Pre-Shave Ratings

Updated April 2026

There may have been no bigger game changers to my shaves than discovering and using pre-shave products. They’re meant to soften the hairs, add lubrication and moisture to the skin, provide a protective and slick layer under the lather, and help to prevent irritation.

They come in several different forms: soaps, gels, creams, lotions, and oils (and probably others), and I’ve tried all of the types listed here and have some thoughts and favorites. That’s what this post is about.

My first pre-shave was a Truefitt & Hill pre-shave oil that my wife bought for me for Christmas. I dove in and started using it, and it provided a marginal improvement to using the canned gel and foam lathers I was using at the time. I picked up some other pre-shave oils and was a little underwhelmed. What I found for me was that the slickness from the oils didn’t stand up well to the lather on top of them and would lose whatever slickness was there prior to applying the lather.

I added the Proraso Sensitive pre-shave cream (white) a few months after that, and that was the big change. For those who haven’t used any Proraso pre-shave product, it says it’s a cream, but it’s not smooth or creamy like a lotion. It’s kind of like an oily soap, but it applies well and provides an excellent base layer of slickness for me.

I added the Razor Emporium unscented pre-shave soap stick after that, and experienced the soap-based pre-shave. In my experience, these aren’t quite as good as the Proraso creams, but are miles better than the oils. The soap typically has some glycerin to it, so goes on as a slick, thick layer that sticks to the skin and just helps protect the skin and make the shave slicker.

Then, via a sample, I added a pre-shave lotion. This worked, but was a little weird as it really seemed to mingle with the lather and was not as slick as the cream or soap. But it’s still better than the oils.

Finally, I added some gels. These have been outstanding, rivaling the Proraso creams for performance with a nice slick layer that stays in place under the lather, and provides excellent lubrication.

I’ve had experience with 14 pre-shave products, and currently have 11 in stock (or in stock and being used as a pre-shave and not a beard oil). Here are my ratings of them.

Pre-Shave Product	Photo	Type	Slickness	Scent	Overall	Comments
Proraso Sensitive Pre-shave Cream (white)		Cream	5.00	5.00	5.000	An outstanding product for slickness, lubrication, and protection.
Proraso Protective Pre-shave Cream (blue)		Cream	5.00	5.00	5.000	Almost identical to the white cream, but with a stronger menthol cooling feel and scent.
Proraso Refreshing Pre-shave Cream (green)		Cream	5.00	5.00	5.000	Again, almost identical to the white and blue formulas, but a lighter menthol scent than the blue.
Cella Organic Pre-Shave Gel (green)		Gel	4.75	4.75	4.750	Slick and moisturizing with a slight menthol cooling feel. Sticks to the skin under the lather.
Cella Pre-shave gel (red)		Gel	4.75	4.50	4.625	Slick and moisturing with a very slight cooling feel. Not quite as slick as the green on my skin, but works very well.
Razor Emporium Unscented Pre-shave soap stick		Soap Stick	4.50	4.75	4.625	Slick but slightly sticky, this soap sticks to the face and forms a nice layer with no fragrance.
Razor Emporium Menthol pre-shave soap stick		Soap Stick	4.50	4.50	4.500	Same basic formulation as the unscented, but flecks of charcoal in the soap. Very light menthol cooling feel.
Stirling Soap Co. Unscented pre-shave soap		Soap	4.50	4.50	4.500	Similar to the Razor Emporium pre-shaves, but not quite as slick as those, and I think I prefer the stick form over the bar of soap.
Edwin Jagger Hydrating Pre-shave Cream		Cream	4.25	4.25	4.250	More like a lotion than a cream, has a very strong menthol cooling feel, but performs okay under the lather.
Truefitt & Hill Ultimate Comfort pre-shave		Oil	4.00	4.50	4.250	I love the citrus scent to this oil, but as an oil, it just doesn’t perform well for me under the lathers. Works fine as a beard oil.
Stirling Soap Co. Unscented Beard & Pre-shave oil		Oil	4.00	4.00	4.000	A really nice beard oil, but did not add much slickness for me under any lather.
Stirling Soap Co. Barbershop Beard & Pre-shave oil		Oil	4.00	3.00	3.500	Again, a nice beard oil, but an extremely strong fragrance that stuck with me even the next day.
Proraso Nourishing Pre-shave cream (red)		Cream				Untested
Taylor of Old Bond Street Jermyn Street Pre-Shave gel		Gel				Untested