Classic American shave creams still in production

[He-Ben]

Hello Gents-

I've been using Shulton Old Spice Cream from India quite a bit lately, and it got me wondering what other (if any) classic shave creams from yesteryear are still available.

I know that Gillette still makes a lather shave cream in (I think) Italy, and I've also seen Williams shave cream from France on a few websites. I'm curious as to how these creams compare to the originals in terms of performance and scent. Any other suggestions for classic American creams would be appreciated

Thanks!
-Ben

 

[JCee]

It's kind of ironic that the classic American creams (Williams, Palmolive, Gillette, OS, etc) have to be imported to America, as those manufactureres don't market to us..?

 

[Jopo]

Palmolive brand shaving cream is produced in Europe (ignoring repackaging, there's 3 types - regular, sensitive & mentholated) India (Refreshing Lemon & Deluxe) and South America (regular). Gillette is produced in the Middle East, South America and still in Europe I believe (certainly still produced for the European market). There was a cream made under the Mennen brand in N. America, today there is a Mennen Skin Bracer (sensitive & menthol) cream sold in S. America. Also, though I don't think there was ever an American Brut shaving cream, there is currently a Brut cream made in brazil.

PALMOLIVE: US vs European
I copy & pasted the following since I couldn't link to the original article (banned vendor, though he's out of business).
Color: the American cream has a yellowy greenish color that is really quite unattractive; the European cream has a cooler, bluer green tint that looks, to me at least, much better.


Scent: the European cream has the typical Palmolive scent. It is distinctive and, in this case, it has a perfumed undertone that is quite pleasant. The American cream has a variant of the classic Palmolive scent, which has an acrid, almost industrial-type of odor. There are similarities, but the American cream is, in my opinion, much less attractively scented than its
European counterpart.

Lather: in this area the European cream wins hands-down: the lather is richer, thicker and takes less effort to whip up. The American lather gave me a slightly uncomfortable “tingle”: not quite an allergic reaction, but it was not totally pleasant. The European cream gave me no hint of that and felt cool and rich on my face.

Lubrication: both creams are quite good, especially considering their low price. The European cream felt and performed better than the Americam Palmolive.

Beard conditioning: both creams were about equal in this area. They softened the beard and the following shave was very close and clean.

Skin conditioning: here the American cream fell short: I still had a slight discomfort, perhaps a hint of razor burn. The European cream left my skin relaxed and smooth. Much better than the American product.

Conclusions: even though it was inferior to the European Palmolive, I actually liked the American Palmolive lather: after all, it performed well and for very little money. I like the classic Palmolive scent, even when it is a bit roughly rendered, as was the case with the American Palmolive cream. The slight discomfort to the skin that I encountered when using the American cream quickly disappeared with the application of a good aftershave balm.

The European cream (in this test I used the Italian “normal” cream) is really a much better product: great scent (to me), excellent, rich lather and superb skin conditioning. It is still being made with palm oil, like the original formulation. The American lather did not have any palm oil in its formula. I love the Italian mentholated version even more, but, in truth, I do love every shaving product that contains menthol and the cooling effect it generates.

 

[He-Ben]

Thank you Jopo, that was very informative. I guess I need to order some European Palmolive!

 

[verdict]

I wish they still made Barbasol in the metal tube...

 

[pauls51]

I guess I need to order some European Palmolive!

You won't regret it! I love it!

 

[stljeff]

You won't regret it! I love it!

+1 on the Euro Palmolive. I like the European Gillette cream too even though it smells a little funky coming out of the tube. Once it's one the face, it has a great classic soapy scent.

 

[Sydney Guy]

Palmolive shave cream and shave stick soap is still sold in Australia under the Mennen brandname. It has been labelled Palmolive in the past. Not sure how it compares to the US and European creams though.

Pauls51 how does the Euro stuff compare to the Oz version?

 

[He-Ben]

I wish they still made Barbasol in the metal tube...

I was hoping that it was still in production somewhere, and that I had just overlooked it! Oh well...I hope the aforementioned brands are everything I hope they will be

 

[kadett]

The Barbasol in a tube is a brushless cream and is still made under the name Barbasol Therapeutic. The recipe is exactly the same as the original cream

It is still American-made and overlooked by almost everyone in this forum. The only other remaining classic American shave creams still in production are also brushless. The Lucky Tiger Mollé cream and the Sheffield Brushless cream. To my knowledge there are no longer any classic American lather shave creams still made.

Every other American cream is no longer produced or if it continues at all it is exclusively in the purview of another country. Examples include the Gillette creams produced in Italy. Old Spice creams produced and sold in India, and, until it was discontinued a few years ago, Noxzema Lather Shave was still being produced in Italy as well.

 

[He-Ben]

The Barbasol in a tube is a brushless cream and is still made under the name Barbasol Therapeutic. The recipe is exactly the same as the original cream

I had wondered for a long time if it was the same product from yesteryear, thanks! I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for it.

 

[Augustiner]

I had wondered for a long time if it was the same product from yesteryear, thanks! I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for it.

I use Barbasol brushless everyday for a pre-shave and base layer. If you want some you'll be keeping your eyes open for a long time because it isn't sold anywhere in stores.

However, it is still being produced and can be ordered online from Amazon for example. The cheapest way to procure it is by ordering directly from Barbasol. They sell it by the case of 12 and the price is a few dollars cheaper per tube than anywhere else. You have to call them to buy it.