A Closer Look at Shaving Products - A Case Study!

A Closer Look at Shaving Products

Comparing ingredients, cost, packaging and regenerative potential

Case study 1: an everyday product investigation.

What I wanted to discover

I wanted to find out whether I could improve upon two shaving products I already used, without wasting what I had purchased or spending more than necessary.

I considered several questions:

Could I find a simpler formulation?
Could I reduce packaging?
Could I avoid ingredients I would prefer not to use?
Could I find a product with more transparent sourcing?
Was there evidence of regenerative farming behind any of the raw materials?
Could I make a sensible choice without paying a premium?

This is an exploratory comparison based on published ingredient lists and manufacturer information. It is not a laboratory test or a formal life-cycle assessment.

1. The starting point: my existing products

The liquid shaving gel

The gel came in a plastic container containing 30% recycled plastic. Its ingredient list included cleansing agents, fragrance-related ingredients, and preservatives, including methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone.

Advantages

Already owned and familiar.
Serves its intended purpose.
Contains recycled plastic, reducing the use of virgin plastic compared with an otherwise equivalent container made entirely from new plastic.

Disadvantages and questions

A liquid product needs a container and may involve more packaging than a solid alternative.
The formulation contains ingredients I would prefer to investigate further.
The recycled-plastic claim does not tell me the container's full environmental impact.
The product's agricultural and manufacturing supply chains are not fully established by the ingredient list.

Provisional assessment: Improvement possible.

The sensible approach is to use it as intended if it remains suitable, then reassess when it runs out.

The solid soap containing olive extract

This soap is supplied in a solid format and marketed as containing 98% ingredients of natural origin.

Advantages

Solid soap can reduce the need for a liquid product container.
A bar may last a useful length of time.
The product contains plant-derived ingredients.

Disadvantages and questions

The formulation includes palm-derived soap ingredients and several fragrance components.
The natural-origin claim does not establish how the ingredients were grown or processed.
The exact environmental impact depends on sourcing, production, packaging and use.

Provisional assessment: Improvement possible.

The solid format is a useful starting point, but I wanted to compare it with simpler alternatives.

2. The alternatives I investigated

The table below compares five UK-market alternatives. The descriptions of ingredients and environmental features are based on information published by the makers. These features should not be mistaken for independent proof of overall environmental superiority.

Product	Main advantages	Disadvantages or unanswered questions
Friendly Soap Fragrance-Free Shaving Bar	Simple formulation; fragrance-free; marketed as palm-free and plastic-free; includes coconut, rapeseed, castor and soybean-derived ingredients, clay and aloe vera.	The full origin and farming practices of the oils are not established by the ingredient list. Coconut and other crop supply chains still have environmental considerations.
Small Kindness Unscented Shaving Soap	Unscented; palm-free; handmade in Britain; maker describes ethical sourcing and environmental commitments. Ingredients include coconut, olive, cocoa butter, shea butter and castor-derived soap ingredients, oats and clay.	More varied oil sources; sourcing claims need to be examined individually. Full farm-level regenerative evidence has not been established.
Crafts & Bubbles Original Shaving Soap	Unscented; short disclosed ingredient list; marketed as palm-free and supplied in a tin. Ingredients include coconut-derived soap, salt, olive-derived soap, glycerin, water and castor-derived soap.	Limited evidence about the farms supplying the raw materials. The tin's environmental advantage depends on its material, manufacture, reuse and end-of-life.
Natural Spa Supplies Hemp Oil Shaving Soap	Very simple formulation; manufacturer describes British hemp oil, British manufacture, biodegradable soap and glass packaging; no added fragrance or preservatives in the listed formulation.	Higher purchase price than some basic bars; glass has its own impacts; specific hemp farm and regenerative practices not independently verified.
Your existing products	No additional purchase or packaging required now; familiar performance; no transition cost.	Existing formulations and packaging have limitations, but replacing them prematurely would also create waste.

Where to find the product information

Formulations, prices and packaging may change. Check the current product page and label before purchasing.

3. What about price and value?

Price is a vital part of a fair comparison. A product should not be considered the best practical choice if it is unaffordable for the person who needs it.

I would avoid drawing conclusions from purchase price alone. The price per gram, how much is needed per shave and how long the soap lasts all affect value.

Option	Cost considerations	Best reason to consider it
Keep using the products already owned	No new purchase now	Avoids premature disposal and unnecessary spending
Friendly Soap bar	Check current price and product life	A straightforward fragrance-free solid alternative
Small Kindness soap	Check current price and product life	An unscented alternative with a more developed ethical sourcing story
Crafts & Bubbles soap	Check current price, packaging and product life	A simple formulation for someone who values minimal ingredients
British hemp oil soap	Check current price and product life; the product has been listed at around £9 for 75 g	Particularly interesting British raw-material and multipurpose potential

These are not measured cost-per-shave results. To compare value fairly, I would record the purchase price, weigh the soap if practical, and note approximately how many shaves it provides.

A cheaper product that performs well and lasts a long time may be the better choice for many people. A more expensive product is worth considering only if its additional benefits justify the extra cost for that person.

4. Which ingredients offer the strongest regenerative opportunity?

The finished product is only part of the story. The raw materials deserve attention too.

Coconut oil

Coconut-derived soap ingredients are common in solid soaps. Coconut is renewable, but its cultivation, land use, biodiversity impacts, processing and transport all matter. Without supplier-specific evidence, I would not describe a coconut-based soap as regenerative.

Olive oil

Olive oil can come from very different agricultural systems. Some growers use practices intended to improve soil health and biodiversity, while others may not. An ingredient list alone cannot tell us which applies.

Rapeseed oil

Rapeseed offers a potentially interesting route to British-grown raw materials. Regenerative approaches to British rapeseed production exist, but I have not verified that the rapeseed used in the shaving bars above comes from a regenerative farm.

Castor oil

Castor oil is widely used in soap formulations. Its sustainability depends on the growing system, sourcing and processing. Responsible sourcing schemes exist, but the presence of castor oil is not evidence of regenerative farming.

Hemp oil

Hemp is particularly interesting because it can be grown in British agricultural systems and is used in the British-made soap investigated here.

However, the key question remains: which farm supplied the hemp oil, and what practices and outcomes can be verified?

A regenerative farm somewhere in Britain does not prove that its crop went into this particular soap.

5. How the products compare against my priorities

Priority	Most promising direction	What remains to be checked
Avoiding unnecessary purchases	Use existing products while suitable	Whether a change is actually needed
Simpler formulation	Friendly Soap or Crafts & Bubbles	Current formulation and personal performance
Avoiding added fragrance	Friendly Soap, Small Kindness or Crafts & Bubbles	Current label and suitability
Reducing packaging	A solid bar with minimal packaging	Actual packaging materials and disposal
Ethical sourcing transparency	Small Kindness is worth investigating	Specific sourcing evidence and its scope
British raw-material potential	Natural Spa Supplies hemp soap	Exact farm and growing practices
Best value	Cannot be established yet	Price per use and product life
Proven regenerative performance	None established by this comparison	Farm-level evidence and relevant outcomes

There is no single winner across all these priorities. A person with a tight budget may reasonably choose differently from someone whose primary priority is supporting transparent sourcing.

6. My provisional shortlist

Rather than naming one product as the universal winner, I would shortlist options according to what matters most.

For a simple, fragrance-free solid bar: Friendly Soap is worth considering.

For an unscented bar with a wider ethical sourcing story: Small Kindness deserves a closer look.

For a particularly short disclosed ingredient list: Crafts & Bubbles is another candidate.

For British hemp oil and a potentially interesting regenerative supply chain: Natural Spa Supplies is worth investigating further, provided the price and performance suit the user.

For the lowest immediate cost and waste: Continue using the products already owned, if suitable, and make the next purchase a considered decision rather than a rushed replacement.

These are starting points for further investigation, not a definitive ranking of environmental performance.

7. The questions I would ask the makers

For any shortlisted product, I would ask:

Where are the principal oils grown and processed?
Can you identify the farms or suppliers?
Are the crops grown using practices intended to improve soil health and biodiversity?
Is there evidence of actual environmental outcomes, rather than simply a statement of intention?
What packaging is used, and what is the most practical end-of-life option?
Do you have product life-cycle information, independent certification or other evidence supporting your environmental claims?

The answers may change the comparison. That is precisely why I want to ask the questions rather than assume the answer from the label.

8. What I would do next

My next step will not be to purchase every alternative and test them all at once.

I will:

Continue using my existing products while they remain suitable.
Decide which matters most to me: cost, simplicity, fragrance-free formulation, packaging, or sourcing.
Choose one realistic alternative when a replacement is needed.
Record its price, performance, and how long it lasts.
Contact the manufacturers to ask more questions and consider if regenerative sourcing is a key reason for choosing it.
Update the comparison when better evidence becomes available.

This approach avoids unnecessary purchases while allowing the investigation to develop.

Final reflection

The purpose of this exercise is not to prove that one shaving soap is perfect. It is to learn how to make a fair comparison, recognise trade-offs and identify realistic improvements.

I also wished to demonstrate that we can all make a difference simply by buying with clarity.

The best choice for one person may not be the best choice for another. What matters is that we make decisions with better information, remain open to correction, and avoid turning an environmental label into a substitute for evidence.

Can I move from consuming less harm to creating more good? Yes!

For this product, I have found several possible steps forward. I have not yet established a single product that is demonstrably regenerative across its whole life cycle.

So let us work together as Co-creators and build a better future!

That is an honest result—and a useful starting point for the next investigation.

Visit the Abstract Essentialism Foundation and share your own eco-friendly, sustainable and regenerative journey. Start today!

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