Thread: Review of Sebum Gold type Green Shave Soap.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

A picture? You'll have to trust me it's a short list:

in order: Saponified Oils of kokum Butter, Illipe Butter, Virgin Red Raspberry Seed Oil, Essential oil Blend (Fragrance)

That's it.

That's it?

Fair play, No nasties in there.
The kokum and Illipe butter has high levels of stearic acid which would help keep the lather from breaking down, they are both highly moisturizing so would have after care qualities.
Interesting stuff.

Price will always be a factor to consider, the ingredients are hardly the price of gold so the money your spending is on fancy packaging and marketing.

Unless it performs as good as the above mentioned I think I'll leave it to the hipsters.
Hang on... don't the hipsters all have beards now?

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

That's it? Fair play, No nasties in there.

I wouldn't be sure about that. "Essential oil Blend (Fragrance)" could be anything. Including, but not limited to, whatever cheap-as-dirt fragrance oils the unmentionable outlet in Phoenix is putting into their stuff. Ask a perfumer. I did when Lynn (Remember Lynn? You should!) sent me a truckload of so called "artisan soaps" from the US. The perfumer's verdict was, "that's dirt cheap 'bouquets' from AliBaba or TaoBao, except Green Mountain Soap." That's what I meant when I mentioned the FDA's less-than-optimal regulation above.

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

The kokum and Illipe butter[...]

... do not justify the price. Organically grown essential oils and palm oil would. Those are really expensive if you source them responsibly.

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

Hang on... don't the hipsters all have beards now?

They do, but my hipster staff have been grateful for SE razors (and, in one case, a 4/8ths cut-throat) for those hard-to-reach patches around the neck and nose.

Originally Posted by RobinK

I wouldn't be sure about that. "Essential oil Blend (Fragrance)" could be anything. Including, but not limited to, whatever cheap-as-dirt fragrance oils the unmentionable outlet in Phoenix is putting into their stuff.

Essential oils (as a fragrance) by definition is oils derived from plants, not the synthetic fragrance as used by many "artisan" soap makers.

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

Essential oils (as a fragrance) by definition is oils derived from plants, not the synthetic fragrance as used by many "artisan" soap makers.

Yes, but no. Check this out. And no, this is not what I call "responsibly sourced".

Unless it complies with EU standards for organic growth, it can be anything. Meaning, the profit margin can be four digit figures. Yes, sustainably produced (essential) oils can be that expensive. Ask Esbjerg or Meißner Tremonia.

Originally Posted by RobinK

Yes, but no. Check this out. And no, this is not what I call "responsibly sourced".

Unless it complies with EU standards for organic growth, it can be anything. Meaning, the profit margin can be four digit figures. Yes, sustainably produced (essential) oils can be that expensive. Ask Esbjerg or Meißner Tremonia.

You maybe onto something. I had a looked a their values https://sebumgold.com/pages/our-values#
Nothing about where the ingredients come from, no 100% certified virgin organic, ethically sourced which is what you would expect from all the waffle on their website, just lots of nice info on the packaging.

Gentlemen,

This is an informative thread. Thanks for starting it, Spendur.

I have eyed Sebum for a while, but the high prices have given me the hiccups. The price for Martin de Candre is steep enough, but Sebum will drive this humble writer to the poorhouse. OY! That's why I have not tried the soap.

That it relies on "natural" ingredients is quite attractive for me. (The descriptions are well written, I might add, although a wee bit too lofty, and are similar to the print that comes out of the big perfume houses.) I am not sure which scent I would like, should I dare to try this expensive soap, but thus far none of the scents strikes my fancy. So there is some more reading to be done there.

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

You maybe onto something. I had a looked a their values https://sebumgold.com/pages/our-values#
Nothing about where the ingredients come from, no 100% certified virgin organic, ethically sourced which is what you would expect from all the waffle on their website, just lots of nice info on the packaging.

Sounds like a lot of baffle gab designed to sound lofty and compelling but not a lot to substantiate it. Did a politician write it?

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Sounds like a lot of baffle gab designed to sound lofty and compelling but not a lot to substantiate it. Did a politician write it?

Bob

Now we all know politicians aren't educated enough to write their own waffle, I believe they use a bullshite generator New-Age Bullshit Generator

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

Now we all know politicians aren't educated enough to write their own waffle, I believe they use a bullshite generator New-Age Bullshit Generator

Bob

Originally Posted by markbignosekelly

You maybe onto something. I had a looked a their values https://sebumgold.com/pages/our-values#
Nothing about where the ingredients come from, no 100% certified virgin organic, ethically sourced which is what you would expect from all the waffle on their website, just lots of nice info on the packaging.

I've been on to that for many years. It is a legal loophole in the US (just like perfume ingredients are in the EU).

Originally Posted by Obie

This is an informative thread. Thanks for starting it, Spendur.

Nelson and you are the only people whose reviews I still read. But this thread sure feels a bit like the SRP of old. Those were the days.

Originally Posted by Obie

That it relies on "natural" ingredients is quite attractive for me. (The descriptions are well written, I might add, although a wee bit too lofty, and are similar to the print that comes out of the big perfume houses.)

Well, yes, but "'natural'" is the kicker here. Unless you want to burn cash, organic is what you should pay for. Unfortunately, this term is generally meaningless in your country, but the reason why Esbjerg, Martin de Candre, Meißner Tremonia, Castle Forbes and so on are so expensive.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: It is impossible to bring an organic soap to the US market for less than $15/4oz unless you skimp on the packaging or leverage economies of scale (and that's nor artisan).

Originally Posted by BobH

Sounds like a lot of baffle gab designed to sound lofty and compelling but not a lot to substantiate it. Did a politician write it?

It's entirely ridiculous, not least because it is not backed by any laws or regulations.

Grown-up politicians came up with the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), but then something with an IQ < 80 happened. TTIP would have been useful, especially in this case.