The main shortcoming (imho) of the scientific community is that negative results don't get published. Here's one to save other folks the time...

Tempted mainly by its smell, I tried lathering up with some Burt's Bees bar soap tonight. It did make a decent lather, but not as thick or full as a proper shave soap. Lubricity was good; better, in fact, than some shaving soaps. Dried out my skin a bit, though.

But then, and here's where we veer sharply from the realm of science, the lather gods caught on to me. They angled my blade a little high on a backhand xtg pass across my chin and it dug in hard, angling it up like a bike whose front brake locked up. Deep cut, much blood, and the only styptic pencil is in my dog's first-aid kit in the car. No telling where that last got used.

So, a little direct pressure and a good few washcloth rinses later, everything's cool.

Anyway, that bar soap doesn't shave as well as it smells.