Proraso Beard Balm Review – A Smoothing Earthy Experience
Proraso Beard Balm
Proraso brings us a soothing and refreshing beard balm that breathes life into your beard while soothing itch and irritation. Its only letdown is the clumsy screw top that makes you use more than you really need.
Pros
A small amount goes a long way
Dries quickly
Soothes Itching and Irritation
Cruelty-Free
Vegan
Cons
Screw top is clumsy to use
Pouring a specific amount is difficult
Aroma takes some time to get used to
Finally, we come to the last product in our trip through the Proraso Beard Product trinity, the Proraso Beard Balm.
Previously we have looked at the Proraso Beard Wash and Proraso Beard Oil, which both come in a pretty neat box set along with the Beard Balm.
My editor (Jason) has also taken a look at another Proraso product: the Proraso Red Shaving Cream.
Safe to say this company is a pretty big one with products for anything a man needs to groom his face and beard.
Does Proraso succeed again, or does it fall at the finish line?
Description and Features
The design of the Proraso Beard Balm is a very classy look. The glass bottle with a screw top looks like it belongs on the shelf of a Barbershop.
The glass is thick and heavy. I figure the only way to actually break it open would be to hit it with a hammer.
Is it good for traveling because it is so sturdy? I would say no.
The glass bottle is heavy and would take up a great deal of space in a kit bag. Plus, the screw top is prone to leaking if you don’t screw it down tight.
I’m not the only person who has these issues as well. Several customer reviews have noted that the bottle tends to leak if you don’t seal it right.
Others have noted that the plastic cap can break easily, which just spills everything everywhere. Not bad if you want everything to have the pungent smell of Cypress (or any of the other scents), but I’m pretty sure you don’t want your beard balm smeared all over your suitcase or gym bag.
Overall, the design evokes a classic and timeless style that I really like.
Scent
Now, it comes down to the hard part. I need to describe the same scent for the third time without plagiarizing my own words in the other two reviews.
For this review, the scent I chose to use was the Cypress and Vetyver scent.
While the Beard Oil and the Beard Wash had the same scent profile, they were subtly different from each other. The Proraso Beard Balm is no different.
With the Beard Balm, you still get the heavy musk of the Cypress, but you almost immediately move into a sweeter more floral scent. The musk hits harder with a heavier punch, but the sweet is almost just as pungent.
It also finishes very clean, with no lingering aroma.
I do also want to note that if the musky Cypress and Vetyver aren’t for you, Proraso has three other scents that you can choose from:
- Refresh: Eucalyptus and Rosemary
- Azur Lime: Mint and Citrus
- Wood & Spice: Cedarwood with Saffron and Vanilla
Ingredients
Unfortunately one of the points upon which the Proraso Beard Balm founders are on is the ingredient list.
Unlike most bespoke beard products, this ingredient list is a chemistry test. Literally, the only ingredient a layperson would recognize here is the Water. Everything else is a multi-syllabic nightmare.
However, I am not so stupid as to think all of it is terrible for your skin. Scary words could just be scary words. Let’s decode what all this gobbledygook really is.
- Polysorbate 40: A moisturizing and emulsifying agent designed to heighten skin tone and lighten colors.
- Dicaprylyl Ether: Moisturizes and Protects the skin and hair from the elements.
- Polyquaternium 37: Synthetic Conditioner for hair, removes and relaxes curls
- Caprylyl Glycol: Also a hair conditioner, derived from coconut oil
- Phenoxyethanol: Shelf Stabilizer and preservative used in many cosmetics. Safe, but known to cause allergic reactions in some users.
- Benzyl Alcohol: Another Preservative, but less harsh than Phenoxyethanol. Also improves the collagen in the skin to help the skin heal from damage and irritation.
- Tocopheryl Acetate: Anti-oxidant that protects skin and hair from the environment and UV radiation. It also improves skin texture and health.
- Sodium Citrate: Controls the pH levels of cosmetics and acts as another preservative.
INGREDIENTS: Aqua (Water/Eau), Polysorbate 40, Glycerin, Dicaprylyl Ether, Parfum (Fragrance), Polyquaternium-37, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Limonene, Linalool.
That’s a great deal of chemistry, but it isn’t much to worry about. The only thing that is moderately something to worry about is the Phenoxyethanol. Though, for me, I have noticed no issues.
It should be noted that the Proraso Beard Balm is Cruelty-Free, meaning it isn’t tested on animals. It is also free of animal products, making it fully vegan.
User Experience
For this review, I spent a week using Proraso Beard Balm on my beard every day after a hot shower.
I poured a small amount into my palm, rubbed it between my hands to get the balm nice and warm, and then gently worked it into my face and whiskers.
How is the Texture?
The Texture of Proraso Beard Balm is not something I expected.
Rather than being a waxy paste like 90 percent of Beard Balms feel like, it is more watery. It is closer to a greasy slime rather than an oil paste.
It almost feels like a product that is between a beard balm and a beard oil, but not fully either one.
It has a cooling feeling when you apply it to the skin, that quickly warms up, but it does leave behind a greasy feeling on your face. Luckily, that feeling only lasts about five or ten minutes before you feel it absorb into your skin or evaporate.
I would not use this balm as a base for styling your beard. You will want something with more of a hold, but it does feel nice after a few moments of sitting against the skin.
I would also not recommend this for larger and more “established” beards. This texture is best for your shorter beards that are still growing in and getting strengthened. You’ll find it much easier to work it into your shorter whiskers than a longer and more dense beard.
How Easy is it to Use?
Honestly, this is one of the places where Proraso Beard Balm falls flat. It comes down to the mechanism of how to get the beard balm out of the bottle and onto your face.
You just unscrew the top and then pour an amount about equal to the size of a US Dime.
The problem is the bottle is heavy, and the beard balm texture oozes and leaks. You will always end up using more than you want to use. Dialing in the exact amount is not easy, and judging by the texture of this beard balm, there are myriad other ways they could have dispensed it.
A pump top would do wonders for this bottle. It has just the right viscosity to travel through a pump top, and that would help one gauge just how much one needs to use.
I suppose Proraso wanted to go with the screw top because it looks much more classy. I just find it a complete chore, and I would much prefer something like a pump top or a cap that you can snap open.
Value for Money
As of the time of writing this review, Proraso Beard Balm is for sale on both Amazon and the Proraso website for 18 USD.
You can get the Beard Balm for slightly less (1710 USD) on the Proraso website if you decide to sign up for a product subscription in increments of 4 weeks, 6 weeks, or 8 weeks.
The question becomes “Is that a good deal for this product?”
Honestly, I believe so. For a product that is most likely going to last for at least a month or month and a half, 18 USD is a good investment.
On the pizza metric, that is one and a half pizzas a month, so I think that is a pretty good deal overall. Especially if you have to deal with a chronically itchy beard.
You can also get it in a box gift set that comes with the Beard Wash and Beard Oil for 45 USD on Amazon (see image below for the kit I bought).
Final Thoughts – Who is Proraso Beard Balm really for?
Overall, I did really enjoy this product. It makes my skin feel great and adds some life to my shorter beard.
The scent took some time to get used to, but I have grown to like the Cypress and Vetyver aroma.
I would recommend Proraso Beard Balm to guys who are starting to get serious about growing out a healthy beard. This is a perfect combination with a thick boar hair brush to remedy any beard itch and skin irritation.
