The Art of Shaving Body Soap

for this price I can find a Claus Porto soap and Musgo Real soap

Price $18 for a 6 oz. bar is certainly not cheap, but one can definitely pay more for a premium soap.

Quality I gave this a ding here because the AOS bar is not a true soap, but is a partial syndet bar; that is, it is partially soap, partially synthetic detergent - in this case sodium laureth sulfate. Whether or not this makes the product of lesser quality than true soaps is a matter of perspective, but for me it detracts from the handcrafted, artisanal feel I like in a premium soap. AOS seems intent on making up for this by cramming the bar full of other "buffer" ingredients, such as shea butter, almond oil and avocado oil. I'm not sure if these ingredients are in concentrations high enough to balance out the base, though, as I do find the bar to be a bit drying (see below).

Latherability This bar lathers like no soap does - because it's not soap. But there's no denying the lather this bar produces is profuse, rich and dense; it is truly luxurious feeling.

Moisturizing Unlike the previous reviewer, I find the AOS bar to be a bit drying, which has led to me not using it as much as I otherwise might. My girlfriend felt the same way, and stopped using it altogether, so I know it's not just me. YMMV, of course.

Scent Very fresh tangerine - very nice. For what it is, it's perfect, although if you like a richly perfumed soap, this may seem a little too one-dimensional. Over time, I have noticed that the scent can fade, although this is mainly a concern if you trade off with your soaps and will have this bar lying around unused for periods of time.

Efficacy It works well enough; I just wish it didn't leave me feeling quite so dried out.

Packaging AOS has classy packaging for all its products, and this bar is no exception. It is nice that the bar itself is sealed in plastic within the main box, helping to keep it fresh.

Note: Per the comment that this soap resembles L’Occitane’s verbena shea butter soap, the two are actually quite a bit different. In terms of the soap itself, I would probably go with the L’Occitane, although I prefer AOS’s tangerine scent.

I have not tried AoS soap but from your description it sounds a lot like the L'Occitane Verbena that I have been using for several years at a cost of $10 for 8.8 oz. bar. http://usa.loccitane.com/FO/Catalog/Product.aspx?prod=01SA250VE