Proraso - what's the hype?

[Golden_Edge]

I am in the minority here but hear me out.

Two years ago, when I gave DE shaving a go, the Proraso Green and the White were amongst the creams I tried. Neither one impressed me and I gave them away to a friend. Fast forward to today (and after rejoining DE shaving six months ago), I had to revisit Proraso - especially after reading all the positive reviews. I was also convinved my memory served me incorrectly.

So I bought a bunch (all tubes expect the wood and spices). My brother who never tried wanted some so I ordered extra. Upon arrival, I squeezed some of the Green in a bowl and swirled. It's so light and airy that Proraso could do without a brush. Proraso even has a video clip on their website of a guy applying the cream on his face after rubbing it in his hands. Anyway.

I'll skip the shaving details and will go straight to my opinion: from the lather, to the performance to the scent, it felt like an industrial canned gel/foam.

All of which leaves me scratching my head. What is the hype about? Is it the history of the brand, the accessibility of the product, the cheaper cost ($10 here and couple/few € across the pond) in relation to the result it provides, etc?

I'd like to hear your thoughts.

 

[SalS]

You probably don’t know how to use a cream because it is basically the standard whether in cream or soft soap form. The lather is not light as you say. I used it for over ten years and would often spend a whole lot more on others only to get less satisfaction and value. The only time I spent substantially more was on Santa Maria Novella which IMO has no peers but it costs eight times as much.

Yes you can face lather Proraso cream. Is that a problem? You can face lather any cream.

I don’t use a brush anymore because I find Jack Black Beard Lube to be best given the few minutes it takes to use, the superb quality of the shave with my Henson and the skin conditioning ingredients.

You would certainly be an outlier with your Proraso experience because to get such a high quality product for $10 is amazing, especially a sandalwood cream, the red one.

 

[Rhody]

Probably ymmv.

 

[TOVT]

Green, Red, or Blue, I'll take two. Along with the preshave!

 

[silverlifter]

I've only used the, now sadly discontinued, Single Blade line and it is an excellent cream. Fantastic slickness for straight shaves, and the scent of Cypress & Vetyver is one of my favourites. As mentioned, it is also priced reasonably. I just stocked up on two more tubes, knowing that they will be disappearing from stores over the next while.

 

[Deano]

Havnt used it for quite awhile but the croap in the white little tub l remember liking well enough.

 

[NorthernSoul]

The standard Proraso creams in the tube cost around 2 to 3 euros in Italy at every supermarket. It is an industrial product, but overall a good one. It is not anything magical, just good, inexpensive and widely available. Try the blue one.

$10 a tube is overcharging by the vendors, but that's not really Proraso's fault.

 

[FarmerTan]

I love the aftershave. I can live without the cream.

 

[Golden_Edge]

You probably don’t know how to use a cream because it is basically the standard whether in cream or soft soap form. The lather is not light as you say. I used it for over ten years and would often spend a whole lot more on others only to get less satisfaction and value. The only time I spent substantially more was on Santa Maria Novella which IMO has no peers but it costs eight times as much.

Yes you can face lather Proraso cream. Is that a problem? You can face lather any cream.

I don’t use a brush anymore because I find Jack Black Beard Lube to be best given the few minutes it takes to use, the superb quality of the shave with my Henson and the skin conditioning ingredients.

You would certainly be an outlier with your Proraso experience because to get such a high quality product for $10 is amazing, especially a sandalwood cream, the red one.

Cheers for your feedback.

Considering that Proraso advertises a guy applying the cream on his face using his hands, I am not sure what's to 'know' but it's very possible that I don't. The way I did it was the same as for any other cream and/or soft soap (bowl lather, add drops of water as I go, etc). I did get a dense lather with Proraso. The lather (and performance) just felt industrial. For the sake of clarification, when I wrote it's 'light and airy', I meant out of the tube.

I didn't mention 'face lathering' but yes, any cream can be. My reference to 'face' was to discuss Proraso's light and airy texture out of the tube.

All in all, it's clearly a case of YMVV.

 

[FarmerTan]

Cheers for your feedback.

Considering that Proraso advertises a guy applying the cream on his face using his hands, I am not sure what's to 'know' but it's very possible that I don't. The way I did it was the same as for any other cream and/or soft soap (bowl lather, add drops of water as I go, etc). I did get a dense lather with Proraso. The lather (and performance) just felt industrial. For the sake of clarification, when I wrote it's 'light and airy', I meant out of the tube.

I didn't mention 'face lathering' but yes, any cream can be. My reference to 'face' was to discuss Proraso's light and airy texture out of the tube.

All in all, it's clearly a case of YMVV.

It's almost always YMMV, except with Arko: if you don't like Arko, you might be related to @Mike M . That man has problems doggone!

 

[SalS]

Everything you buy is industrial to some extent but with that said my greatest disappointments were with niche and artisanal products that honestly sucked. Just because some guy makes it in his shed doesn’t make it better.

 

[FarmerTan]

Everything you buy is industrial to some extent but with that said my greatest disappointments were with niche and artisanal products that honestly sucked. Just because some guy makes it in his shed doesn’t make it better.

He's right you know...

 

[Calyshaver]

I like Proraso. I discovered it is a thirsty soap and takes some practice to lather it properly. My cheap Yaqi Purple Haze works especially well with it for face lathering.

I think artisan soaps benefit from expectation bias. I have tried samples of a few artisan soaps and was not impressed, regardless of the hype and my expectations.

 

[FarmerTan]

I like Proraso. I discovered it is a thirsty soap and takes some practice to lather it properly. My cheap Yaqi Purple Haze works especially well with it for face lathering.

I think artisan soaps benefit from expectation bias. I have tried samples of a few artisan soaps and was not impressed, regardless of the hype and my expectations.

Is that brush as purty as it sounds?

 

[Golden_Edge]

Everything you buy is industrial to some extent but with that said my greatest disappointments were with niche and artisanal products that honestly sucked. Just because some guy makes it in his shed doesn’t make it better.

Valid point. Even the most expensive soaps/creams are. I guess I expected something 'magical' (to quote @NorthernSoul ) with Proraso when in reality, it's a readily available cream that consistently works at an appealing price point.

Out of curiosity, which niche/artisanal products were your greatest disappointments? I was never into them and thus only tried two so far - Tallow & Steel and Mike's. Mike makes quality soaps but T&S made me nauseous out of the jar (all three scents I had ordered) and couldn't even try.

 

[JCarr]

I'm not buying stock in it, but it's been around quite a while and it certainly has a dedicated fan base. I have and use their Sandalwood aftershave and like it. I've tried their soap quite a while ago. It was adequate.

 

[NorthernSoul]

Is that brush as purty as it sounds?

See what you think...

 

[Tulsa1977]

I really enjoy Proraso green shaving cream. Proraso was my first entry into De shaving and holds a special place in my heart. So probably some bias there. I would guess your situation is YMMV. As for the artisan vs “industrial” argument, there are valid points on both sides. I love Mike’s and GD. Other artisan’s have not not performed as well as Tabac, Cella, and Proraso have for me. I enjoy the variety of soaps and the journey. Best wishes in your journey (sans Proraso)!

 

[Marco]

I love the aftershave. I can live without the cream.

Dave, I love the aftershave too. But I CANNOT live without the cream!

 

[Roy]

I am in the minority here but hear me out.

Two years ago, when I gave DE shaving a go, the Proraso Green and the White were amongst the creams I tried. Neither one impressed me and I gave them away to a friend. Fast forward to today (and after rejoining DE shaving six months ago), I had to revisit Proraso - especially after reading all the positive reviews. I was also convinved my memory served me incorrectly.

So I bought a bunch (all tubes expect the wood and spices). My brother who never tried wanted some so I ordered extra. Upon arrival, I squeezed some of the Green in a bowl and swirled. It's so light and airy that Proraso could do without a brush. Proraso even has a video clip on their website of a guy applying the cream on his face after rubbing it in his hands. Anyway.

I'll skip the shaving details and will go straight to my opinion: from the lather, to the performance to the scent, it felt like an industrial canned gel/foam.

All of which leaves me scratching my head. What is the hype about? Is it the history of the brand, the accessibility of the product, the cheaper cost ($10 here and couple/few € across the pond) in relation to the result it provides, etc?

I'd like to hear your thoughts.

If you thought that the lather was light and airy, you did not work it long enough with the brush. Yes, it starts that way, but you need to keep going a bit longer. It will be transformed into a thick glossy lather.