NEW PRORASO COMPARISON: Eucalyptus and Sandalwood

[Gammaray]

NEW PRORASO COMPARISON: Eucalyptus and Sandalwood

The purpose of this post is to solicit experiences with the NEW Proraso formulas. I have just obtained both and here are my findings.

The new Proraso formula is different in a number of ways that seem to be positive. The first is the feel. The old formula feels a little "waxy" when compared to the new formula. When you rub them between your fingers you can feel a distinctive thickness to the old formula. But that is not to say that I have ever been dissatisfied with the original. This new formula appears to be a step up in overall quality when compared to some of my higher end creams. In fact, I would say Proraso has improved the product without increasing the price.

Sandalwood is my preferred fragrance and I have tried almost every brand available. The Proraso expression of this rare and expensive fragrance is like none of them. The first thing I noticed is that the rather distinctive Proraso fragrance is dominant with just a hint of sandalwood. You would not believe this considering the fact that there is no eucalytus or menthol in the formula. Instead, the parfum, geraniol, and citronella must be providing it. This is also confirmed by the ingredients where santalum album (sandalwood) oil is the last ingredient. My favorite Muhle and Edwin Jagger sandalwood creams list it much higher on the list indicating a greater percentage and more expensive product. I am not a big fan of the Proraso fragrance and I would like to have smelt a bit less of it so the sandalwood could come through as the more dominant component.

The lather is creamier and richer whipping into uberlather within 60 seconds provided you give it a bit more water than the older version. This is especially true of the sandalwood which has some additional "buttery" ingredients.

OVERALL
These new creams from Proraso are better than the previous formulas, approaching the quality found in much more expensive creams. However, the fragrance is "original" and still a bit too strong for me in the sandalwood version. This may be the best shaving cream available at this price break point.

Check out the ingredients:

Proraso Eucalyptus/Menthol
Aqua (Water/Eau)
Stearic Acid
Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil
Potassium Hydroxide
Sodium Hydroxide
Glycerin
Lactic Acid
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
Menthol
Camphor
Eucalyptol
Eucalyptus globulus Leaf Oil
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Sodium Metasilicate
Tetrasodium EDTA
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate
Geraniol
Parfum (Fragrance)

Proraso Sandalwood
Aqua (Water/Eau)
Stearic Acid
Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil
Potassium Hydroxide
Glycerin
Lactic Acid
Parfum (Fragrance)
Sodium Hydroxide
Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) Butter
Theobroma cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Sodium Metasilicate
Tetrasodium EDTA
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Citronellol
Geraniol
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Limonene
Linalool
Coumarin
Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate
Santalum album (Sandalwood) Oil​

 

[DBdL]

Thanks for the comparison Gammaray, I'll have to try the new formulation. Like you I really do not like the original scent, in fact my skin tended to react to it. Hopefully the newer one will not give me the same problems.

Just an interesting note regarding the ingredients. I always find it interesting to see "Coumarin" in an ingredient list, I instinctively associate it with coumadin (warfarin) which is an anticoagulant. Coumarin is a precursor molecule for the synthesis of Warfarin. In fact by itself coumarin has no anticoagulant effects however many fungal species will convert it metabolically to an active anticoagulant called dicoumoral. It was this that caused the so called "sweet clover disease" which results in hemorrhaging in cattle , only if it is moldy though. In any case just my brain when it sees that ingredient. By the way not to worry not a dangerous substance unless ingested, in rodents it will cause liver toxicity and internal hemorrhage. If I remember correctly it is used in perfumes etc, I guess it's supposed to smell like freshly cut grass or the like....ok I'll shhhhh now

 

[Gammaray]

Very interesting facts. Thanks for sharing.

 

[BladeDE40]

Just got a couple tubs of the green soap. I noticed the smell is a bit different than the original. The major thing in noticed in the new formulations is,that it looks like they got rid of all the parabens. I look forward to seeing how it performs.

 

[BrookR1]

Have you tried the Green Tea and Oat scent yet? I'm really curious about this one. I've been looking for a tea scent, but my gut feeling is that it might not be that nice because it hasn't created a buzz around here.

 

[Whitmore]

The green tea / oat fragrance exactly matches the scent of the old green tea / aloe soap: lemony, fresh and tangy. Very pleasant.

 

[Prince]

Haven't had a chance to try the new green, but the new red is fantastic.

 

[baldguy]

Thank you for the ingredient list Gammaray, and thank you DBdl for the interesting information.
i was considering the Proraso Sandalwood until noticing Limonene as an ingredient.
i will now watch for, and avoid products containing Coumarin.

 

[Mostho]

I only have the new formulations and they are all lovely.
I can tell you that they have changed to new formulation since a while, and it's very hard to find an old formulation since some time.
Let's say about a couple of years ago? Don't remember exactly.

 

[sleepyEDB]

I've been a bit out of the loop lately so please pardon my ignorance, but I've a few questions if I may:

How new is new? Any idea on when the switch was made?
Is there any way to easily distinguish the new formula from the old based on packaging?
Are we talking about tubes of cream and tubs of soap or just one of them?

Thanks,


sleepy

 

[UncleMush]

The Proraso reformulations occurred in 2012

 

[sleepyEDB]

Hi UncleMush,

Thanks for the reply!

Since I started wet shaving in 2013 I've only ever known the new formulations, which I kind of like since I don't know what I'm missing from the old. Do you know if both the tubs of soap and the tubes of cream were reformulated?


sleepy