Chemical Properties Of Shaving Cream

We know that men have many questions about shaving cream benefits, properties, and functionality, we decided to create a deep article about shaving creams, so let’s get into it.

What Is A Men’s Shaving Cream?

A simple and clear definition of a men shaving cream would be a “product designed to soften the facial hair and to provide lubrication during the shaving process”, in today’s shaving world many options and variants offering different formats such as Aerosol Shaving Cream, Tube, or the traditional lathering type shaving cream.

Regardless of the type of shaving cream you prefer most of the chemical properties in a shaving cream will and should be similar, here is the list of the 5 top chemical properties of shaving cream.

Shaving Cream Cleaning Agents

Based on the ingredients contained in a shaving cream in most cases if not all a shaving cream will contain KoH (Potassium Hydroxide) and NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) which are used to change fats into soap by a process called Saponification.

These two main ingredient’s functions is to cut through oil molecules creating a “anti-oil” effect and allowing the oils to be removed more easily, also called, superficial tension. We made a quick experiment to demonstrate how a cleaning soap works. (By the way this is a great DIY experiment to make with your kids and explain why is important to wash their hands)

Hydrophobic Agent

Shaving creams are also capable of creating a layer of protection over the skin to make your razor glide easier trough the beard avoiding unnecessary damage caused by the blade being in direct contact with the skin. When formulated correctly a shaving cream must be capable of providing a layer of protection even when applied over a moist or wet skin. Check our next video, Artisan’s republic Shaving Creams are probably the slickest shaving creams when it comes to protecting your skin.

Moisturizing Agent

A fine shaving cream should always contain essential oil or butters with moisturizing properties for the skin, by adding pure fats the product a shaving cream will create a healthy feeling by adding fats which are removed when shaving.

Apricot Kernel Oil is one of the key ingredients on the Artisan’s Republic Shaving Creams and provides amazing benefits like:

• Softens the Skin- Due the high content of Vitamin C and E lowering the appearance of winkles, fine lines, and blemishes in the skin.
• Promotes Radiance- Naturally high in Vitamin E allows skin to retain elasticity protecting from free radicals in the environment.
• Deep Nourishment – High content of Vitamin A provides long lasting moisturization thanks to the ability to penetrate the deep skin layers.
• Strengthens Skin- Apricot Kernel oil natural Linoleic Acid (Omega6) strengthens the skin barrier

Non Comedogenic Properties

Some facial products can clog pores creating acne breakouts, A shaving cream should be exactly the opposite, due the cleaning agents when formulated properly a shaving cream will clean the pores avoiding acne breakouts.

Stable Dense Lather Properties

Almost any soap can create lather and bubbles, but a shaving lather is a different story, A shaving cream can create a compact, dense thick lather specially if used with a quality badger shaving brush, a good shaving cream should be able to create lather in a bowl or directly by applying friction with the brush in the skin.

This amazing property is achieved only by a well formulated combination of, oils, fats, lye and additives.

The Artisan’s Republic Shaving Creams are soft and slick wise, offering a unique feature by easily lathering, creating a super slick and protective layer and when needed washing off immediately out of the skin with a superb smooth sensation.

Moving forward we want to address some of the question we have received from users over the years, some might sound odd, but we do want to try getting as much information as possible to our consumers:

From Greensboro, North Carolina – Joshua-
Q. Can I bring shaving cream on a plane?

A. YES! Shaving cream can be carry on a plane as far as it is contained in a 100 (3.3oz) container or less. Make sure that the container itself is 100 ml/oz or less, even if you have a half full larger container you will be asked to drop or leave your shaving cream behind.

From Miami, Florida -Andrew-
Q. Cleaning with a Shaving Cream – Rumor or Fact?

A. A shaving cream has cleaning properties due the KoH (Potassium Hydroxide) and NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) content a shaving cream is not a product with high content of this agents, so even when the cleaning properties are present will not be as effective a cleaning product, and in any case, it is so much more expensive…

From Costa Mesa, California -Victor-
Q. Does shaving cream help sunburn?

A. NO, sunburn should be treated always with calming agents such as allantoin, calendula or similar, the calming and auto-inflammatory agents should not be saponified since when these elements are mixed with Lye many of the natural properties are diminished or lost. By the other hand the presence of elements like KoH (Potassium Hydroxide) and NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide) will promote dryness instead of nourishing and moisturizing, which is the opposite you are looking for.

From Boyce, Ohio – Jonathan-
Q. Does shaving cream expire?

A. YES, the expiration date on a shaving cream depends mostly in the following factors:

Manufacturing method – Certain Manufacturing methods could either prolong or shorten the shelf life of a product, we could go deeper on this but as a consumer in the first place there is no way to know how the product was made.

Type of preservative used – Preservatives are ingredients added to a formula to avoid microbiological agents and bacteria to be formed as well as to maintain the efficacy of the product itself for a longer period. There are many types of preservatives and preservatives blends, a study must be conducted by the manufacturer to determine which preservative will have the best result based on the ingredients used.

Active ingredients – If a shaving cream declared certain active ingredient, the expiration date might also be based on the shortest lifespan a specific active ingredient.

Pro Tip! – The Artisan Republic Shaving Creams Guarantee a 24 months shelf life for every product, on top of that since all our products are made in small batches, you will always receive a fresh shaving cream.

Pro Tip! – Shaving Creams will always have a longer expiration date than Shaving Soaps due the fact that most shaving soaps will use butter in their ingredients, which shortens the lifespan of the product

From Las Vegas, Nevada -Austin-
Q. Is Shaving Cream flammable?
A. NO, shaving creams are not flammable for the following reasons:
Most of the shaving creams will not contain alcohol, and for those that would contain alcohol, the alcohol would be saponified during the manufacturing process, the flash point of the product will also be dramatically elevated due the presence of oils and fats which will have very high flash points, so don’t worry we are all safe using a shaving cream.

Pro Tip! – Any cosmetic product is by law obligated to be manufactured with a SDS document (safety data sheet) this document will contain information about the ingredients, PH, Flashpoint, hazardous ingredients utilized on the manufacturing process and first aid actions related to the product.