Body Shop Shaving Cream Review

In this article, we will be reviewing the Body Shop Maca Root & Aloe Softening Shaving Cream.

Specifically, you will learn about both its lathering properties and shaving performance with a safety razor.

Let’s begin:

Lathering the Body Shop Shaving Cream

Able to be applied via hand lather or with a traditional shave brush, this shave cream by Body Shop is soft-bodied and rather easy to apply:

For our lathering demonstration, we will be using it with a cheap synthetic shave brush:

After twirling it around in the container for only a few seconds, it was well-loaded and ready to apply.

By simply working it onto the cheeks for a few seconds, I found it initially to be a bit dry. However, after simply wetting the tip of the shaving brush lightly, it was able to develop into a nice, slick lather:

Here are a few additional notes that you should know about this shave cream:

• The shave cream has a nice light and fresh scent.  I think it is rather comparable to a Cremo shave cream if you are familiar with that brand.
• There was ample cushion here which should make for a nice shave no matter the razor type you are using.
• When it comes to staying power, the shaving cream lasted long.  As I approached the end of my shave, the shaving cream didn’t dissipate or dissolve – it was still thick.  This will help to ensure that your facial hair remains soft and your skin is well prepped so the first pass will feel just as good as the last pass with the razor.
• After the first application, plenty of the shaving cream remained in the brush allowing me to reapply and use it for a second pass if necessary – a little goes a very long way here.

Shaving with Body Shop Shaving Cream

Before we share the shave experience, here are a few important details worth knowing so you have a better context of the shave:

• Facial Hair Prep: Liberal amount of warm water was added to the face prior to shaving.
• Pre-Shave: Using the Proraso Pre Shave Cream that we recently reviewed.
• Beard Length: This is pass number three (the first two were done for the companion video shown earlier).
• Razor: Using a Merkur 34C safety razor which we recently reviewed.
• Razor Blade: Using Merkur Platinum.

Now let’s see if the Body Shop shaving cream can deliver a good performance.  

First the shave pics:

…and the post-shave look:

As you can see above, there was no irritation to speak of here – very nice.

Here are a few notes about how the shaving cream performed with a safety razor:

• The cushion here was really nice.  It wasn’t too terribly thick but did provide nice insulation for the facial hair.
• Lubrication was top-notch and competes toe-to-toe with many other shave creams double the price.  You could definitely use this with a straight razor.
• The shave results were smooth and comfortable.
• After shaving, I noticed no dryness on the cheeks whatsoever, a problem that I sometimes have with tallow-based shave creams.  While you could use a post-shave balm – it really isn’t necessary.  This may speak volumes about the inclusion of aloe vera in its formula (more on this in a minute).
• The subtle light and fresh scent did quickly subside after rinsing off.  Therefore, if you wear cologne or body spray, you don’t have to worry about the scent clashing at all.
• Given the mild scent and formula of the shaving cream, you could use this for other areas including head, arms, chest, legs, groin, etc.

The Bottom Line

Overall, I really enjoyed this shave cream.  It performed exceedingly well and smelled wonderful.  If you are looking for a daily shave cream that should play nice with your shaving tool – then consider this one.

Other Details About the Body Shop Shaving Cream

Our review doesn’t end with the lather and shave!  Here are a few other key details you may want to know:

Packaging

Here are a few shots of the product packaging:

So a few things worth mentioning based on the product shots above:

• This shaving cream is NOT TSA-friendly.  While it does provide good value (more on this in a minute), the 6.3oz container exceeds the allowable carry-on size.
• Unlike most shaving creams that are made in the USA, Canada, England, or Italy, the Body Shop shaving cream was made in Thailand.  
• There was no exterior container or tamper-proof seal.
• This is an animal-friendly and vegan shave cream.

Ingredients

Here’s a closer look at the ingredient label for your review:

When compared to some of the other shave creams and soaps we reviewed, especially those from Proraso, Cella, and Chiseled Face – the ingredient list on this shave cream is rather long.

While I personally have mildly sensitive skin and experienced no irritation while using this shave cream, your results may differ.  Try shaving just a small area of skin before using it as a full lather if uncertain.

Now there are a few ingredients that I do want to call out in this shave cream, particularly the maca root and aloe vera as they are the leading selling points of this shave cream.

While the maca root is claimed to help soften facial hair – this was pretty hard to objectively prove when using it in a shaving cream – especially with a beard that only has one day’s worth of growth. 

The aloe vera is fair trade and was included to increase the overall comfort of the shave.  While it’s impossible to single out any ingredient as the sole reason for the performance – I can say that this shave cream was comfortable and didn’t make my skin feel dry nor tight afterward.

Editor’s Note: Many companies that include natural ingredients in their products like to make bold claims that the performance will be superior.  However, most of these natural ingredients have not been scientifically proven (source).  Therefore, we suggest you put very little weight here when it comes to expectations.

Price

Currently, the Body Shop shaving cream retails for around $15 in the USA.  At 6.2oz, this shaving cream is bigger than most – which results in a bit better value.

The distribution of this shaving cream is a bit wider than many other niche shaving creams as there are several Body Shop locations throughout the USA (currently 3,000 stores).  Of course, if you want to pick it up online, you can purchase it directly from the Body Shop or Amazon:

Parting Thoughts

Overall, this was an enjoyable review to do.  The shaving cream performed better than expected and one that I personally will look forward to using again.  

I do hope that you found this review helpful and be sure to come back for other great articles here on the site!