September, 2022 is going to be “Italian Shaving Month” on Sharpologist! This means taking a closer look at some of the great Italian shaving products and brands out there. Sharpologist will be featuring interviews with artisanal soapmakers, reviews of classic Italian razors, and more. So whether you’re a fan of traditional wet shaving or are looking to try something new, make sure to check back throughout the month.
Genesis
The inspiration for “Italian Shaving Month” came as I was reflecting on recent changes in the world-wide traditional wet shaving niche. One observation I made was the current state of shave soaps internationally. As I mentioned in Sharpologist’s “Best Shaving Soap” article:
“…[T]here has been an interesting evolution of some of the Old World shave soaps. Many of the old school, traditional English shave soaps from the classic brand names (especially Trumper and Truefitt) have been reformulated, no doubt to cut costs. The performance of these products have dropped noticeably over the past few years.
Meanwhile the classic shave soaps from Italian sources (Officina Artigiana, Saponificio Verasino, Tcheon Fung Sing, etc.) seem to have improved over recent years. Even the classic value brand Proraso made some improvements a few years ago.”
But even excluding the “reformulation” aspect, I’ve noticed the old-school British brands seem to have gotten “stuck” and haven’t introduced new products in quite a while.
Meanwhile Italian brands seem to be evolving and improving generally, while still remaining faithful to their heritage.
Sneak Peak
I’ll be highlighting a number of Italian brands, artisans, and products throughout the month:
- Classics like Proraso, Omega, and Cella;
- Two well-established Italian brands launching in the US (finally!);
- The “unsung” history of Italian brush-making as it relates to shaving brushes;
- Italian barbershops vs. US barbershops;
- And more.
Look for announcements (some exclusive to Sharpologist!), reviews, and giveaways.
So stay tuned and get ready for a great month!
