Aftershave Ratings
Updated July 2026
Well, here we are again, this time sorting out my ratings of the various aftershave products I’ve used.
Aftershaves come in a wide range of formats, just like lathers and pre-shaves. And those formats serve a purpose, whether it’s to moisturize after a shave, immediately soothe irritation, tone and firm up the skin, provide a cooling feel, and any number of other purposes. They can come in the form of a lotion, liquid, gel, etcetera.
There are some important caveats to mention here, though. I won’t be including my alum block, for instance. While it is an after shave product, there aren’t a lot of differences between them–yes, some are pressed and some are cut from a solid block–but generally speaking, they should all do about the same things. I am not including things I don’t use anymore like splashes or tonics.
You’ll note that there isn’t a lot of rating difference between most of these products. The ones toward the top are the things that I use the most and like the most, and that is accurately reflected here.
Also note that the term aftershave is presented multiple ways here. I am noting it as reflected in the product name or documentation.
| Name | Type | Moisturization | Scent | Overall Rating | Comments | |
 | Proraso Sensitive Aftershave Balm (white) | Balm | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.000 | Easily my favorite balm. Moisturizes beautifully, is not too runny nor too thick, soothes and calms the skin after a shave, and has a very light and pleasant fragrance that lingers in the background just long enough. |
 | Proraso Protective Aftershave Balm (blue) | Balm | 5.00 | 5.00 | 5.000 | Mostly comparable to the Sensitive balm, this has the same basic formula, but a stronger and slightly more masculine scent. Moistures and soothes wonderfully. |
 | Proraso Refreshing Aftershave Balm (green) | Balm | 5.00 | 4.75 | 4.875 | Comparable in performance to the other two Proraso balms, but with a stronger, more menthol & outdoorsy scent. There is a slight cooling feel, but nothing huge or overwhelming. |
 | Barbasol 1919 After Shave Balm | Cream | 4.75 | 4.75 | 4.750 | The first on the list of the store-bought balms, this has a strong, classic barbershop fragrance, coupled with a thicker lotion or ointment-like consistency, this moisturizes very well and works wonderfully to soothe after the shave. |
 | Cella Organic After Shave Balm (green) | Cream | 4.75 | 4.75 | 4.750 | With a pleasant clean, crisp, fresh fragrance, this feels light and airy, yet delivers great moisture and soothing comfort after a shave. |
 | Dollar Shave Club Post Shave Cream | Cream | 4.75 | 4.75 | 4.750 | While I had originally found this in my local grocery store, I had to get a second tube online, so availability may vary. But this is another case of a thicker cream or ointment consistency, yet still delivers great moisture with a slightly masculine scent that just lingers in the background for a while. |
 | Harry’s Post Shave Balm | Balm | 4.75 | 4.75 | 4.750 | The third of the store-bought products, this is one of my favorites of the bunch: it’s a thinner consistency, yet doesn’t run all over when you squeeze it from the bottle. It moisturizes very well, but doesn’t have a discernable or lasting fragrance. Just comforts and moisturizes. |
 | Nivea Sensitive Cool Post Shave Balm | Balm | 4.75 | 4.75 | 4.750 | Yet another store-bought balm, but not as widely available it appears as it’s Sensitive Soothing sibling below. This moisturizes wonderfully, and has a distinct yet pleasant scent that fades after a few hours. It claims to be a cooling balm, but I can’t detect any hint of cooling when using it. |
 | Nivea Sensitive Soothing Post Shave Balm | Balm | 4.75 | 4.75 | 4.750 | The more broadly available store-bought Nivea balm, this one was one of my first balms, and proved just how comforting a good balm could be after a shave. It moisturizes wonderfully and has about the same lingering scent as the Sensitive Cool above. |
 | Cella After Shave Balm (red) | Cream | 4.75 | 4.50 | 4.625 | A similar formula to the Organic green above, this has a stronger, heavier scent due to the almond scent of the red product line. It isn’t as heavily almondy as the lather, but it still delivers a stronger fragrance that isn’t as light as the green. Still performs well, though, in terms of moisturization and comfort. |
| Clinique Maximum Hydrator | Gel | 4.75 | 4.50 | 4.625 | My first post shave product, and not a post shave product, really. This didn’t do a lot to soothe, but it brought the moisture, and taught me that what my skin wants the most after a shave is to be moisturized. | |
 | Duke Cannon Ice Cold Aftershave Balm | Balm | 4.75 | 4.50 | 4.625 | Unlike the Nivea Sensitive Cool up above, this does offer a cooling, menthol feel. Probably slightly more than the Proraso Refreshing. But as it’s trying to portray its marketing and packaging as manly and macho, the fragrance is fairly plain and not memorable, but isn’t off-putting either. It’s thinner and pourable, and moisturizes well. This works well, but isn’t a favorite. |
 | Henri et Victoria Unscented Aftershave Balm | Cream | 4.50 | 4.75 | 4.625 | A thicker, lotion-like balm, this one doesn’t feel greasy or uncomfortable. It moisturizes well and brings some soothing with it. Nothing special, but certainly not bad. |
 | Pre de Provence No. 63 Aftershave Balm | Cream | 4.75 | 4.50 | 4.625 | A thinner lotion, but still stiff enough for a tube, this goes on well, moisturizes nicely, and has a great French-inspired scent that nicely compliments the floral notes of the Pre de Provence lather. Very enjoyable, but not as soothing as others. |
 | Zingari Man Artisan Aftershave Serum | Cream | 4.50 | 4.25 | 4.375 | This is a thin cream, which seems to soak into the skin nicely, but has a kind of hand cream kind of fragrance. I know it’s meant to be unscented, but it’s a little distracting on its own. |
 | Edwin Jagger Aloe Vera Moisturizing Aftershave Lotion | Cream | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.250 | Goes on as a thick, heavy skin lotion that doesn’t absorb into the skin quickly, leaving a kind of greasy, white, pasty residue until it does fully absorb. The moisture is okay and the scent is fairly neutral, but this one just falls flat for me. |
 | Henri et Victoria Bay Rum Aftershave Balm | Cream | 4.50 | 4.00 | 4.250 | Same general performance as the unscented balm, but the Bay Rum fragrance here is very strong to the point of being overpowering. That leads to trying to use as little of the cream as possible, which results in less moisturization and soothing. |
 | Jack Black Double-Duty Face Moisturizer | Cream | 4.50 | 4.00 | 4.250 | Another product that isn’t actually an after shave balm, but one that I used as one for a while early on. It moisturizes nicely, has a light, cucumber-based scent, and does fine, along with providing an SPF 15 for all of that time I don’t spend outside. It just doesn’t really excite me or provide any kind of post shave benefit. |
 | Stirling Soap Co. Unscented Aftershave Balm | Cream | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.000 | This also seems like a lotion more than a balm. I don’t get much in the way of soothing, but it moisturizes well. Stirling did say that these products may have been produced incorrectly, and to contact them for a refund/replacement. I just did that before coming here. |
 | Zingari Man Artisan Aftershave Sego Balm | Cream | 4.00 | 4.00 | 4.000 | Another lotion and not really a balm here, so the score reflects that. It isn’t terribly unpleasant, but doesn’t deliver soothing or a lot of moisture, and I just don’t like the feel of it sitting on my skin. |
 | Castle Forbes 1445 Aftershave Balm | Balm | Untested | |||
 | Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigars Aftershave balm | Cream | Untested |