Proraso White Irritation

[GADify]

In another thread, someone commented on the fact that Proraso White caused them to get a rash, which made me realize that yesterday's shave had me in pain all day long. It was the first time I'd used Proraso White!

This is the stuff I'm discussing:

According to this: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Proraso_Green_Tea_and_Oat_Shaving_Soap, these are the ingredients in the white shaving soap:

• Aqua (Water/Eau)
  
• Stearic Acid
  
• Cocos nucifera (Coconut) oil
  
• Potassium Hydroxide
  
• Glycerin
  
• Sodium Hydroxide
  
• Lactic acid
  
• Parfum (Fragrance)
  
• Menthol
  
• Tocopheryl Acetate
  
• Sodium Lauroyl Sarcostinate
  
• Hydroxyethylcellulose
  
• Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate
  
• Hexyl Cinnamal
  
• Geraniol, Citral
  
• Limonene
  
• Linalool
  
• Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
  
• Thymus vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf Extract
  
• Avena sativa (Oat) Kernel extract
  
• Camellia sinensis Leaf extract
  
• Etidronic acid
  
• Tetrasodium EDTA.

I'm kind of bummed that the "sensitive skin" soap is the only one of the many I've tried that have given me issues. I'm also kind of surprised by the long list of chemicals, though I'm no chemist, which leads me to my question.

Of those ingredients, which could be the one that's affected me? I'd like to try and isolate it so I can watch for it in the future.

 

[C-town]

I could be any one of them, a number of them or a few only when they are mixed together.

 

[Dubber]

It might also be the water. Don't discount that.

 

[GADify]

So, I decided to research them all.

• Aqua (Water/Eau) - Um... water.
  
• Stearic Acid - Emulsifying agent
• Cocos nucifera (Coconut) oil - Like what movie theaters use to cook popcorn
  
• Potassium Hydroxide - Caustic Potash. Common in soap.
  
• Glycerin - Sugar alcohol - main ingredient in many moisturizers - hydroscopic
  
• Sodium Hydroxide - this is Lye. Caustic Soda. Draino. Common in soap.
  
• Lactic acid - the stuff that makes your muscles burn after exercise - preservative
• Parfum (Fragrance) - smells nice
  
• Menthol - Smells nice. Local anesthetic and counterirritant
  
• Tocopheryl Acetate - Vitamin E
  
• Sodium Lauroyl Sarcostinate - Surfactant, foaming and cleansing agent
• Hydroxyethylcellulose - Gelling and thickening agent, common in cosmetics
  
• Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate - Antimicrobial preservative
  
• Hexyl Cinnamal - Aroma Substance from Oil of Chamomile
  
• Geraniol, Citral - An alcohol with a Rose-like scent
  
• Limonene - Liquid hydrocarbon with a strong smell of oranges
  
• Linalool - Naturally occuring terpene alcohol with a pleasant scent
• Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate - Antioxidant common in cosmetics
  
• Thymus vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf Extract - Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial
• Avena sativa (Oat) Kernel extract - "Wild Oats" in latin. A supposed aphrodisiac.
• Camellia sinensis Leaf extract - The "Tea" in the name. Tea Leaf extract.
  
• Etidronic acid - Chelating agent. A bisphosphonate common in detergents and cosmetics.
  
• Tetrasodium EDTA - Preservative made from formaldehyde and sodium cyanide (both carcinogens)

Some of these seem scary but probably aren't. Lye has been used for centuries in soap, for example.

Others, like Sodium Lauroyl Sarcostinate and Tetrasodium EDTA are commonly listed as ingredients to avoid.

Honestly, I'm kind of surprised at all the ingredients. One of my goals is to stop using things like Edge Gel in a can, and this seems almost as bad, which sucks because of the way it's marketed.

 

[jasonb8736]

Do you have experience with other shave soaps? How long have you been wet shaving with brush/soap? What kind of razor/blade are you using?

 

[MartialArtist]

EDTA is harmless. It catches calcium in hard water. The lauroyl detergent might be a problem--do you have trouble with other detergent based cleansers? Any one of the plant extracts are potential allergens. Menthol is a problem for me.
You can compare the ingredients in this product with soaps/creams you use that do not cause problems and rule out the ones common to both. That will narrow things down a bit.

 

[Eeyore]

Geraniol seems to be an issue for some. Best is to keep experimenting with what soaps do work for you.

 

[GADify]

Do you have experience with other shave soaps? How long have you been wet shaving with brush/soap? What kind of razor/blade are you using?

I have used:

Proraso Red
Proraso Green
C.O. Bigelo
Casswell & Massey Almond cream
Soap Commander Vision
Arko
Taylor of Old Bond Street Lavender Creme
Cremo Cream

Edge Gel

Proraso White is the only thing that's ever affected me like this.

Razor was a Black Beauty on 3
Blade was a Gillette 7 O'Clock Black (2nd shave)

I've been wet-shaving for about three months now. Again, this is the first time anything like this has happened, and the soap is what changed. I've settled everything else over the past week or two. FWIW, I keep detailed logs while I'm trying new stuff.

EDTA is harmless. It catches calcium in hard water. The lauroyl detergent might be a problem--do you have trouble with other detergent based cleansers? Any one of the plant extracts are potential allergens. Menthol is a problem for me.
You can compare the ingredients in this product with soaps/creams you use that do not cause problems and rule out the ones common to both. That will narrow things down a bit.

Years (decades) ago I was working as a janitor and they gave us lysol something-or-other and didn't tell us to dilute it. I had chemical burns on my hands for a day. This felt just like that.

Geraniol seems to be an issue for some. Best is to keep experimenting with what soaps do work for you.

So, buy more stuff then?

 

[gwsmallwood]

Never tried the soap but had issues with the white pre shave.

 

[driftwood]

You should compare the ingredients of the Proraso soap you have tried that hadn't caused a reaction to the white. Any ingredient that is the same you can rule out. The is ingredients that are exclusive to the white might be your culprits. Then check those remaining ingredients against the other soaps you've used. If the ingredient is found in a soap you have used without reaction then it can be ruled out. Should narrow your list down to a couple of ingredients that you may want to do further research on or just avoid in the future.

 

[GADify]

You should compare the ingredients of the Proraso soap you have tried that hadn't caused a reaction to the white. Any ingredient that is the same you can rule out. The is ingredients that are exclusive to the white might be your culprits. Then check those remaining ingredients against the other soaps you've used. If the ingredient is found in a soap you have used without reaction then it can be ruled out. Should narrow your list down to a couple of ingredients that you may want to do further research on or just avoid in the future.

That's exactly what I've been doing for the past hour. I love data. Spreadsheet inbound!

 

[BoriRank]

That's exactly what I've been doing for the past hour. I love data. Spreadsheet inbound!

Was going to buy this but will stay tuned to your report, since I will be busy for awhile since i just got ten new soaps from the wife.

 

[Eeyore]

I will be busy for awhile since i just got ten new soaps from the wife.

Really? Wow!

My wife still does not really (want to) understand why a man would need more than one soap ...

 

[jasonb8736]

I have used:

Proraso Red
Proraso Green
C.O. Bigelo
Casswell & Massey Almond cream
Soap Commander Vision
Arko
Taylor of Old Bond Street Lavender Creme
Cremo Cream

Edge Gel

Proraso White is the only thing that's ever affected me like this.

Razor was a Black Beauty on 3
Blade was a Gillette 7 O'Clock Black (2nd shave)

I've been wet-shaving for about three months now. Again, this is the first time anything like this has happened, and the soap is what changed. I've settled everything else over the past week or two. FWIW, I keep detailed logs while I'm trying new stuff.



Years (decades) ago I was working as a janitor and they gave us lysol something-or-other and didn't tell us to dilute it. I had chemical burns on my hands for a day. This felt just like that.



So, buy more stuff then?

Proraso White is a staple in my inventory. There's something there that's not agreeing with you, obviously. I'd say just toss it and move on to one of the zillion other great soaps, but I see you NEED to know what caused the irritation

 

[tromboneliness]

Some of this involves educating yourself. For instance, lye is an ingredient, and it's needed to make soap, but there is no lye in the finished product. Etc. There are several great soapmaking threads here on B&B that will make you an educated consumer.

Most gents find that their reactions to soaps come from the fragrances. I'd look there, first.

 

[ZombieBeard]

Im very concerned to hear this being that I was recommended this for my sensitive skin by westcoastshaving.com. I just ordered my first DE razor and was looking forward to using it tomorrow but I have VERY sensitive skin and dont want my first DE shave to be ruined by a subpar soap/cream... When my order arrives tomorrow I will have proraso white, C.O. bigelow, VDH deluxe and williams mug soap. The only one I have used is the VDH deluxe with a mach 3 razor (with good results actually) but I am worried now about my other soaps/creams for my first DE shave :/

 

[branford]

Your experience is unfortunate.

I have very sensitive skin, and tend to suffer some level of irritation from many, if not most, popular shaving soaps, both artisan and mass market, with Proraso being one of the notable exceptions. The mildly cooling and pleasant smelling White is my primary daily shave soap (with some Proraso Green, Red, Blue as well as Pre de Provence and L'Occitane Cade for some variety).

@ZombieBeard: Rest assured that Proraso is most certainly not a "subpar" soap or cream. However, not every product is for everyone, and few people totally escape being burned by at least a few soaps or creams in their wet shaving journey. The recommendation by West Coast Shaving was certainly prudent, and you should enjoy the White, but nothing can be guaranteed. There are very few other inexpensive, easily available and as well received shave soaps for sensitive skin than Proraso White. Good luck!

 

[alfredus]

Might be the Menthol - my skin doesn't like it...

You could try Proraso Red - if that works for you (it does for me), it is most likely menthol.

As stated above: proraso is definitely not a subpar product - I would actually recommend it to every newbie, as it is very easy to get fantastic lather with it.

 

[ZombieBeard]

Thank you both for your comments I definately feel a lot better about my choice

 

[magfer2]

Might be the Menthol - my skin doesn't like it...

You could try Proraso Red - if that works for you (it does for me), it is most likely menthol.

As stated above: proraso is definitely not a subpar product - I would actually recommend it to every newbie, as it is very easy to get fantastic lather with it.

I have experienced irritation and link it to menthol. Cooling for most, but irritating for me. Too bad because otherwise I like this soap.