Proraso Shaving Cream Review

In today’s article, you will get a detailed look at the Proraso Shaving Cream (green label).  This includes an overview of the packaging, how it lathers, and a demonstration of how this popular shaving cream performs with a double edge safety razor.

Let’s begin:

Review Disclosure

Here are a few important items you should know:

  • This isn’t a paid post – we don’t accept them for any review.
  • This post contains affiliate links (learn more).  This helps to cover site-related expenses (i.e. product cost for future reviews, hosting, salary, etc.).
  • This shaving cream was paid for out of pocket – it is not complimentary.
  • Tools of Men is independently owned and operated.

Proraso Shaving Cream Packaging

Whether purchasing online or in a store, you can expect the Proraso shaving cream to be housed in a cardboard container that will come like this:

front view of proraso shaving cream
ingredient list of proraso shaving cream
side of proraso

Once removed from the box, you will see it comes in a nice metal tube:

front view of proraso shaving cream tube

Now there are a few things to note based on the pictures above that are important to call out:

  • The Proraso Shaving Cream comes in a 5.2oz (150ml) container.  This makes it unsuitable for carry-on storage when flying in the USA per TSA travel restrictions.
  • You can expect a single tube of Proraso shaving cream to last you two months.
  • This shaving cream is made in Italy.
  • The cardboard box and metal tube help to preserve the shaving cream.
  • As stated on the side of the box, this shaving cream can be used as either a hand lather or shaving brush lather.

Proraso Shaving Cream Ingredients

Objectively, the Proraso shaving cream has a fairly clean label.  There are very few ingredients in total within the formula.  Here’s a closer look at the label for your review:

closeup of proraso shaving cream ingredient label

As you can see, it contains many standard ingredients including water, stearic acid, fragrance, etc.  However, some of the ingredients worth calling out include the cocos nucifera oil (coconut oil) menthol, camphor, and eucalyptus leaf oil.

Here’s why they matter:

  • Coconut Oil: Helps to provide natural lubrication to the shaving cream that allows for a smooth and slick surface.  
  • Menthol: Provides a bright and invigorating scent.
  • Camphor: Helps to reduce irritation and has natural anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties (source).
  • Eucalyptus Oil: Adds a nice aromatic scent to the shaving cream in tandem with menthol.

If some of these ingredients or scents are a turn-off for you, don’t worry — Proraso does make a few other varieties of this shaving cream that we will cover later on.

Proraso Shaving Cream Lather

As mentioned previously, the Proraso shaving cream can be lathered with either a hand or brush lather – both will suffice for most shaves.  In the demonstration below, we are going with a brush lather as we think most men are likely going to be using the shaving cream in a traditional wet shaving way.

We are using a synthetic shave brush that was included in the Maggard’s wet shaving starter kit we have recently reviewed.  The brush has been pre-dampened with warm water.  

To load the brush, we will just simply squirt in about an almond-sized amount of the shaving cream like so:

man loading shaving brush with proraso shaving cream

Once loaded, this shave cream developed a nice lather on the face immediately:

man using shaving brush to apply proraso shaving cream

After working through the entire face, you can see that it develops into a nice, rich lather:

man with proraso shaving cream on face looking at camera

Here are a few additional notes about the lather:

  • The aromatic scent of the shaving cream was pleasant and not overpowering.  It is invigorating, unlike a weighty sandalwood scent.
  • The shave brush still had plenty of shave cream still loaded in the bristles that could work for a few more additional passes if necessary.
  • For slickness, this shave cream was silky smooth.
  • The shave cream didn’t run dry and provided nice insulation for the duration of the shave.

Shaving Experience

Here are a few important details to know before we go over the shave experience:

  • Facial Hair Prep: A shower was taken about an hour before the first pass.  Warm to hot water was applied prior to shaving.
  • Pre Shave: Applied a thin coat of the Proraso Pre Shave Cream – reviewed here.
  • Beard Length: These pictures are from the third pass taken with this shaving cream – the beard was originally at three days worth of growth.  The first two were done for the video that accompanies this review if you want to check it out.
  • Razor Type: Using a Merkur 38C – reviewed here.
  • Razor Blade: Super Shark (used for three shaves previously).

Here are the key pictures from the shave:

man with shaving cream on face shaving
man using safety razor to shave

…and here’s how things looked post-shave:

man looking straight to demonstrate shaving cream results
man looking up to the right demonstrating results of shaving cream
man looking up to the left demonstrating results of shaving cream

Here are some notes I took for you about the shave experience:

  • The shaving cream is really comfortable to work with.  The razor blade was three uses old and performed like it was a fresh blade – no razor burn whatsoever.  Really impressed here.
  • While not pictured above, the shave initially started with three days worth of beard growth (a rather thick stubble) – again this was covered in the video.  The shaving cream was able to provide enough lubrication for smooth results.
  • There was no irritation as a result of this shaving cream.  As evident in the pictures above, no redness occurred on the often troublesome neck area.
  • The cushy lather never dissipated or dissolved when on the face for an extended period.
  • The scent dissipates about an hour after you are done shaving.

The Bottom Line

This really is a special shave cream and easy to see why it is one of the best available.  It’s affordable and delivers strong results in every area.  What more could you really ask for in a shave cream?

The Proraso Line Up

While this review focuses on their green label shaving cream, it is worth mentioning that Proraso makes several shaving creams which include the following:

  • White label: designed for men with sensitive skin.
  • Red label: exfoliating properties for men with thick, dense beards.
  • Blue label: moisturizing properties for men with dry skin.
  • Green label (reviewed today): general use shaving cream.

Additionally, they also make a shaving soap and aftershave balm as well.

You can learn more about each of these lineups over on the Proraso website.

Where to Buy Proraso

Of all the traditional shaving brands, Proraso is perhaps one of the most widely distributed.  You may be able to find the shaving cream at your local barbershop, specialty drugstore, or apothecary.  If you don’t have any luck there, then online shouldn’t be a problem.  Many niche online shaving retailers carry this shave cream.  

Additionally, you can also find it available on Amazon:

Final Thoughts

It’s no wonder that Proraso has been around for over a century.  Their men’s grooming products are well-made and deliver strong results.  This gets our stamp of approval – recommended.

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