Welcome to the Final Four of unscented soaps. Today’s first semifinal matchup features Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Scentsless CK-6 versus Zingari Man Sego Unscented. In this series I’m focusing on overall shaving performance so neither a soap’s scent nor its cost factors into the review.
Background
The competition started with 16 unscented or scent-free soaps and the list has been narrowed to the top four. The format is simple: I shave four times in roughly a week, rate each soap’s performance using the criteria below and compare the results.
My original plan was to divide the shaves for this round and the next between a Merkur 34C and a Parker Variant but I was having problems with the Variant-shaves. I like the razor—it’s really well-made—but shaves with it were giving me an unusual number of nicks and irritated areas. After getting a nasty weeper on the flat surface of my cheek with the razor, something I haven’t seen since my short-lived experiment with a Merkur Futur, I replaced the Variant with a Feather AS-D2 and Feather blades. Once the cut and resulting scab healed, I restarted this round to keep the evaluations comparable. I’ll certainly try the Variant again after these reviews because I suspect the problem is my technique with the razor.
The Contestants
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements (PAA) Scentsless CK-6
From the website (https://phoenixartisanaccoutrements.com/collections/fragrance-free-products/products/scentsless-scent-free-artisan-shave-soap-ultra-premium-ck6-formula-5-oz): 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
Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented
From the website (https://www.zingariman.com/products/unscented-sego): This Unscented Sego is made for those that like it bare. Perfect for those on the go that don’t like to carry a scent with them or want to pair it up with their own fragrance. This base scent is fairly neutral so no weird odor. Our tallow base is guaranteed to impress you with its elite level slickness, residual, cushion, glide, and unsurpassed post-shave feel. We feel our post-shave face-feel is where we shine most, as we consider this a part of your skin health and the way your skin feels for the rest of your day.
Ingredients: Stearic acid, Vegetable Glycerin, Beef tallow, Shea butter, Potassium Hydroxide, Castor oil, Palm oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Jojoba oil, Oat bran oil, Shea butter (and) Glyceral Rosinate (and) Olive oil unsaponifiables, Coconut oil, Daikon Seed extract, Goat milk, Coconut milk, Sodium lactate
Overall Impressions
This will be my shortest review yet. These are both excellent performing soaps and both gave me great shaves. After previously using some soaps that left my skin tender, dry, and so on, these two soaps help put the pleasure back in shaving. I believe they earned the highest scores so far in the competition and I think you’d be very satisfied with either one. But Mark (@mantic59) probably wants a few more comparative details so I’ll stick with the format.
An observation on the scores. Before starting this series of comparisons, my software usage was split between about 80% Castle Forbes creams and 20% soaps, typically Proraso red or white with a pre-shave application. As I reviewed these scentless soaps, the ratio changed to about 5% cream/95% soap and my lather-building skill improved with practice, which is reflected in higher “Easy Lathering” scores.
Points awarded on a scale of 1 to 5 for each factor:
1: Poor
2: Fair
3: Good
4: Very good
5: Excellent
Feature: Lack of Scent
| Soap | Points |
| PAA Scentsless CK-6 | 5 |
| Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented | 5 |
Nothing to smell here, folks—move along.
Feature: Easy lathering
| Soap | Points |
| PAA Scentsless CK-6 | 5 |
| Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented | 4.6 |
The PAA lathered quickly and consistently with both the synthetic and the badger brushes but the Zingari was challenging with the synthetic. It took some experimenting with the synthetic brush’s moisture level to get the lather I wanted and it turned out less water was better.
Feature: Lather moisture retention
| Soap | Points |
| PAA Scentsless CK-6 | 5 |
| Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented | 4.9 |
The PAA was just very slightly better, probably because of the challenge with the synthetic brush lather build.
Feature: Lubrication
| Soap | Points |
| PAA Scentsless CK-6 | 5 |
| Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented | 5 |
Both were excellent and gave smooth shaves with both razors.
Feature: Protection
| Soap | Points |
| PAA Scentsless CK-6 | 5 |
| Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented | 5 |
Same scores as lubrication—both soaps produced very comfortable, irritation-free, DFS-quality results.
Feature: Post-shave Skin Feeling
| Soap | Points |
| PAA Scentsless CK-6 | 4.9 |
| Zingari Man Sego Shaving Soap Unscented | 4.9 |
My skin was softer and more supple after shaving with both soaps. They produced the kind of shave where you find yourself running your fingertips over your cheeks and neck hours after shaving and still being impressed.
Final scores
Winner: Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements Scentsless CK-6 over Zingari Man Sego Unscented by a score of 29.9 to 29.4. Both soaps produced consistently outstanding shaves and I plan to keep using both after this competition ends.
Up Next
Talbot Shaving Trust versus Wholly Kaw Bare Serio
Follow up in case anyone is still following this thread. Once I finished the scentless soap reviews, I went back to the Parker Variant razor, but this time I switched from a Feather blade to an Astra Green. Problem solved! Apparently the Variant & Feather combo was too aggressive for my skin, even though I use Feathers in all my other razers. But once I switched to the Astra Green blades I started getting very comfortable, irritation-free shaves and I’m very pleased with the results. I suspected I could get better shaves from the Variant and it’s become one of my favorite razors.
Great review! I have both of these unscented soaps, and your findings are the same as mine – both are excellent, but the PAA is easier to lather. Thanks for this entertaining series on unscented soap!
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