This fifth first-round head-to-head (or beard-to-beard) evaluation in Sharpologist’s scent-free soap competition features Declaration Grooming Unscented versus Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements (PAA) Scentsless (Formula CK-6). In this series I’m focusing on overall shaving performance so neither a soap’s scent nor its cost is a factor in the review.
The Contestants
Declaration Grooming Unscented
From the website: Perfect for any situation and even the most sensitive skin, this unscented shave soap works anywhere with any scent. Get the same high performance that you have come to expect, but now compatible with any fragrance you wish – or simply for the shaves where you want to give your nose the morning (or evening) off.
Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Water, Castor Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Vegetable Glycerin, Bison Tallow, Mango Butter, Avocado Oil, Shea Butter, Sodium Hydroxide, Lanolin, Bentonite Clay, Yogurt, Buttermilk, Egg Whites, Coconut Milk, Goat’s Milk, Tocopheryl Acetate, Maltodextrin, Milk Protein, Salix Alba L. (White Willow) Bark Extract, Arctium lappa (Burdock) Root Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Silk Amino Acids
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Scentsless (Formula CK-6) [Ed. Note: PAA links are affiliate]
From the website: Now you can enjoy a Scentsless (scent free) take on our super slick, thick, and mega moisturizing CK-6 Formula! This is especially good news for folks that are sensitive to fragrance oils…or are married to one. 🙂
Ingredients: Potassium Stearate, Glycerin, Potassium Cocoate, Aqua, Potassium Kokumate, Sodium Lactate, Potassium Shea Butterate, Potassium Castorate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Cocoa Butterate, Potassium Avocadoate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Theobroma Grandiflorum (Capuacu) Butter, Astrocaryum (Murumuru) Seed Butter, Platonia Insignis (Bacuri) Seed Butter
Overall Impressions
In several of the previous reviews I experienced a wide divergence in the soaps’ performances. That wasn’t the case here–both products gave me excellent shaves and I plan to keep using them after finishing this series of articles.
Points awarded for each factor:
1: Poor
2: Fair
3: Good
4: Very good
5: Excellent
Feature: Lack of Scent
| Soap | Points |
| Declaration Grooming Unscented | 4 |
| Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements (PAA) Scentsless (Formula CK-6) | 5 |
I check for a soap’s scent in the tub, on the brush, on my face and post-shave. The PAA was scent-free in each stage but the Declaration Grooming soap had a noticeable scent in the tub. It was not something I recognized, but it was slightly musky. Maybe it was the bison tallow or one of the butters, but I didn’t care for it. Fortunately, the scent disappeared once I worked up the lather.
Feature: Easy lathering
| Soap | Points |
| Declaration Grooming Unscented | 3.5 |
| Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements (PAA) Scentsless (Formula CK-6) | 5 |
The Declaration Grooming took some work to dial in the right brush/water mix and my best lathers came from the badger brush with less water than usual. Once I had the right combination it was a good quality lather with my soft water. The PAA was a high-quality lather machine–fast to load and easy to lather with a synthetic brush on my first and subsequent shaves.
Feature: Moisture retention
| Soap | Points |
| Declaration Grooming Unscented | 5 |
| Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements (PAA) Scentsless (Formula CK-6) | 4.5 |
Both were very good; slight edge to the Declaration Grooming.
Feature: Lubrication
| Soap | Points |
| Declaration Grooming Unscented | 5 |
| Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements (PAA) Scentsless (Formula CK-6) | 4.5 |
Both were very good; slight edge to the Declaration Grooming.
Feature: Protection
| Soap | Points |
| Declaration Grooming Unscented | 5 |
| Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements (PAA) Scentsless (Formula CK-6) | 4.0 |
The PAA provided good skin protection but the Declaration Grooming was excellent.
Feature: Post-shave Skin Feeling
| Soap | Points |
| Declaration Grooming Unscented | 4.5 |
| Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements (PAA) Scentsless (Formula CK-6) | 4.5 |
Both soaps produced DFS-quality shaves with no irritation, post-shave tenderness, excessive skin dryness or tautness.
Final Scores
This was a close one and it’s a good example of how your mileage may vary (YMMV) when comparing products based on ratings factors. The Declaration Grooming soap scored higher in several protection categories but the PAA was completely scent-free, lathered very easily and provided good protection. When I was shaving with the PAA, my thought was it’s an easy-to-use, efficient soap that performs well across the ratings categories, and that consistency was the deciding factor.
Winner: Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Scentsless (Formula CK-6) by a score of 27.5 to 27 over Declaration Grooming Unscented
Competition Recap
Previous weeks’ winners are highlighted in bold:
Round 1:
Talbot Shaving Trust by a score of 24.0 to 22.5 over Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements
Taylor of Old Bond Street Traditional by a score of 23.75 to 22.5 over Martin De Candre Nature.
Wholly Kaw(R) Bare Naked (Tallow) by a score of 21.0 to 20.5 over Wet Shaving Products (WSP) Rustic Shaving Soap Au Naturel.
Zingari Man Unscented Sego by a score of 26.5 to 23.25 over Chiseled Face Groomatorium Natural Fragrance Free.
Up Next
Mike’s Natural Soaps Unscented versus Oleo Soapworks Canard Unscented
Thanks for the great review of these soaps Mark.
All the best.
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