Castle Forbes Lime - New formula

[Indigo3]

Thought I'd treat myself...performance was good but scent was underwhelming to say the least. I was really hoping for a lime hit as I'd read promising reviews of the old formula. Has anybody tried both to compare?

[superbleu]

They changed the recipe? when was this? I'm glad I have two old tubs stocked away.

[Marco]

They changed the recipe? when was this? I'm glad I have two old tubs stocked away.

As most brands they changed the ingredients list to a paraben-free formula. I have no idea how the new are, but the old Lime and Lavender were excellent.

[CFSoto]

Thought I'd treat myself...performance was good but scent was underwhelming to say the least. I was really hoping for a lime hit as I'd read promising reviews of the old formula. Has anybody tried both to compare?

Hi Indigo,

I was unaware that CF changed their ingredients for the great Lime cream.Does anyone out there know when they did this? I have a tub I bought maybe 3 mos. ago and it seemed to perform as well as the previous ones I used. However,I never checked the ingredients list on my 3 month old tub.

Craig

[Optometrist]

I now have the new formula, my first being the old, and I can safely say I notice absolutely no difference whatsoever in either scent or performance.

[Indigo3]

Well then I remain duly underwhelmed, it's a very pleasant lime scent don't get me wrong I was hoping for it to be much more potent. YMMV. I suspect the new formula coincides with the new packaging which is now all plastic which is a shame.

[Illadelphia]

I just bought a tub 2 nights ago from IB. It will be my first time trying it.

[brucered]

my "paraben free" lime is VERY VERY STRONG scented. i love it.

[syngent]

my lime was very strong as well, these are small batch made runs though are they not ?, i dont think they contract out to a big manufacturer, it is possible you have a bad example Indigo, maybe contact them see if they can arrange a new tub, see if it is any different then the one you have... I find the CF lime the most natural of scents, and one of the stronger ones of the limes i have had thru the den, they certainly dont skimp on the essential oils in their mix

[brucered]

my lime was very strong as well, these are small batch made runs though are they not ?, i dont think they contract out to a big manufacturer, it is possible you have a bad example Indigo, maybe contact them see if they can arrange a new tub, see if it is any different then the one you have... I find the CF lime the most natural of scents, and one of the stronger ones of the limes i have had thru the den, they certainly dont skimp on the essential oils in their mix

don't contact them thru email or their website, they do NOT get back to you :mad3:

[shaverjoe]

My brother got me a tub for my birthday this past February. I split it with him and let him keep the original container so I cannot see if mine is the new or old formula, though I will ask him. I do know the container was all plastic, and I mention this because the OP commented this was a change. This was my first tub of CF lime so I have nothing to compare it to, but I will say the scent is phenomenal and the performance is top notch.

[AABCDS]

...
I do know the container was all plastic, and I mention this because the OP commented this was a change.
...


I have the original formulation and the container is all plastic too. I think Indigo3 was referring to the packaging itself. I know the original formulation comes in a cardboard box. Can anyone confirm if the new formulation comes in a plastic box/packaging?

[shaverjoe]

I have the original formulation and the container is all plastic too. I think Indigo3 was referring to the packaging itself. I know the original formulation comes in a cardboard box. Can anyone confirm if the new formulation comes in a plastic box/packaging?

The tub I received was, indeed, in a cardboard box.

[AABCDS]

The tub I received was, indeed, in a cardboard box.

Maybe you have the old formulation too. Either that or I have no idea what Indigo3 means when he says:


...
I suspect the new formula coincides with the new packaging which is now all plastic which is a shame.

[Indigo3]

Maybe you have the old formulation too. Either that or I have no idea what Indigo3 means when he says:

That was total nonsense, I had in mind that the old formula was always in glass and it obviously wasn't. To clarify mine came in a plastic jar within a cardboard box.

[shaverjoe]

That was total nonsense, I had in mind that the old formula was always in glass and it obviously wasn't. To clarify mine came in a plastic jar within a cardboard box.

Mine did too. Again, this is the only formulation I have experienced, but the scent is incredible and is second only to the performance.

[kingfisher]

Meh.

It's a soap, but Mystic Waters lime is a MUCH better scent than Castle Forbes lime. Both use EOs, but there's no comparison at all. CF Lime is, in my opinion, one of the most overrated scents in shaving (no offense to anybody who loves it).

[Kramerica]

Not to confuse this, but there are two cardboard box types for CF. The jar itself has been plastic for awhile, but before the paraben switch, the box itself was a two piece box, where the top lifted off...it was a bit thicker than average as well. Nice presentation.

The new box is a standard box. Two flaps, thin cardboard. Folds flat. A longer flatter version of an AoS box.

The cream itself. Absolutely awesome. And I cannot fathom how anyone would find it weak. But, as in all things here, YMMV.

[brucered]

Meh.

It's a soap, but Mystic Waters lime is a MUCH better scent than Castle Forbes lime. Both use EOs, but there's no comparison at all. CF Lime is, in my opinion, one of the most overrated scents in shaving (no offense to anybody who loves it).

so do you think CF is overpriced or just not that great a performer?

i paid $30 shipped for my new tub of CF and it's a big tub that lasts a long time. i find it a great performer, a little goes a long way and leaves my skin feeling great.

i can't comment on MIKE's as i have not tried it.

[syngent]

Ive heard good things about both Mikes, and MW lime scents, but havent tried either, Im not a huge lime fan though maybe in comparison to those two CF loses its love to the user....

I do however love the lavender, and im one of the few who has the cedarwood as one of my favorite scents

[brucered]

CF LIME is up in rotation, i am doing about a week with each now, just finished IK. great shave, great post shave feel.

i love CF and think it's worth every penny. like i said, it can be found for a decent price if you look around and add a few things to spread out shipping prices.

[shaverjoe]

CF LIME is up in rotation, i am doing about a week with each now, just finished IK. great shave, great post shave feel.

i love CF and think it's worth every penny. like i said, it can be found for a decent price if you look around and add a few things to spread out shipping prices.

+1. I feel CF is worth every penny as well simply because so little product is needed to make enough lather for a 3+ pass shave.

[Marco]

Anyone to post a pic with the new ingredients list, please?

[Mendel]

Castle Forbes Lime is my ultimate favorite shaving cream! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy embracing change, but this thread is getting me a bit depressed.

If my beloved Castle Forbes Lime is no longer the same, I have a contingency plan in place...JM Frazers Original Shaving Cream. It has a similar lime scent but a bit more subtle. I love them both!

[brucered]

Anyone to post a pic with the new ingredients list, please?

253044

[shaverjoe]

Does anyone have an old box so we may compare the ingredients?

[Marco]

253044

Thank you, Bruce. :001_smile

[AABCDS]

Does anyone have an old box so we may compare the ingredients?

Someone posted an ingredient list already.


The ingredient list is similar to most english shaving cream:
water, stearic acid, aloe vera, myristic acid, potassium hydroxide, coconut acid, glycerin, EO, triethanolamine, sodium hydroxide, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben, isobutylparaben, propylparaben

[brucered]

Thank you, Bruce. :001_smile

no problem. i used it again this morning and will all week. FANTASTIC stuff. 10-15sec of application time and i have gobs and gobs of thick lather.

[Marco]

no problem. i used it again this morning and will all week. FANTASTIC stuff. 10-15sec of application time and i have gobs and gobs of thick lather.

OK, I absolutely need to get a new bowl!

[GrimmFu]

I'm so psyched... I have a tub arriving either tomorrow or Tuesday! Very much looking forward to trying this.

Gf

[shaverjoe]

I'm so psyched... I have a tub arriving either tomorrow or Tuesday! Very much looking forward to trying this.

Gf

Congrats. It is a fantastic cream, both in performance and scent.

[kingfisher]

so do you think CF is overpriced or just not that great a performer?


None of the above. It's a great performer and I think it's worth every penny.

All I'm saying is that the scent of the product is vastly overrated, IMO. I enjoy the performace a great deal, but have better lime scents. In particular, Mystic Waters and QCS have (IMO) a better pure lime scent than CF.

[Marco]

Scents are always a very subjective matter and, in my opinion, Castle Forbes has the most "limey" scent of them all. I think it's the strongest, straightest and most delicious lime scent possible in a shaving cream. Again, IMHO.

[brucered]

None of the above. It's a great performer and I think it's worth every penny.

All I'm saying is that the scent of the product is vastly overrated, IMO. I enjoy the performace a great deal, but have better lime scents. In particular, Mystic Waters and QCS have (IMO) a better pure lime scent than CF.


thanks. i have yet to try a Mikes, but the QCS Key Lime is also very very nice. if i didn't have 2 QCS Creams in my rotatation, i probalby would have purchased it, but i wanted to give CF a try and am very glad i did.

i agree with Marco...scents are very subjective and what some love, others will hate (Arko, Tabac come to mind)

[CFSoto]

Scents are always a very subjective matter and, in my opinion, Castle Forbes has the most "limey" scent of them all. I think it's the strongest, straightest and most delicious lime scent possible in a shaving cream. Again, IMHO.

Sono d'accordo con te Marco,sono d'accordo. IMO,its the best lime cream on the market by far !!

Craig

[GrimmFu]

Order arrived today! In the tub, it smells wonderful; fresh, clean, and lime. Looking forward to lathering it up for a shave tomorrow!

Gf

[Marco]

Sono d'accordo con te Marco,sono d'accordo. IMO,its the best lime cream on the market by far !!

Craig

Craig, your Italian is wonderful! :thumbup:

[xraygun]

I'm a big fan of CF fragrances, I have 3 bottles of different cologne from them.
I don't know why, but I found the Lime Cream's scent artificial. I actually sold my tub. It was nothing like the Lime Cologne. I find the much less expensive Vulfix Sicilian Lime to have a much more natural scent and it's a great performer.
Just my .02.

[CFSoto]

Craig, your Italian is wonderful! :thumbup:

Tante grazie amico mio.
Ciao bello,
Craig

[Marco]

Tante grazie amico mio.
Ciao bello,
Craig

:wink2:

[GrimmFu]

So I shaved with the CF lime today for the first time, and I've got mixed emotions.

I found a pleasant soapy, clean and subtle lime smell when I opened the tub, and I expected that when I started a lather that lime would bloom as the lather built. Unfortunately, I smelled almost no lime at all with the lather. I don't know if maybe this is a noob issue, where I haven't used enough creams and soaps to have a realistic expectation of what a lime cream should smell like. I just know I was expecting "Lime", and didn't get that.

On the upside, the lather was capital A Amazing. Holy cow, it was like a video game, "You have leveled up LATHER. Would you like to allocate new skill points now?" it was thick, rich, dense, and soooo slick. I love my Proraso, but wow. This is next level cream. As bummed as I was about the lack of lime punch, lathering and shaving with this cream totally made up for it. Still, too bad about the smell.

I've only used this, Proraso soap and cream (green, old formula), a TOBS sandalwood sample, and a Speick sample, but this is top of the heap for me in terms of feel. Expensive, yes... But you can feel the money. :)

Gf

[DBdL]

Hi GrummFu,

I have had the pleasure of using CF (lime and lavender) for the past 4 months now and I agree 100% with you. I also did not find much of a "punch you in the gut" lime scent while lathering however there is certainly a limey (sorry for the pun my commonwealth brothers :001_tt2:) scent to it nonetheless. In fact I find it a nice pleasant lime scent throughout the shave but no not like a slap in the face of lime rind.

Regardless what I really want is a fantastic shave and that is what I get; the scent is just a bonus. In my opinion simply the best cream/croap I have tried so far. Extremely close, comfortable shaves with little effort although I should add that I did have some difficulty in stopping the lather from disintegrating in my bowl/brush. It took no more then about 5-6 shaves before I was able to correct this problem in which all I needed was more product and more lathering time to make it stable. Another 3 or so more shaves later and I was consistently making great lather that was stable in my brush and bowl; creamy and moist goodness. I might add that I had been using AoS for a very long time beforehand which needs little to any lathering time and I had never used a soap/croap before thus there was some time getting used to loading the brush etc. Just a learning curve like everything else.

I still suggest you get more samples to find what really works for you (T&H, GFT, AoS, MW, QCS, Nancyboy, RR, Cella etc) but in my books CF is my cream of choice and I have no regrets. By the way cost is up there but I've still got my travel samples of cream (going on 34 shaves for Limes and 28 shaves with lavender, still have about half left...yes I actually kept count with each shave to see how much I get out of 50mL). Oh Lavender gives me a better post-shave result, somewhat softer, calmer face toning. That being said I've noticed most "citrus" based creams have a slight astringent effect on my skin.

Cheers

[cvac]

My large tube of CF Lime is also very strongly scented, just like Brucered's...it also lathers like a dream without even thinking about it. Shaved with it this morning, paired with SCS Lime AS, which I also love.

MW Lime - wasn't too impressed at all, which I have already discussed at length on this board.

[cluelessdude]

Does anyone have the ingredients for the CF Lime aftershave balm? What is the general consensus on them?

[Patman27]

Tried out my CF lime for the first time. Very nice strong limey plus some other citrus smell. It doesn't smell like lime zest, but it is the best lime I've tried yet. Also, this is not a cream. It is a dense croap. I took my spatula and carved out what would be my normal amount of cream. Well, I had a lather explosion and still had 1/2 of the dab pucked on the bottom of my bowl. Going to load directly on my brush from now on. Great performance, and it's going to last me for a long time.

I added a bit of bay rum to finish things off. Limey indeed! :pirate:

[Wildalaska]

So I shaved with the CF lime today for the first time, and I've got mixed emotions.

I found a pleasant soapy, clean and subtle lime smell when I opened the tub, and I expected that when I started a lather that lime would bloom as the lather built. Unfortunately, I smelled almost no lime at all with the lather. I don't know if maybe this is a noob issue, where I haven't used enough creams and soaps to have a realistic expectation of what a lime cream should smell like. I just know I was expecting "Lime", and didn't get that.

On the upside, the lather was capital A Amazing. Holy cow, it was like a video game, "You have leveled up LATHER. Would you like to allocate new skill points now?" it was thick, rich, dense, and soooo slick. I love my Proraso, but wow. This is next level cream. As bummed as I was about the lack of lime punch, lathering and shaving with this cream totally made up for it. Still, too bad about the smell.

I've only used this, Proraso soap and cream (green, old formula), a TOBS sandalwood sample, and a Speick sample, but this is top of the heap for me in terms of feel. Expensive, yes... But you can feel the money. :)

Gf

Next move yourself up a notch to Floris, T&H or Penhaligons and see what real luxury is like...

[cluelessdude]

Next move yourself up a notch to Floris, T&H or Penhaligons and see what real luxury is like...

Is T&H really better than C&F?

[brucered]

is t&h really better than c&f?

IMO, NO.

but it's all subjective to what scents you like, how they react to your skin and how they work for you.

to me, CF is up there with the best of the best. nothing against T&H, it's up there too.

[Wildalaska]

Is T&H really better than C&F?

Scents are personal, but T&H creams are slicker than anything out there save the top two: Floris and Penhaligons.

CF is right below Trumpers in terms of lubricity.

Again scent is personal. One may accept a lesser performing cream due to love of scent. thats why I have Trumpers violet in my rotation. In contrast, I cant stand the smell of T&H UC.

[brucered]

Scents are personal, but T&H creams are slicker than anything out there save the top two: Floris and Penhaligons.

CF is right below Trumpers in terms of lubricity.

Again scent is personal. One may accept a lesser performing cream due to love of scent. thats why I have Trumpers violet in my rotation. In contrast, I cant stand the smell of T&H UC.

slickness is also personal and based on how well you can make lather, from what i've found at least. some love certain soaps/creams and swear by them and say they have perfect cushion or slickness, then i try them and they don't work for me at all...some do, some don't.

best think you can do "cluelessdude" is try them all and see which works. if you like CF you will like T&H and visa-versa, they are both great products.

[vocalistbob]

Castle Forbes is my #1 cream in terms of shaving quality. I have tried all of the familiar British creams and none can touch it for slickness and cushioning. But I agree - the scents are rather faint. If you want a stronger lavender scent, try Queen Charlotte's lavender. It's texture is close to Proraso's - sort of a cross between a cream and a soap.