British soaps

Helveticum said:
The only British soap that has performed reasonably well (and I've tried the most) was the Mitchell's Wool Fat.
All the CFs, Taylor's, T&Hs etc have fantastic scents - really some of the very best out there. But performance wise they just suck compared to any French, German and Italian counterparts.
Maybe you have a tougher skin than mine and it'll be just fine for you though. For me it wasn't.
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globalm said:
While I would agree that someof the UK's 'Big Brands' are disappointing, the same cannot be said for small-business, artisanal soaps, many of which are in world top 10% performers. I agree that the top 1% can be found mainly in Italy and France but I can't agree that the comparison would show that UK soaps 'just suck'.
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I disagree unequivocally that French & Italian soaps are CURRENTLY the so called best. I don't even know anyone currently using a French soap for that matter. I know that they got little "traction" here in the USA as many thought they were drier than vermouth and they seem to have an almost pathological aversion to tallow usage. I think the cheap Monsavon (which has tallow) shaves great however.

The Italian soaps are confusing. I think Cella is a fine soap, but the scent is offputting to many. However, the artisan market in Italy is almost entirely made up of medicocre "run of the mill" vegan soaps that are about as exciting as water polo.

I think that of what I have used P&B as well as OSP are outstanding soaps as regards the U.K.

The problem in the market today is that it has changed drastically toward soaps that not only smell extraordinarily well (and potently), but one that satisfies the PSF (post shave feel) Nazilike reviewers. The current obsession with PSF is guiding the artisan market (at least in the USA) as if some sort of false god IMO. In other words. you could make the greatest shaving & smelling soap extant, but if the PSF Nazis don't think it supplies the equivalent of a Bukkakelike PSF then they will blackball it. It has truly gotten out of hand IMO and has "killed" many a fine soap because these idiots are too damned ignorant/lazy to buy a modern top shelf moisturizer and use that for any PSF. Arguing science with these fools is impossible. Forgive me if I seem heavy handed in my judgment, but this so called "quest" has sidetracked much of the artisan market in the past few years and it's just plain silly. Artisans are not pseudo dermatologists.
 
globalm said:
While I would agree that someof the UK's 'Big Brands' are disappointing, the same cannot be said for small-business, artisanal soaps, many of which are in world top 10% performers. I agree that the top 1% can be found mainly in Italy and France but I can't agree that the comparison would show that UK soaps 'just suck'.
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Which Italian and French soaps would you put in the top 1%? Presumably SV and MdC?
 
Boycie83 said:
Phoenix and Beau
Wickhams 1912
Cyril R Salter
Castle Forbes
Mitchell's Wool Fat
The Executive Shaving Company
The Traditional Shaving Company
Edwin Jagger
Arran
Signature Soaps
Truefitt & Hill
Geo F Trumper
TOBS
D R Harris
Creightons
OSP (no longer made but still available in places)
London Oatcake
Alexander Simpson
Gentlemens Face Care Club
Nanny's Silly Soap

A number of other artisan soap makers also make a shaving soap but these can vary wildly in quality.
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Dead Sea Shave are also very good.
 
Bogeyman said:
I disagree unequivocally that French & Italian soaps are CURRENTLY the so called best. I don't even know anyone currently using a French soap for that matter. I know that they got little "traction" here in the USA as many thought they were drier than vermouth and they seem to have an almost pathological aversion to tallow usage. I think the cheap Monsavon (which has tallow) shaves great however.

The Italian soaps are confusing. I think Cella is a fine soap, but the scent is offputting to many. However, the artisan market in Italy is almost entirely made up of medicocre "run of the mill" vegan soaps that are about as exciting as water polo.

I think that of what I have used P&B as well as OSP are outstanding soaps as regards the U.K.

The problem in the market today is that it has changed drastically toward soaps that not only smell extraordinarily well (and potently), but one that satisfies the PSF (post shave feel) Nazilike reviewers. The current obsession with PSF is guiding the artisan market (at least in the USA) as if some sort of false god IMO. In other words. you could make the greatest shaving & smelling soap extant, but if the PSF Nazis don't think it supplies the equivalent of a Bukkakelike PSF then they will blackball it. It has truly gotten out of hand IMO and has "killed" many a fine soap because these idiots are too damned ignorant/lazy to buy a modern top shelf moisturizer and use that for any PSF. Arguing science with these fools is impossible. Forgive me if I seem heavy handed in my judgment, but this so called "quest" has sidetracked much of the artisan market in the past few years and it's just plain silly. Artisans are not pseudo dermatologists.
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Some good points, but for the last paragraph I can't really quantify or add anything to as I'm able to use most 'artisan' soaps as any soap with even half an interesting scent makes my face burn.

For Italian soaps, there are a few others that I see to be very good performers. The Valobra stick & Vitos croap, two solid tallow soaps. Vitos Green possibly has a very mild almond/talcum powder scent that pretty much dissipates over a few weeks of use. The Italian Palmolive Menthol cream is very good as well, my favourite cream by quite a margin.

Back to UK soaps, I've used Nannys, OSP, Wickhams, & P&B, and they are all superb. For larger producers, MWF & Cyril Salter are two very traditional tallow soaps that are excellent as well.
 
I'm one of those folks using French soaps on a very regular basis, and for many years now. Never let me down. German ones are still slightly better performers, but I enjoy the French scents more (namely Cade, PdLs and Provence Sante).
 
Ooh! So many points to discuss.

Italian soaps I like are SV, TFS, Valobra. French soaps MdC, le Pere Lucien, Savon des Volcanes, Theophile Berton. I can't perceive a jot of difference between good tallow and good vegetable soaps. Unfortunately, I can't take a view on many US soaps as most I have tried irritate my skin as the scent content is too high. That's not the soap, it's just me.
 
Bogeyman said:
The problem in the market today is that it has changed drastically toward soaps that not only smell extraordinarily well (and potently), but one that satisfies the PSF (post shave feel) Nazilike reviewers. The current obsession with PSF is guiding the artisan market (at least in the USA) as if some sort of false god IMO. In other words. you could make the greatest shaving & smelling soap extant, but if the PSF Nazis don't think it supplies the equivalent of a Bukkakelike PSF then they will blackball it. It has truly gotten out of hand IMO and has "killed" many a fine soap because these idiots are too damned ignorant/lazy to buy a modern top shelf moisturizer and use that for any PSF. Arguing science with these fools is impossible. Forgive me if I seem heavy handed in my judgment, but this so called "quest" has sidetracked much of the artisan market in the past few years and it's just plain silly. Artisans are not pseudo dermatologists.
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Or then again maybe people just like soap that doesn't dry your skin out.
 
Vulfix have creams and hard pucks, although I haven't tried any yet.

Of the Italian artisan offering I do have a tallow croap, the PannaCrema Pure2O. Great scent, lather, post-shave feel (shea butter).
 
Bob1955 said:
I prefer Italian croaps, Wickhams is nice tho, I bought a puck of Kent soap because I read it was rebranded MWF...it too is very good. Wayyy too many great products out there.
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Lot of love for Italian soaps on this forum , and yet all the Italian soaps croaps I have used leave my skin really greecy
Kind regards
Ian
 
Penhaligon's and Murdock also made soaps in the UK. The reformulated Penhaligon's is okay, the Murdock, however, smells great but performs terribly.

I'm not sure whether Crabtree & Evelyn still make shaving soap or not?
 
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