Inspired by this thread, I got my Palmolive stick out and had a shave.
Here's the thing. It's not a bad shave at all. A good shave even. And it sits at or near the top of the pile for value.
But it is so dour. It sits there, busy being green for no apparent reason. It's not menthol, or eucalyptus. Rather, it's a kind of bland, soap-like smell that is not offensive, but instead suggests industrial laundries or 1970s public sector office bathrooms. As I shaved, it occurred to me that this was likely the soap that my Scottish grandfather might have used the best part of a hundred years ago when he came back in from the sea, standing in front of his mirror in a cold bathroom in Ardrossan. He would have been shaving out of obligation rather than any sense of pleasure, devoid of any other choices for shaving soap from his local grocery store.
On a sunny day in London, I started to wonder why I was using it when I am lucky enough to have a cupboard full of freshly scented soaps which by and large, are still exceptional value but put a bit of pleasure in the start of the day.
So there you go - the first soap I have identified as being actually depressing to use.