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A Comparison of Proraso Protective/Blue Cream vs Lea Professional/Sensitive Cream

I've been trying as many creams as I can get my hands on over the last 6 months and these two are so similar, and so good, that I felt a direct comparison was needed. For this comparison I lathered both creams on separate synthetic brushes, using approximately the same amount of water and cream and I shaved one side of my face with each cream. Note that this Lea cream is completely different from the Lea Classic cream line.

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Scent:
They both have a fresh, clean, linen scent. When used alternating days I had trouble telling the difference. From this direct comparison I could tell the Lea scent was a little more simple, just plain fresh and clean, while the Proraso scent has a bit more spice to it. I really like them both but the Proraso comes out ahead.

Ingredients:
Lea's first 3 ingredients are water, palmitic acid, stearic acid and it also contains glycerin and allantoin. Proraso's first 3 ingredients are water, stearic acid, coconut oil and it also contains Glycerin, Aloe Leaf Juice, Menthol, and something that provides vitamin E although I'm not sure which ingredient that is. The allantoin is a nice touch in Lea's favor but I think the overall ingredients of Proraso are a bit better. I should point out that although the Proraso does have menthol it must be a very small amount because I don't notice it at all while using it.

Value & availability (for US based consumers):
Proraso sells at most places for in a 150ml tube for about $10, including all the big shaving supply stores & websites as well as on Amazon with prime shipping. Looks like I can get it delivered to CONUS in less than a week. Lea is harder to find. It can be purchased in a 250ml "professional" size or a 150ml size that I've seen branded as "sensitive" at some places and "original" at others. Amazon sells neither of the Lea variations. A couple US shaving stores sell the pro 250ml size for around $10.50 however Connaught sells it for about $4 (assuming you buy enough stuff to qualify for their free shipping). Overall Proraso is easier to find and quicker to get delivered but Lea provides a lot more for your money, particularly if you buy from Connaught. I'm not usually in a rush so Lea wins this category.

Lather quality:
I have very hard water so that may have affected the results. Using roughly a similar amount of water and cream the lather I got from Lea was a little thinner than Proraso. They were both very good and provided similar levels of slickness but the Proraso lather felt a bit more protective. Proraso wins this category.

Post Shave Feel:
Both sides of my face feel pretty good but I think the Proraso side definitely feels a bit more moisturized. I guess that aloe and vitamin E does do something.

Conclusion:
Lea provides a better value for your money but I think Proraso comes out ahead as the overall better cream. That being said, Lea isn't bad at all and I liked the Lea better than lots of other creams and soaps I've tried. I will keep the Proraso in my rotating and sell the Lea. It's a good cream but they are so similar I can't justify keeping both.
 
I've been trying as many creams as I can get my hands on over the last 6 months and these two are so similar, and so good, that I felt a direct comparison was needed. For this comparison I lathered both creams on separate synthetic brushes, using approximately the same amount of water and cream and I shaved one side of my face with each cream. Note that this Lea cream is completely different from the Lea Classic cream line.

View attachment 1579834

Scent:
They both have a fresh, clean, linen scent. When used alternating days I had trouble telling the difference. From this direct comparison I could tell the Lea scent was a little more simple, just plain fresh and clean, while the Proraso scent has a bit more spice to it. I really like them both but the Proraso comes out ahead.

Ingredients:
Lea's first 3 ingredients are water, palmitic acid, stearic acid and it also contains glycerin and allantoin. Proraso's first 3 ingredients are water, stearic acid, coconut oil and it also contains Glycerin, Aloe Leaf Juice, Menthol, and something that provides vitamin E although I'm not sure which ingredient that is. The allantoin is a nice touch in Lea's favor but I think the overall ingredients of Proraso are a bit better. I should point out that although the Proraso does have menthol it must be a very small amount because I don't notice it at all while using it.

Value & availability (for US based consumers):
Proraso sells at most places for in a 150ml tube for about $10, including all the big shaving supply stores & websites as well as on Amazon with prime shipping. Looks like I can get it delivered to CONUS in less than a week. Lea is harder to find. It can be purchased in a 250ml "professional" size or a 150ml size that I've seen branded as "sensitive" at some places and "original" at others. Amazon sells neither of the Lea variations. A couple US shaving stores sell the pro 250ml size for around $10.50 however Connaught sells it for about $4 (assuming you buy enough stuff to qualify for their free shipping). Overall Proraso is easier to find and quicker to get delivered but Lea provides a lot more for your money, particularly if you buy from Connaught. I'm not usually in a rush so Lea wins this category.

Lather quality:
I have very hard water so that may have affected the results. Using roughly a similar amount of water and cream the lather I got from Lea was a little thinner than Proraso. They were both very good and provided similar levels of slickness but the Proraso lather felt a bit more protective. Proraso wins this category.

Post Shave Feel:
Both sides of my face feel pretty good but I think the Proraso side definitely feels a bit more moisturized. I guess that aloe and vitamin E does do something.

Conclusion:
Lea provides a better value for your money but I think Proraso comes out ahead as the overall better cream. That being said, Lea isn't bad at all and I liked the Lea better than lots of other creams and soaps I've tried. I will keep the Proraso in my rotating and sell the Lea. It's a good cream but they are so similar I can't justify keeping both.
Hi Jimmy, thank you for this and your earlier 11/28 LEA review. I also recently purchased some LEA professional cream from Connaught and find it to be excellent. Note that their regular menthol cream (green tube, not the LEA classic silver tube in your Connaught order) is also very good with a nice, but not excessive, menthol kick.

I was trying to reconcile the above LEA Professional test evaluation with your original review on this cream from 11/28 (relevant quote from your 11/28/22 post pasted below) where you gave LEA a 5/5 noting it had plenty of cushion and slickness.

The reason for the different results may be your test methodology where you used the same amount of water and cream for both the LEA and Proraso. Recommend a second test where you optimize the water for each specific cream as it possible that your latest LEA test shave results may have been due to the use of too much water or not enough product used.

Given the different ingredients it would be surprising if both creams required exactly the same amount of hydration to be at their best. Suspect that for your first LEA review you did optimize the LEA with the right amount of water to deliver what appears to be a much better shaving performance that what you realized on your latest test above. I get really great slick and long lasting lather from the LEA Professional cream with the water dialed in per my preferences - very similar to the shave your first review was based on.

Note that playing around with the hydration levels over a few shaves, to ensure you are comparing optimal performance levels for each, may make sense.

Looking forward to you future test results on these and the other cremes you are testing. Also, hope you continue enjoying the great soaps and creams in your recent Connaught order.

From your 11/28 initial LEA review:

"Next I tried to humongous tube of Lea Professional cream. This may just be my new favorite cream of all time besting everything else I've used. The smell is a perfect "barbershop" scent. It's the barbershop smell that all other barbershop soaps are trying to imitate except you can tell all the other ones are trying too hard and this one just is the original scent. The lather quality was excellent, 5/5, all in cushion, slickness, and face feel. The value is also terrific since you get 250 grams for ~$5. Obviously this will go into my permanent rotation and honestly I would happily use this going forward and nothing else. Don't sleep on this cream."
 
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Hi Jimmy, thank you for this and your earlier 11/28 LEA review. I also recently purchased some LEA professional cream from Connaught and find it to be excellent. Note that their regular menthol cream (green tube, not the LEA classic silver tube in your Connaught order) is also very good with a nice, but not excessive, menthol kick.

I was trying to reconcile the above LEA Professional test evaluation with your original review on this cream from 11/28 (relevant quote from your 11/28/22 post pasted below) where you gave LEA a 5/5 noting it had plenty of cushion and slickness.

The reason for the different results may be your test methodology where you used the same amount of water and cream for both the LEA and Proraso. Recommend a second test where you optimize the water for each specific cream as it possible that your latest LEA test shave results may have been due to the use of too much water or not enough product used.

Given the different ingredients it would be surprising if both creams required exactly the same amount of hydration to be at their best. Suspect that for your first LEA review you did optimize the LEA with the right amount of water to deliver what appears to be a much better shaving performance that what you realized on your latest test above. I get really great slick and long lasting lather from the LEA Professional cream with the water dialed in per my preferences - very similar to the shave your first review was based on.

Note that playing around with the hydration levels over a few shaves, to ensure you are comparing optimal performance levels for each, may make sense.

Looking forward to you future test results on these and the other cremes you are testing. Also, hope you continue enjoying the great soaps and creams in your recent Connaught order.

From your 11/28 initial LEA review:

"Next I tried to humongous tube of Lea Professional cream. This may just be my new favorite cream of all time besting everything else I've used. The smell is a perfect "barbershop" scent. It's the barbershop smell that all other barbershop soaps are trying to imitate except you can tell all the other ones are trying too hard and this one just is the original scent. The lather quality was excellent, 5/5, all in cushion, slickness, and face feel. The value is also terrific since you get 250 grams for ~$5. Obviously this will go into my permanent rotation and honestly I would happily use this going forward and nothing else. Don't sleep on this cream."
Fair question. I stand by my previous Lea review. It is really a very good cream.

Perhaps a better way to conclude the comparison is to say they're both top tier and for several weeks I went back and forth between them struggling to decide which I liked better. I could easily see someone keeping both. But if I had to choose one over the other I realized I like the Proraso just a bit more. The lather performance difference I perceived was very minor and I had to really focus to notice much of a difference at all.

Someone with different scent preferences and different water softness might easily prefer the Lea. They're close enough I would encourage anyone on the fence to try them both.

I do intend to compare them a few more times and if I change my mind on my preference I'll come back and say so.
 
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Fair question. I stand by my previous Lea review. It is really a very good cream.

Perhaps a better way to conclude the comparison is to say they're both top tier and for several weeks I went back and forth between them struggling to decide which I liked better. I could easily see someone keeping both. But if I had to choose one over the other I realized I like the Proraso just a bit more. The lather performance difference I perceived was very minor and I had to really focus to notice much of a difference at all.

Someone with different scent preferences and different water softness might easily prefer the Lea. They're close enough I would encourage anyone on the fence to try them both.

I do intend to compare them a few more times and if I change my mind on my preference I'll come back and say so.
Thank you for the thoughtful reply. Makes sense. I look forward to hearing about your future shaving experiences with your new soap purchases. Like you I've been having fun with new soaps and cremes courtesy of Connaught's prices combined with the recent drop in exchange rates.

Happy New Year!
 
Thank you for the thoughtful reply. Makes sense. I look forward to hearing about your future shaving experiences with your new soap purchases. Like you I've been having fun with new soaps and cremes courtesy of Connaught's prices combined with the recent drop in exchange rates.

Happy New Year!
Yes sir. My favorite items which came from Connaught have been DR Harris Windsor Soap, the Lea cream, and believe it or not good old fashioned Cella. Cella was a big surprise as I had low expectations of it and has become one of favorite soaps.
 
Yes sir. My favorite items which came from Connaught have been DR Harris Windsor Soap, the Lea cream, and believe it or not good old fashioned Cella. Cella was a big surprise as I had low expectations of it and has become one of favorite soaps.
Glad to hear that Cella worked so well for you.

I also have a DR Harris Windsor from Connaught in que for use as soon as I 3017 primary rotation soaps. Additionally have some of the Cyril R. Salter Shave soaps in que that are the same base as the DR Harris with a different light lavender scent profile. Will be interesting to compare those. In addition to the LEA creams I also purchased a couple Cyril R. Salter Luxury Creams in the Vetiver and Wild Rose scents. Both provide excellent lather that is a small notch above the LEA. Vetiver scent is excellent, Rose also scent was a bit weak though pleasant.
 
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Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
In my opinion Proraso is a better product than Lea. And, in my case, a much better value for the money too: a tube of Proraso here in Italy can be purchased everywhere and has an average cost of €2.20.
 
Glad to hear that Cella worked so well for you.

I also have a DR Harris Windsor from Connaught in que for use as soon as I 3017 primary rotation soaps. Additionally have some of the Cyril R. Salter Shave soaps in que that are the same base as the DR Harris with a different light lavender scent profile. Will be interesting to compare those. In addition to the LEA creams I also purchased a couple Cyril R. Salter Luxury Creams in the Vetiver and Wild Rose scents. Both provide excellent lather that is a small notch above the LEA. Vetiver scent is excellent, Rose also scent was a bit weak though pleasant.
I thought I read somewhere that the same company manufactures TOBS / GFT / T&F / Salter creams/soaps but DR Harris still made their own. Does the same company make Salter & DR Harris as well?
 
In my opinion Proraso is a better product than Lea. And, in my case, a much better value for the money too: a tube of Proraso here in Italy can be purchased everywhere and has an average cost of €2.20.
I have long been an advocate for Proraso Blue.

Readily available. Reliable. Inexpensive. Metal tube is a nice touch.

If they rebranded it, squeezed it into a glass container with an artisan label and marketed it as "small batch Limited Edition", people would be stepping over one another to get it at 10x the current price.

Hands down, one of the best creams available at any price point
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
I have long been an advocate for Proraso Blue.

Readily available. Reliable. Inexpensive. Metal tube is a nice touch.

If they rebranded it, squeezed it into a glass container with an artisan label and marketed it as "small batch Limited Edition", people would be stepping over one another to get it at 10x the current price.

Hands down, one of the best creams available at any price point
My hat is off before your wisdom, Sir. :ouch1:
 

Marco

B&B's Man in Italy
It's always a pleasure to speak to my old friend @brucered and I have your exact feelings towards Proraso. All colours are great, even if the one that has a special place in my heart is the Ever-Green.
 
I thought I read somewhere that the same company manufactures TOBS / GFT / T&F / Salter creams/soaps but DR Harris still made their own. Does the same company make Salter & DR Harris as well?
I'm not directly familiar with who makes TOBS/GFT & T&F but do know that the same manufacturer who makes the Cyril R. Salter shaving soap also makes the D.R. Harris soaps. Some evidence that Culmark is the contract manufacturer for these two soaps though I don't have hard confirmation. Note that other than the scent ingredients the Cyril and DR Harris have identical formulas.
 
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