REVIEW: AOS Sandalwood, Veggie Formula

[GreekGuy]

Gentlemen,

With all the news about the reformulation of the AOS soap, I decided to pick some up today for the purposes of doing a "formal" test and comparison.

Price is $30 for 95 grams, although I received 20% off due to their Friends and Family sale. Price out the door was $25.92.

Here are a few photos of the new packaging. The most notable difference is obviously the change of ingredients, but also that the size 95g / 3.3 Oz is much larger on the bottom. It also clearly states Made in USA on the package.

​

The soap also has a different imprint compared to the old formula. The AOS logo is larger and enclosed in a circle. It is a little difficult to appreciate from this photo, but the new soap is also significantly more yellow and less brown in color than the old formula. Scent is essentially the same from a "sandalwood" component, but the clay note is gone.

​

​

 

[GreekGuy]

On to the testing. For both soaps, I used a 24/46 mm Shavemac D01 2-band Silvertip Badger which was drained. The soap was then loaded for 30 seconds without any initial soaking of any kind.

OLD FORMULATION


Here is a photo of what my brush and the puck looked like after 30 seconds of loading.

​

And this is what the lather looks like after palm lathering:

​

I have used this soap many times, and it produces a very dense and rich lather with little effort at all. It helps to use a brush with a lot of backbone, however, as the longer lofted (floppy) brushes tend to struggle a bit in comparison.


NEW FORMULATION


Here is a photo of what my brush and the puck looked like after 30 seconds of loading.

​

And this is what the lather looked like after 3 passes.

​

This is my first time using this soap, and it produced a lather with very little effort at all. The lather was very slick and dense, and did not dissipate at all on the face. It felt moderately moisturizing. Not overly so, but not lacking either. The scent is quite pleasing and lingered somewhat after the shave. It rinsed off the face and razor very easily.


Overall, I think P&G did a very good job with this one. I was fearing for the worst but they actually did a good job sourcing this in house as opposed to with Valobra like the old Italian made tallow formula.

Now, I realize it is impossible to do a review like this without saying which one I think is better. In this case, I don't think it is a reformulation where one is clearly superior to the other. If you love tallow soaps to exclusion then the old one is obviously better for you. If you are more of the "vegan" mindset, or like Made in USA goods, then the new one is better for you.

From a performance standpoint, they are very similar. And going from there this is just splitting hairs really (pun intended). The old soap is a bit denser and provides a little bit better cushion, it is a little bit more tricky to lather due to how hard it is, and so it could be a bit of an issue with newbies or those with longer lofted brushes without a lot of backbone. The new one is definitely more slick, and while the lather is rich, it is not quite as dense as the tallow formulation. It does appear to be easier to lather however, which could be a plus for many.

I've only had one shave with the new soap, so my opinion may change in time, but I'm glad I took one for the team in trying this one out. It really is not the disaster many had feared. Seeing as this weekend everything is 20% off, it may be a good chance to test it out or try something new. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised. I certainly was.


ADDENDUM:

I realize now that by using the new formulation to shave and not the old one, there could be some confusion about the quantity of lather produced. So this morning I took out my Shavemac again and loaded without a strict time limit. Most seasoned wet shavers know that loading comes down to experience, feel, and a little bit of voodoo. Here is the result:

​

Plenty of thick and slick lather. In the ensuing discussion, I've heard some references to the british veggie soaps, which I think is a fair and appropriate comparison. This soap reminds me much more of them than the French and German veggie soaps. I would rank them as follows in terms of descending performance:

AOS
C&E
Floris
GFT
-
-
-
Penhaligons
-
-
-
Caswell and Massey


I happen to really like the C&E soaps. But they are $9 for a refill and the AOS ones are $30 ($26 on sale). The tallow AOS was truly special. And its not that this new one isn't good. In fact I'd say its leaps and bounds above the other traditional british veggie soaps. But at the price and similarity to others, it doesn't make me want to hoard them. This new soap is certainly very good, and it could have just as easily been a complete disaster. Perhaps reformulations tend to rub me the wrong way, but the more I think about the more I prefer the old tallow formula. Which is unusual as its the only tallow soap I use with any regularity. This is not a retraction of my previous thoughts. I do think the 2 formulations are very similar. But the reality is in this price range people have a lot of choices, and I can certainly see how at $30 a puck people want tallow.


Hopefully this provides some further insight into my experience with this new soap

​

 

[tgutc]

Thanks for the review! A lot of people will be interested in this.

 

[beginish]

Great review, Nick. Just from your pics, you can see the cushioning vs slick difference of the two soaps. Hopefully broader testing and reports reveal that AOS did a good job with the reformulation.

 

[KneeChee]

Great review, Nick. Just from your pics, you can see the cushioning vs slick difference of the two soaps. Hopefully broader testing and reports reveal that AOS did a good job with the reformulation.

What more could we hope/ask for really?

Ultimately, until I try this, I will doubt it. As I said in the other thread, history has taught us that a reformulation involving the removal of tallow has resulted in an inferior product.

But, with the sale currently happening, and a planned trip down to Los Angeles in the near future, I will probably pick up a puck; at least to put an end to my misery, or is it curiosity? It's likely I am confusing the two in this instance.

 

[Baloosh]

The old soap is a bit denser and provides a little bit better cushion, it is a little bit more tricky to lather due to how hard it is, and so it could be a bit of an issue with newbies or those with longer lofted brushes without a lot of backbone. The new one is definitely more slick, and while the lather is rich, it is not quite as dense as the tallow formulation. It does appear to be easier to lather however, which could be a plus for many.

I've only had one shave with the new soap, so my opinion may change in time, but I'm glad I took one for the team in trying this one out. It really is not the disaster many had feared. Seeing as this weekend everything is 20% off, it may be a good chance to test it out or try something new. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised. I certainly was.

Emphasis added.

Less dense and less cushion with the new version. More slickness and easier to lather (although I've never really heard anyone complaining that AOS soaps are hard to lather).

And a $4 price increase to boot (previous refill pucks were $26).

Based on your overall results, I'd say it definitely could have been worse, but still sad to see an old formula retired.

 

[Sullybob]

Thanks for taking one for the team Nick. I hope you can add updates to this thread with long term testing. The two lathers look substantially different to me. I really liked the thick, dense, cushioning lather of AOS with tallow, and I find it to be a very slick soap.

 

[TonyN]

Thanks for the review Nick!

 

[ThePatrician]

Nick, you've done a huge service to the B&B community. If I weren't LITERALLY on the opposite end of the world (I live in Cambodia) I would have taken the hit as well. Thank you again. Like KneeChee said, until I try it for myself I will doubt, but with your review I can still hope for the best.

 

[TallyShave]

This seems impossible. I have already read several accounts of what a horrible, awful reformulation this was. AOS is losing customers left and right over this new soap. I am shocked you were even able to get it to lather at all. I mean, they took out the tallow....we all know you can't make a decent soap without tallow!!

 

[Baloosh]

This seems impossible. I have already read several accounts of what a horrible, awful reformulation this was. AOS is losing customers left and right over this new soap. I am shocked you were even able to get it to lather at all. I mean, they took out the tallow....we all know you can't make a decent soap without tallow!!

 

[Greg1911]

Less dense and less cushion with the new version. More slickness and easier to lather (although I've never really heard anyone complaining that AOS soaps are hard to lather).

Hmmm sounds just like reformulated Trumpers and Penhaligons and those turned out just fine, right? Right?

Oh well, my stockpile of the old formula is


PS - Thanks to GreekGuy!

 

[stryker4526]

This seems impossible. I have already read several accounts of what a horrible, awful reformulation this was. AOS is losing customers left and right over this new soap. I am shocked you were even able to get it to lather at all. I mean, they took out the tallow....we all know you can't make a decent soap without tallow!!

 

[AABCDS]

The Art of Shaving store at Perimeter Mall in northern Atlanta has dozens of the 'Made in Italy' pucks left in all four scents. I don't know about the one in Buckhead. I thought about buying all of the lemon pucks but thought 25 pucks might be overkill.

The sales clerk couldn't even find a 'Made in USA' puck in lemon in the cabinet underneath the display shelves so I ended up purchasing a reformulated sandalwood puck to do a comparison; I don't like sandalwood at all.

 

[Marco]

This review is very well written. Bravo Nick!

 

[chron67]

The price increase bothers me more than the reformulation. I have not gotten to test the new formula yet but from talking to friends that have they think it is as good if not better. For the price of a puck of this I could order several products elsewhere so I just can't justify it.

 

[monarch2001]

Could you define for me a "vegan" mindset? Thanks!

Michael

 

[chron67]

Could you define for me a "vegan" mindset? Thanks!

Michael

Vegan mindset would likely mean avoiding products made using animal based products. Might also mean avoiding products tested on animals.

 

[GreekGuy]

Gentlemen,

Thank you all for the kind words. It is my pleasure to be of service to the community.

I added a small addendum with another photo and a few thoughts (ramblings) of mine.

 

[oldtrout]

Thank you Nick. You've answered my most pressing concern -- does the soap still smell of clay?
Two days ago I purchased an old formula sandalwood puck. Now I need to locate a few pucks in lavender.