Martin de Candre (MdC) Clones?

[Feldgrun]

Great! So, would you spring for a regular puck of MdC?

I have many more soaps to try first, but as it stands now, I’d buy MdC.

 

[BigJ]

MdC, like most if not all shaving soaps and creams, is mainly stearic acid, which is soap. There may be lesser amounts of other similar fatty acids like myristic. Hard soaps usually list a precursor oil/grease like palm oil or tallow which, in the presence of hydroxide, decompose into fatty acids and glycerin. Other less important ingredients may adjust consistency and appearance, plus colouring and scent.

In my experience, MdC is not much different than most other well-known and -regarded shaving products. It certainly doesn’t last longer, this is a persistent myth here. It’s 200g of product that almost certainly doesn’t contain less water than triple-milled soaps, there is no magic.

+1! ‘..there is no magic.’ MdC is a very nice soap.

 

[musicman1951]

In my experience, MdC is not much different than most other well-known and -regarded shaving products. It certainly doesn’t last longer, this is a persistent myth here. It’s 200g of product that almost certainly doesn’t contain less water than triple-milled soaps, there is no magic.

My experience would render this statement, as respectfully as possible, absurd. Keeping accurate records a tub of MdC lasted me well over 13 months of daily three pass shaves. I love SV soaps, but in use it's three times as expensive as MdC for me. WK, a nice soap, is almost twice as expensive in use as MdC because of the difference in longevity.

Canada Shaving Soap, which I'm currently testing, appears to be a soap with wonderful longevity. If you care about how much money you spend on soap longevity matters. Personally, I find any soap I like to be worth the money, but it matters to some people.

I use what I believe most people would consider a "normal" amount of soap. Some shavers have gone years on a jar of MdC, but I use more soap than that and I wasn't trying to see how long I could go - just how long it would last in normal use.

I'm quite certain I stand on solid ground stating it actually does last longer - no myth.

 

[pierrelortie44]

MdC lasts 2-3 months for me, I went through all five since last year, comparable to a 100g hard soap puck.

MdC fragrances are very nice, and it does load quickly and easily, but that’s in part because it starts off with a higher water content than hard soaps. You can gouge the surface of a new MdC with your finger, with difficulty but much more easily than a puck.

 

[Feldgrun]

MdC lasts 2-3 months for me, I went through all five since last year, comparable to a 100g hard soap puck.

MdC fragrances are very nice, and it does load quickly and easily, but that’s in part because it starts off with a higher water content than hard soaps. You can gouge the surface of a new MdC with your finger, with difficulty but much more easily than a puck.

Is it 2-3 months on a 50g or 200g puck of MdC soap?

 

[pierrelortie44]

The 200g jars.

I’m not surprised nor disappointed. 200g means 200g. It can’t last like it’s a kilogram. I like MdC as much as anyone, but it’s not the Shroud of Turin.

 

[CoreyWoodmancy]

My experience with MDC is a little different , a few swirls perhaps 1/3 the load time I would spend on a typical artisan super fat soap , the MDC lasts similar to PDP or SV type hard soaps , MWF is another. Where MDC shines in terms of its soap base is the amount needed to create a slick stable lather that’s fully hydrated imo. For me the artisan soaps are a bit spendy as I can get through one of those tubs quite quickly if I were to try.

 

[Jenks]

MdC lasts 2-3 months for me, I went through all five since last year, comparable to a 100g hard soap puck.

MdC fragrances are very nice, and it does load quickly and easily, but that’s in part because it starts off with a higher water content than hard soaps. You can gouge the surface of a new MdC with your finger, with difficulty but much more easily than a puck.

I’m not showing shade at anyone but this does not make sense to me. My experience is that the damn stuff lasts forever.

 

[never-stop-learning]

WSP Rustic Formula soaps are very similar in performance to MdC, IMO.

Some distinguishing characteristics of MdC are simple formula, high stearic acid content, coconut oil for rich lather, only potassium hydroxide for alkali, and the long air-curing process giving a very firm texture. I think Canada is the closest you'll find nowadays.

Quite a few artisans were "inspired" by MdC, but don't try to reproduce it exactly. The owner of Wet Shaving Products describes on their website how he made the Rustic soap by following the MdC formula, but adding shea butter and a variety of different fragrances. Le Pere Lucien is like MdC, but with more water in it.

Most of the artisan soaps have a higher water content with a soft texture. They usually add additional ingredients like oils, butters, lanolin, etc. Most of them skip the air curing process and use a mixture of potassium and sodium hydroxide to get the soap finished quickly.

I agree with these esteemed Gentlemen.

MdC is at the top of my preferred soaps, with Canada Shave Soap, WSP Rustic, Le Père Lucien. And, interestingly enough, so are Mitchell's Wool Fat and Pinaud Clubman shave soaps and the luxurious Cyril R Salter Tub Creams.

 

[Lane101]

There’s also Arko.

At about $2 for a 75 gram stick or over $5 for the same 200 grams that cost around $70 for MdC in the U.S. the market is telling us that these are not similar.

Of course for a superior quality soap, based on what current market pricing is telling us, one should look at Williams Shaving Soap. Currently this is listed for $32 (actually it just went up to $35.85 on Amazon two minutes ago) on Amazon for a 50 gram puck or $128 for 200 grams of Williams. The market is now telling us that Williams is almost twice as good as MdC.

Kidding aside I'm somewhat amazed at some of the prices for Williams. Based on prices for other vintage mug soaps I was expecting it to top out at $15 -20 per puck. I can't imagine any soap being worth $128+ for 200 grams, let alone Williams (that I am a fan of at $1-$2 per puck) given all the other options out there.

Regarding MdC clones, given YMMV for most shaving products, my thoughts are that one needs to try alternatives and see for themselves.

 

[Lane101]

I’m not showing shade at anyone but this does not make sense to me. My experience is that the damn stuff lasts forever.

This is definitely a YMMV area based on personal preferences and technique. While I can't comment on personal MdC usage I do use MWF and, like @pierrelortie44 , have found I use at least a gram of it for each shave. This is a bit more than my other soaps. In fact initially I found I was using almost 2 grams per shave with lots of excess lather going down the drain. I had applied my aggressive Williams Shave Soap boar brush loading technique at first and have been pleasantly surprised how much easier MWF is to load in comparison. I now get great lather with roughly a gram of soap by either reducing my load time or using a synthetic in place of my boar.

Would not want to reduce the amount of soap loaded further as I really enjoy the richness of the MWF lather and how it maintains excellent slickness with this rich texture unlike some other soaps that need to be wetter to maximize slickness. Wonder if the heavier MdC users are optimizing similar personal preference trade-offs to produce their ideal lather?

 

[Steve56]

Usually about a year per tub of MdC for me - the brush makes a difference. Marty got almost 2 years out of a tub using a Simpsons Wee Scot. I once got ‘only’ 9 months from a tub, using a Simpsons Chubby 1 and lathering with abandon. 2-3 months seems odd. That said, I‘m a SR user and SR users don’t need a thick blanket of soap to keep that nasty DE blade away from our Hollywood faces. A thinner, wetter lather works just peachy.

I’ll also add that MdC, unlike milled soaps, contain the full natural compliment of glycerine. Milling takes some of the glycerine out - and makes the soap harder.

 

[pierrelortie44]

Glycerin is in the ingredient list of all shaving products. It’s quantity is adjusted as all the other ingredients. It’s a simple inexpensive industrial scale substance.

 

[CoreyWoodmancy]

I can see the big dense two band badgers chewing through a tub quickly , a modest 22-24 mm knot is a completely different story. Some of the larger brushes I have had I can see they would require at the very least 2-3x more soap per use.

 

[Owen Bawn]

My experience would render this statement, as respectfully as possible, absurd. Keeping accurate records a tub of MdC lasted me well over 13 months of daily three pass shaves. I love SV soaps, but in use it's three times as expensive as MdC for me. WK, a nice soap, is almost twice as expensive in use as MdC because of the difference in longevity.

Canada Shaving Soap, which I'm currently testing, appears to be a soap with wonderful longevity. If you care about how much money you spend on soap longevity matters. Personally, I find any soap I like to be worth the money, but it matters to some people.

I use what I believe most people would consider a "normal" amount of soap. Some shavers have gone years on a jar of MdC, but I use more soap than that and I wasn't trying to see how long I could go - just how long it would last in normal use.

I'm quite certain I stand on solid ground stating it actually does last longer - no myth.

I have neither plans nor desire to buy Martin de Candre soap but if I were considering it this post would be most helpful.

I like wisdom.

 

[Lane101]

Usually about a year per tub of MdC for me - the brush makes a difference. Marty got almost 2 years out of a tub using a Simpsons Wee Scot. I once got ‘only’ 9 months from a tub, using a Simpsons Chubby 1 and lathering with abandon. 2-3 months seems odd. That said, I‘m a SR user and SR users don’t need a thick blanket of soap to keep that nasty DE blade away from our Hollywood faces. A thinner, wetter lather works just peachy.

I’ll also add that MdC, unlike milled soaps, contain the full natural compliment of glycerine. Milling takes some of the glycerine out - and makes the soap harder.

Interesting analysis - had not really reflected on the effect of brush size on shaving soap usage. Believe the Wee Scott is a 14mm knot and Chubby 1 comes in at 22mm so a significant difference. Knowing my preference to aggressively load my 26mm brushes to generate a thick initial layer of lather I could see how someone with a larger 26 - 28mm brush and preference for heavy loading could go through 200g of soap in far less than 9 months.

 

[gpjoe]

MdC, like most if not all shaving soaps and creams, is mainly stearic acid, which is soap. There may be lesser amounts of other similar fatty acids like myristic. Hard soaps usually list a precursor oil/grease like palm oil or tallow which, in the presence of hydroxide, decompose into fatty acids and glycerin. Other less important ingredients may adjust consistency and appearance, plus colouring and scent.

In my experience, MdC is not much different than most other well-known and -regarded shaving products. It certainly doesn’t last longer, this is a persistent myth here. It’s 200g of product that almost certainly doesn’t contain less water than triple-milled soaps, there is no magic.

Curious if you have actually used MdC, or if you are merely comparing the ingredient labels?

Edit: I see that you have used it.

To me, it seems to take much less product to create an equal amount of lather compared to other soaps that I've used. I bought four sample jars from Maggard and I was astounded at the number of shaves (I didn't count) that I got from those tiny jars.

Anyway, all I know is that when I use MdC I load my brush for half as long as with other soaps and get plenty of lather.

 

[pierrelortie44]

Curious if you have actually used MdC, or if you are merely comparing the ingredient labels?

To me, it seems to take much less product to create an equal amount of lather compared to other soaps that I've used. I bought four sample jars from Maggard and I was astounded at the number of shaves (I didn't count) that I got from those tiny jars.

Anyway, all I know is that when I use MdC I load my brush for half as long as with other soaps and get plenty of lather.

I bought all 5 fragrances last year, finished 3, there’s a bit of Fougère and Agrumes left for the summer.

 

[gpjoe]

I bought all 5 fragrances last year, finished 3, there’s a bit of Fougère and Agrumes left for the summer.

I'm just very surprised that anyone could use up a 200g jar that quickly. Would you care to share the other soaps that you have used and how long those lasted in comparison? Are you loading your brush directly from the jar or scooping the soap into a bowl?

I'm not defending MdC, and everyone is different, I just find it astounding that someone could empty a 200g jar in 2-3 months. That's a LOT of lather.

 

[pierrelortie44]

100g of various soap pucks since 20 years, if they’re commercially available I probably tried them. Same with creams.

MdC is 200g. It might have the amount of soap found in 150g of triple-milled soap. Now if this lasts a year for some people that’s great. It never did for me, and that’s fine.