. It is the most moisturizing and protective soap I've ever used. It's just a fantastic product.

If you are into strong scented soaps, you will be disappointed with this one as it has a very mild fragrance that is barely noticeable. But it provides for excellent shaves - easy to whip up a dense creamy lather.

If you have sensitive skin this is the product for you.
Price
4.00 star(s)
Scent
3.00 star(s)
Lather
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Efficacy
5.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
5.00 star(s)
Tried this one today and wow, what a great soap. The best of the French soaps IMO and right on par with Floris. It lathered up very easily and the lather stayed thick and rich through out the shave. Smooth, moisturizing... I only rated the scent an 8 because it was barely noticable. It was fine, just faint. What else could you want in a soap? If there's anything better out there, I have yet to find it.

Ken
Price
4.00 star(s)
Scent
4.00 star(s)
Lather
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Efficacy
4.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
5.00 star(s)
Really fine soap with a clean soap smell and great rich long-lasting lather. Decently small puck size fits many containers, and is soft enough to mash down.
Price
1.00 star(s)
Scent
5.00 star(s)
Lather
5.00 star(s)
Quality
5.00 star(s)
Efficacy
5.00 star(s)
Moisturizing
5.00 star(s)
I purchased this soap from a member and think its great stuff - lathers easily and provides a comfortable smooth shave. The soap is well made of quality ingredients.

This is a 25% shea butter French soap and my sense is that the shea butter does make a difference (this is consistent with other review of shea butter soaps). The soap provides more of a cushion than the glycerine soaps I use and in that sense is somewhere between a soap and a cream. The other benefit of the shea butter is that it moisturizes, and my experience is that this makes for a smooth shave.

The soap is softer than a tripple milled soap, but harder than glycerine-based soaps, so should last reasonably long, even with regular use.

The smell is a pleasant is a slightly sweet soapy smell - nothing to write home about, but certainly not offensive and will not interfere with whatever A/S or EDT you want to use.

At about $12 - $14 for a standard-sized puck, its right in the middle of the price/value continum.

This would likely be a good soap for people who have sensitive/dry skin or those who want a shaving soap that has a mild scent.
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