When Creed gets into the shaving soap game, it's game over. Until then I'm still shopping.
Anyone wonder if hype for continuance of new bases/scents will ever hit a wall?
- Thread starter bmw45mo
- Start date
I'm sort of glad I have a poor sense of smell, don't care for strong smelling things on or near my face and gravitate toward the better unscented or very light scented soaps. There are more than enough other rabbit holes that seem to draw my attention.
I just ended it myself. My kit consists of a straight razor, Omega Pro (in its 13th year), ARKO and either VIBR or OS.
I'm sure my poor sense of smell helps in this regard. I have fond memories of the last time my wife and I were in Indonesia before this trip.. some 20 years ago... a group of friends were taking us around... we stopped at a road side stand that only sold durian at the moment. We must have had over a dozen of them between us....probably more. We laughed, joked around... all while enjoying tree ripened durian.The real test is being able to get it close enough to your mouth to taste it!
I've never had durian but if anyone ever releases a Gorgonzola soap, I'm leaving the planet.
I have several of the original Barrister and Mann soaps from 2013 in screw-top aluminum cans with labels on top. Each time I use one of those I shake my head because to me the lather from them seems richer and better than that of any of the later versions.
tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
One of the funnier things about this community is there always seems to be this looming fear that the shavepocolype is right around the corner. Soaps will come. Soaps will go. Beloved classics will be discontinued or reformulated. And the next great artisan soap with a sandhill crane fat and marsupial milk base will come along to wow us. The world will continue to turn, and I will still never be chosen by the Veg.
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If you are chosen by the Veg and no one around you is chosen, does it really matter?
Hi Tankerjohn,
In addition to the normal assortment evolution across small batch artisan production that we all expect there is also an underlying shift in the market away from what were originally basic mass-market product towards those geared to DE hobbiests. We are losing legacy brands such as Williams, Palmolive shave sticks, Irish Moos, Colgate and Burma Shave that were orignially sold through mass market channels as basic (and in the early 20th century often premium) shaving products.
As legacy shavers, who often used the same basic soap for decades, were replaced by DE hobbiests retailers realized they can make more money by replacing a 99 cent assortment item with something that retails for 5 to 10x as much as more. It's unfortunate as a wide range of available products adds to the richness of the hobby and there are many of us who started or returned to DE shaving in part due to the nostalgia value offered by these legacy brands.
The market is saturated, the soaps are far better than what is needed. All of the new scents, I have found 1 that I like. I’m pretty much staying classic moving forward.
Soaps are getting very outlandish with scents and ingredients. I'm just waiting to see a soap scented with Marmite and tuna salad, and a base using tears of a Gillette employee. Time to get creative!
tankerjohn
A little poofier than I prefer
Sir, I'm sorry if I touched a nerve with my flippant response. I certainly didn't mean to offend or downplay the negative side of our ever-changing hobby. I'm afraid, though, that it is the way of things. Once common pursuits fall into the realm of the diehards and hobbyists as technology and attitudes evolve and transform the industries around them. Just ask the buggy whip makers. I have multiple "old-timey" interests and hobbies. Its the same story in all of them. Products that used to be high quality and readily available are now not as good, more expensive, or both. All you can do is get good at Ebay searches and appreciate what you have while you have it. Maybe stock up on a few favorites.
I am heartened that at least wet shaving appears to be thriving, even if its being kept afloat by hobbyists, not the old schoolers. Goo took over the mainstream shaving market a long time ago and who can say that legacy brands like Williams would have even lasted as long it has without a budding hobbyist community. In many cases, I see artisan soap makers picking up the slack and even recreating lost classics, ie Razorock's remakes of P160 and Floid Blue. I even find it fascinating that Stirling reissued Stroppe Shop's Baker Street after that artisan ceased production, preserving something of an early "classic" artisan soap. It will not surprise me in the least to see other classic products recreated if there's demand for them. And while one might say that recreations just aren't as good, it is also the case that legacy products undergo reformulations as parent companies and supply chains change even if they never actually go away. That has definitely been true with Williams through the years. And don't get some of these guys started about Old Spice. So with that, I raise my shaving mug to toast the great products of yesteryear.
May they continue to inspire wetshaving men for many years to come!
G
Guest2023
I stopped buying artisan soaps in 2020 and have used Arko and Tabac exclusively since then. They do the job pretty well. In fact, I don't see much difference.
Hi Tankerjohn, No offense taken, I though your post was great and offered a healthy perspective. Only purpose of my post was to note that in addition to the normal assortment churn you effectively highlighted, the DE shaving market is completing its shift from legacy shavers to hobbyists in western markets. With this we've seen the elimination of most of the basic legacy shaving soap brands (Palmolive stick, Williams, Colgate, Godrej shaving rounds, etc.) and a shift of product availability from mass market brick & mortar to specialty/on-line retailers. You are absolutely right that the world will still turn.Sir, I'm sorry if I touched a nerve with my flippant response. I certainly didn't mean to offend or downplay the negative side of our ever-changing hobby. I'm afraid, though, that it is the way of things. Once common pursuits fall into the realm of the diehards and hobbyists as technology and attitudes evolve and transform the industries around them. Just ask the buggy whip makers. I have multiple "old-timey" interests and hobbies. Its the same story in all of them. Products that used to be high quality and readily available are now not as good, more expensive, or both. All you can do is get good at Ebay searches and appreciate what you have while you have it. Maybe stock up on a few favorites.
I am heartened that at least wet shaving appears to be thriving, even if its being kept afloat by hobbyists, not the old schoolers. Goo took over the mainstream shaving market a long time ago and who can say that legacy brands like Williams would have even lasted as long it has without a budding hobbyist community. In many cases, I see artisan soap makers picking up the slack and even recreating lost classics, ie Razorock's remakes of P160 and Floid Blue. I even find it fascinating that Stirling reissued Stroppe Shop's Baker Street after that artisan ceased production, preserving something of an early "classic" artisan soap. It will not surprise me in the least to see other classic products recreated if there's demand for them. And while one might say that recreations just aren't as good, it is also the case that legacy products undergo reformulations as parent companies and supply chains change even if they never actually go away. That has definitely been true with Williams through the years. And don't get some of these guys started about Old Spice. So with that, I raise my shaving mug to toast the great products of yesteryear.
One other interesting point to add is that in many cases "old school" shavers have been converted from basic legacy brands to our hobbyist brands further accelerating the trend. When B&B started there were many posts from those using the same basic soap for decades. Now we see many posts from "old school" shavers who, after becoming educated from B&B, shifted to more premium brands after using a basic product exclusively for decades.
It’s a never ending game of cat and mouse. Good is good, but who doesn’t get tired of reaching for the same soap or razor every morning? I sorted out years ago what works for me, but I still enjoy finding a new soap, AS, or blade to add into my rotation. Variety is the spice of life; and I like mine spicy.
You have
Sandalwood
Mint
Flower
Citrus
Nothing
Rest are just variants and combinations...nothing new
Sandalwood
Mint
Flower
Citrus
Nothing
Rest are just variants and combinations...nothing new
That's really the point. All these new soapmakers are trying to reinvent the wheel and get guys to believe their products are so much better because of cool labels, names, and weird scents. If anyone thinks one of these boutique soaps really works better than the tried and true out there, well, good for them but I don't believe they do. Arko, love it or hate it, is as good a shaving soap as has ever been made. As is MWF, PdP, Speick, Palmolive, La Toja, and Proraso. It's all about the marketing and scent profile, especially where younger shavers are concerned IMO.
FWIW, so I don't get bored, I keep about 18-19 soaps and creams in my rotation which include the specifically named soaps above. But every one is from tried and true as well as historic brands.
Up until two years ago, Jason Rudman of Ruds Shaves was constantly evaluating new soap formulations. It seemed that new soap bases were coming out every few months with each being better than the previous ones. Finally, Ariana and Evans came out with their Kaizen 2 soap base which Ruds rated at 105 and stated that that soap broke his shave score system. Since that time Ariana and Evans has come out with K2e with emu oil that is even better. Barrister and Mann came out with Omnibus. Ethos Grooming Essentials has their F Base. Grooming Dept has the current Kairos, Kairos SE, and Mallard. There are others like Declaration Grooming Milksteak, House of Mammoth Tusk, Oaken Lab V3, Wholly Kaw Siero, and Zingari Man Sego that are nearly as good. The very top shaving soaps have become so good that any further improvements are going to be incremental at best.
Most of the top shaving soaps are based on various animal fats. I suspect that development work over the next couple of years will be focused in two primary areas. One will be in producing a less expensive soap that performs like the current top tier soaps. As the world economy faces challenges due to inflation and supply chain limitations, such alterations are becoming necessary.
The second area will be in replacing animal fats with vegetable fats. While there has not been significant pressure to do this in North America, many European producers are eliminating animal fats. The challenge is to produce vegetable based soaps that maintain the same level of performance as products containing animal fats.
Most of the top shaving soaps are based on various animal fats. I suspect that development work over the next couple of years will be focused in two primary areas. One will be in producing a less expensive soap that performs like the current top tier soaps. As the world economy faces challenges due to inflation and supply chain limitations, such alterations are becoming necessary.
The second area will be in replacing animal fats with vegetable fats. While there has not been significant pressure to do this in North America, many European producers are eliminating animal fats. The challenge is to produce vegetable based soaps that maintain the same level of performance as products containing animal fats.
Bases have hit the wall for me.
It’s time for soap makers to hire out some perfumery.
Nice to see shawn maher doing scents for seaforth/spearhead.
It was nice to see will carius collaborating with zingari man.
I miss dan bashford doing scents for noble otter, highland springs, southern witchcrafts, storybook soapworks, etc.
Seems like a pro perfumer could make a killing building scents for the countless soap companies.
It’s time for soap makers to hire out some perfumery.
Nice to see shawn maher doing scents for seaforth/spearhead.
It was nice to see will carius collaborating with zingari man.
I miss dan bashford doing scents for noble otter, highland springs, southern witchcrafts, storybook soapworks, etc.
Seems like a pro perfumer could make a killing building scents for the countless soap companies.
