The 10 Best Shaving Soaps
Special Honors
Creed Original Santal The House of Creed is one of the world’s oldest fragrance houses, spanning seven generations from father to son for over 250 years. Creed scents have been commissioned and worn by kings, queens, and discerning devotees throughout history. Each scent is weighed, mixed, macerated, and filtered by hand in the highest tradition. Made in France, the alcohol-free, hand milled original Santal is a richly lathering soap embedded in its own sturdy wooden bowl. saksfifthavenue.com
Czech & Speake No. 88 Coming from a fourth-generation, family-owned English company, the No.88 consists of a large shaving dish made from spun aluminum that is anodized and bead blasted to create a matte black finish and hand pressed shaving soap that's triple milled and aged for sixty days in traditional ventilated cabinets. It is formulated with natural oils, such as coconut oil, to create a luxurious, creamy lather that moisturizes the skin and leaves it delicately fragranced. It features top notes of bergamot, middle notes of geranium, rose otto, cassie, and frangipani, and base notes of vetiver and sandalwood. czechandspeake.com
Savonnerie Martin de Candre Fougère Hailing from France, soaps from Savonnerie Martin de Candre are a cult favorite among traditional wet shaving enthusiasts. Their fougère variation is perfumed with a cologne made from 12 essential oils and has green and woody notes. It's crafted with 100% vegetable oils and potash, uses no preservatives, and features a creamy paste texture that lasts for many shaves. It foams up quickly and sticks to the skin, lifting hairs for an extremely close shave without drying or irritation. savonneriemartindecandre.com
Editor's Notes
May 26, 2020:
The right soap is an integral part of the wet shave grooming routine, and whether you're a newbie or veteran shaver, we have an option on this list for you. We know everyone's skin is different, and so we took pains to source a variety of soaps with naturally derived ingredients that contain no toxins, sulfates, preservatives, and other drying or irritating elements, and wanted to provide both vegetable and tallow-based recipes. We prioritized soaps that lather well, and quickly, with inoffensive and enticing scents that won't overpower cologne or hang around obnoxiously all day, but rather leave behind a delicate fragrance that complements other aromas well.
When our old listing for Taylor of Old Bond Street with a matching mood bowl became unavailable we decided to replace it with a soft cream from the same respected company. Taylor of Old Bond Street Cream lathers up sumptuously and feels extremely silky, and is less drying than many hard soaps. It loads into most kinds of shaving brushes very well, but be aware that its soft consistency means it needs to be stored at room temperature.
We wanted to remove Era Organics Premium in favor of something that lathered better, and so we brought on Van Der Hagen Scented in its place. These budget-friendly pucks are formulated to be kind to acne-prone and irritable skin, seal in moisture, and prevent nicks and cuts by lubricating skin well.
Finally, we parted ways with Bull And Bell Original due to availability issues and brought on a cult favorite, Tabac Original by Maurer & Wirtz. It's a quality selection that many swear by, and lathers up extremely well with little effort. A little goes a long way, and it comes packed in a sturdy glass bowl that accommodates refills and should hold up just fine for years in a humid bathroom.