Arran Aromatics Bay Citrus Shaving Soap

[Arrowhead]

Arran Aromatics Bay Citrus Shaving Soap

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This was an impulse buy from the factory shop near Brodick, Isle of Arran, and it cost me £8 for 100g. The soap comes in the form of a snow-white round bottomed cake of the usual sort, and it's comparatively hard. From the back of the box: "Shave soap formulated to maximize performance with plant extracts of bay, lemon and mint. Herbaceous notes of lavandin merge with a woody spice heart of patchouli, bay and nutmeg enhanced with soft notes of cedar and vetiver". The ingredients declaration:

"Potassium Palmate, Sodium Palmate, Potassium Stearate, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Aqua, Palm Kernel Acid, Parfum, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Gluconate, Pentasodium Pentatate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Butylphenyl Methylpropionol, Linalool, 3-Methyl-4(2,6,6-Trimethyl-2-Cyclohexen-1-yl)-3-buten-2-one (Alpha Isomethyl-Ionone)"

Over to you, Henk.

The smell of the soap is very pleasant in a fresh woody sort of way, which is what sold me on it. As regards performance, I'm afraid I can do this review in four words: this soap is dismal. Apply a brush and it immediately produces profuse, bubbly lather; work it for a while in a bowl or on the face and it never becomes any denser or more stable: this stuff seems to be almost effervescent, not to say evanescent. I finally managed to get a very ordinary shave with it by using the brush with almost all the water shaken out of it, but even then the lather deteriorates quicker than one can shave. I'll try a superlather technique with a fair proportion of cream sometime, but as a standalone this soap is a failure and to be avoided in my opinion.

The following ought really to go in another section, but there isn't much to say. At the same time I bought a bottle of Arran Aromatics Vetiver Post Shave Soother, a white somewhat oleaginous balm. The scent is so faint as to be near non-existent (good), and it does its job perfectly well, used in very small quantities - too much feels far too greasy. 250ml for £5, and it should last for a very long time indeed.

 

[SoapAlchemist]

Gosh Arrowhead,
Is it possible that you have found a soap that performs worse than mine??

 

[henkverhaar]

The ingredients declaration:

"Potassium Palmate, Sodium Palmate, Potassium Stearate, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Aqua, Palm Kernel Acid, Parfum, Titanium Dioxide, Sodium Gluconate, Pentasodium Pentatate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Butylphenyl Methylpropionol, Linalool, 3-Methyl-4(2,6,6-Trimethyl-2-Cyclohexen-1-yl)-3-buten-2-one (Alpha Isomethyl-Ionone)"

Over to you, Henk.

Classic shaving soap (non-animal (depending on the origin of the stearate), non-tallow), made from palm oil, palm kernel oil and stearic acid, More potassium than sodium soaps, as it should be. Titanium dioxide is white pigment. Gluconate, pentetate and etidronate are metal catchers. The rest are individual irritants from the fragrances.

The smell of the soap is very pleasant in a fresh woody sort of way, which is what sold me on it. As regards performance, I'm afraid I can do this review in four words: this soap is dismal. Apply a brush and it immediately produces profuse, bubbly lather; work it for a while in a bowl or on the face and it never becomes any denser or more stable: this stuff seems to be almost effervescent, not to say evanescent. I finally managed to get a very ordinary shave with it by using the brush with almost all the water shaken out of it, but even then the lather deteriorates quicker than one can shave. I'll try a superlather technique with a fair proportion of cream sometime, but as a standalone this soap is a failure and to be avoided in my opinion.

I'd have to do some calculations as per the ingredient list, to see what the possible percentages are, but it sounds as if this soap has too little potassium and too much palm kernel acids (palm kernel acids are almost identical in properties to coconut acids; short chain, degreasing soaps that make a profuse but airy lather. Coconut soaps are good for actual cleansing and also work in salt water, but should be used sparingly in a shaving soap.

Henk

 

[SoapAlchemist]

I agree with Henk that it looks as if this soap may have too much palm kernal, in which case it may be overly drying.
Cleansing generally = drying; with a shaving soap it is usually left on the skin for longer than any other type of soap normally would be, so you don't want too much of a cleansing action.

 

[Arrowhead]

Gosh Arrowhead,
Is it possible that you have found a soap that performs worse than mine??

As you very well know, soapalchemist, most of us were very positive about your latest offering. Don't do yourself down.

Thanks for the usual snappy analysis Henk, "profuse but airy lather" is exactly what this soap produces, so I think you've delivered the answer. What I'd like to know is how this product came on the market without the problem being identified and rectified: I suspect ignorance of how a good shaving soap should perform.

 

[henkverhaar]

What I'd like to know is how this product came on the market without the problem being identified and rectified: I suspect ignorance of how a good shaving soap should perform.

LIkely, although the potassium/sodium relative ratio suggests that the person formulating this soap IS aware of basic shaving soap requirements. Maybe, this being an Arran product, they put in lots of palm kernel acids to make this stuff work in salt water too ;-)

Henk

 

[Arrowhead]

I don't think they count the seals amongst their customers!

 

[SoapAlchemist]

Gosh Arrowhead,
Is it possible that you have found a soap that performs worse than mine??

As you very well know, soapalchemist, most of us were very positive about your latest offering. Don't do yourself down.

You're right Arrowhead, I must be more positive. I guess I was hoping some reviewers would say they were able to head butt the wall and bounce right back, what with the cushioning lather and all :lol: Hopefully, the latest attempt is a small improvement again; now waiting for 2 Spaniards and an American in Liverpool to give feedback on those, as well as Dr. Henk - although I wont be posting them for a few days yet.