Taylor Of Old Bond Street (“TOBS”) Jermyn Street shaving cream is a well-known shave cream often recommended for those with sensitive skin. How does it really stack up?
Taylor Of Old Bond St. Jermyn Street Shaving Cream
The Taylor Of Old Bond Street website describes it as:
“A modern fresh fougère, Jermyn Street Collection Shaving Cream is allergen-free and has been specially formulated for sensitive skin.”
With fragrance notes described as:
“A modern fresh fougère fragrance with bergamot lemon lime and lavender supported by a heart of geranium neroli and amber resting on a substantive base of musk patchouli and vanilla. An allergen free fragrance which contains Patchouli oil.”
The TOBS website doesn’t list the cream’s ingredients, and I found a few minor variations from a search engine query:
- Aqua, Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Coconut Acid, Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter, Allantoin, Parfum, Triethanolamine, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide.
- Water, Stearic Acid, Aloe Vera Leaf Juice, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Coconut Fatty Acid, Theobroma Cocoa Seed Butter, Allantoin, Parfum, Triethanolamine Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexlglycerin, Sodium Hrdoxide
- Aqua (Water), Stearic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Coconut Fatty Acid, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Allantoin, Parfum (Fragrance), Triethanolamine Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hydroxide.
So it looks like TOBS has made a few minor tweaks over the past few years with slightly different formulations still “in the wild.”
To compare the Jermyn Street formula, here is the ingredient list for Taylor’s very popular shave cream, Sandalwood:
- Aqua (Water), Stearic Acid, Myristic Acid, Potassium Hydroxide, Coconut Fatty Acid, Glycerin, Parfum (Fragrance), Triethanolamine, Sodium Hydroxide, Benzyl Alcohol, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, (Parfum Contains: Linalool, Geraniol, Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Eugenol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Evernia Furfuracea Extract, Evernia Prunastri Extract, Limonene, Coumarin).
It’s clear that the Jermyn Street formula is much “simpler” than other traditional shave cream formulations, with fewer ingredients for the skin to possibly react to.
Is Jermyn Street Really OK For Sensitive Skin?
But is TOBS Jermyn Street shave cream really appropriate for those with sensitive skin?
According to Skin Carisma Jerymn Street’s formulation is a mixed bag: Allantoin can be “good” for sensitive skin and Glycerin can be “good” for dry skin; Myristic Acid, Stearic Acid, and Theobroma Cacao can be “bad” for those with oily skin. However it is worth noting that Myristic Acid and Stearic Acid are two very common ingredients found in many shave creams.
Skin Safe gives Jermyn Street a 91% “safe” rating and “…free of Gluten, Nickel, Top Common Allergy Causing Preservatives, Lanolin, MCI/MI, Topical Antibiotic, Paraben, Soy, Propylene Glycol, Oil, Irritant/Acid, and Dye.”
For a full discussion of the safety of ingredients used in typical shave creams see Is Your Shaving Cream Trying To Kill You? An Ingredient Teardown.
My Experience With TOBS Jermyn Street Shaving Cream
I admit I don’t have particularly “sensitive” skin (though I do seem to have a sensitivity to some of the clays found in some shave soaps). So this section will concentrate mainly on Jermyn Street’s performance.
As you might expect, Jermyn Street is mildly scented, with “Parfum” pretty far down the ingredient list shown above. I get a very mild, vaguely woody scent off the tube, disappearing completely when lathered on my face (however note that I have a very insensitive, uneducated nose so others might pick up something I’m not getting). Frankly I’m surprised there is a scent at all, as scent-related ingredients are often associated with skin sensitivities.
Lathering Taylor Of Old Bond Street shave creams has always been a little erratic for me: the creams that have been around for a while–Mr. Taylors, St. James, Eton College, etc.–have been more difficult to lather up for me than some of their newer products like Grapefruit, Peppermint, Tobacco Leaf, etc. Note that I have “hard” water though, so that might play a part here.
Jermyn Street falls somewhere near the middle for me: it lathers up pretty well without too much work, though I think the lather consistency is a bit on the thin side (again, this might be partly a function of my “hard” water). I find it a bit finicky with getting just the right amount of water for a good lather, too, but nothing insurmountable.
Performance-wise I find shaving with TOBS Jermyn Street shave cream unremarkable in the “traditional” shave cream realm (meaning it’s still a ton better than almost anything you would find in a grocery, chemist, or “megamart”), albeit perfectly acceptable. I think the lubrication/glide aspect is excellent and the cushion/protection aspect very good.
Conclusion
Under the circumstances of a shave cream for “sensitive” skin I think TOBS Jermyn Street is a solid performer. If you have sensitive skin I think it’s certainly worth checking out. TOBS Jermyn Street shave cream also quite widely available and TOBS is known for their “value” pricing.
Do you use Taylor Of Old Bond Street Jermyn Street shaving cream? What do you think of it? Leave a comment below!
