Floris Elite Shaving Soap Review – Light Classy Fragrances
Floris Elite Shaving Soap
A shaving soap that is triple-milled and British-made, and offers various light fragrances to the senses, is the Floris Elite. While it is pricey, it ticks every box for me, and it is evident that it is a luxury shaving soap.
Pros
High quality and subtle mix of fragrances
Creamy, thick, and rich lather
A puck lasts very long
Cons
Pricey
The Gentleman Floris London Elite is a triple-milled shaving soap priced at the high end of shaving soap price ranges that caught my attention on a quest to test a number of triple-milled shaving soaps.
Triple-milled soaps are usually denser, which helps them last much longer when in constant use. It’s a process of compressing or milling the soap and removing excess moisture.
Many guys enjoy a combination of fragrances within their shaving soaps. I found the Floris Elite to offer these in abundance, with the star notes being Bergamot, Lavender, and Oakmoss.
Brand/Company: Floris Gentleman has been a British Family Perfumer since 1730, with a long history of serving well-known stars and public figures such as Winston Churchill, Ian Fleming, writer and creator of James Bond, and Marilyn Monroe, among others. It’s a real gentleman’s and lady’s brand with a great history of serving classy scented cosmetics and perfumes.
Description and Features
As mentioned, this soap is triple-milled, making the soap hard and denser, enabling it to last longer. In addition, it contains shea butter that helps the lather become rich and creamy.
The soap is sold in a wooden bowl and refills of 100g/3.5oz. I only bought the refill to save money; it is hand-wrapped in an attractive wrapper.
Floris states this soap is cruelty-free and vegan.
Ingredients
We have a lot of ingredients that make sure we get a creamy, stable, and dense lather with the potential to leave our skin somewhat moisturized post-shave.
Before I did my research on these ingredients, I had no idea that some soaps contain ingredients that counteract the negative effects of hard water (as you can see in the table below). There is always something to learn in this shaving game!
| Ingredient | Primary Function | Purpose & Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Potassium Palmate | Saponified Palm Oil | Primary soap base; produces a dense, rich, and stable lather. |
| Potassium Palm Kernelate | Saponified Palm Kernel Oil | Enhances lathering efficiency and helps build quick volume. |
| Potassium Stearate | Saponified Stearic Acid | Key ingredient for classic shaving soaps; provides cushion and structural stability to the lather. |
| Sodium Palmate | Saponified Palm Oil | Hardens the soap puck (essential for triple-milled long-lasting soaps). |
| Glycerin | Humectant | Attracts and retains moisture, preventing skin dryness and adding slickness for razor glide. |
| Aqua (Water) | Solvent | Solvent used during the saponification and processing stages. |
| Sodium Palm Kernelate | Saponified Palm Kernel Oil | Contributes to cleansing power and soap hardness. |
| Sodium Stearate | Saponified Stearic Acid | Adds hardness to the puck and structure to the lather. |
| Palm Kernel Acid | Fatty Acid | Fatty acid source that superfats the soap and stabilizes lather density. |
| Parfum (Fragrance) | Fragrance | Signature Elite scent profile (citrus, woody, and resinous notes). |
| Limonene | Fragrance Compound / Allergen | Naturally occurring citrus-scented aromatic compound. |
| Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter | Emollient / Superfatting Agent | Provides post-shave skin conditioning, nourishment, and enhanced cushion. |
| Pentasodium Pentetate | Chelating Agent | Binds metal ions in hard water to allow efficient lathering regardless of water hardness. |
| Tetrasodium Etidronate | Chelating Agent / Stabilizer | Prevents oxidation and soap scum formation in hard water. |
| Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour | Skin Soother / Anti-irritant | Colloidal oatmeal that calms irritation, reduces redness, and provides a smooth post-shave feel. |
As always, if you have skin sensitivities, check each ingredient on the list. Based on my research, 99% of us guys are not going to have an issue. However, the soap contains Fragrance and Benzyl Alcohol, which are irritants for some guys with sensitivities.
Official Ingredients: Potassium Palmate, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Palmate, Glycerin, Aqua (Water), Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Palm Kernel Acid, Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Pentasodium Pentetate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Linalool, Eugenol, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Benzyl Alcohol, Citral, Hexyl Cinnamal, CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide).
Scent
As soon as I opened the box and the wrapper, I could smell the soap, and when I had a good whiff, it was addictive—a scent I wanted to continue smelling more of just for the aromatic fragrance.
I can see why Floris mentions all those top, heart, and base notes, as there does seem to be a lot going on. There is something citrusy, earthy, floral, woody, and more going on, but nothing really overpowered me.
Top notes:
Bergamot | Cedar Leaf | Grapefruit | Juniper Berry | Lemon | Petitgrain
Heart notes:
Bay | Fir Balsam | Lavender
Base notes:
Amber | Cedarwood | Leather | Moss | Musk | Patchouli | Vetiver
The scent post-shave lingers somewhat, but at a level I find satisfying, as the fragrance is very pleasing to my nostrils. In testing, I dont use any post-shave balm or scent to get a feel for its post-shave moisturizing effect, so with the Floris Elite it was nice to still get a mild whiff of the scent.
The Lather and Shaving Experience
As the Floris Elite is an expensive shaving soap, I had high expectations of its ability to lather up some slick, creamy, and well-covering lather. I was really hoping the scent would be something I also liked, of course.
As soon as I opened up the posh soap wrapper, I was pretty impressed.
Latherability
Although this is a triple-milled soap, it did not take long for the soap to get inside the shaving brush bristles and start to create a lather. It took me a few shaves before reaching the proper water ratio, so the lather was not too foamy or over-creamy. It was not overly thirsty, but the water ratio does need to be dialed in somewhat.
It’s quite a heavy soap lather, possibly because of the shea butter and other ingredients.
I lathered both straight from the puck to face and from the puck into a lathering bowl. I preferred using a brush loaded with lather rather than lathering up in a shaving bowl, but this has a lot to do with using a synthetic brush with this soap that tends to leak water when not using a shaving bowl (puck to face).
Shaving
The lather provided a good cushion between my skin and razor, and it remained slick, allowing the razor to glide. There was a good amount of residual slickness left once the main lather had been shaved off, and once I wet my face, that slickness felt very apparent.
The addictive scent, coupled with the nice creamy denseness of this soap, made it a real pleasure to shave with. It is up there with the best in my experience, thus far.
Post Shave
Opening up the soap wrapper to shave off the last bit of lather was a pleasant experience. Post-shave, my face felt soft, and I could still smell a light, delightful fragrance.
There was no drying out of the skin after use without using balm or any other post-shave product. I guess the Shea took care of some of the moisturizing.
From what I have read, the Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour is a super good ingredient included that can help soothe and repair our skin after shaving, which is encouraging.
Value for Money
A puck of Floris London Elite Shaving Soap costs around £35, $53, or €42, and the soap in the wooden bowl costs £45, $68, or €54 (prices can change). It is pretty expensive, and some great soaps can be picked up for more than half the price.
There is no doubt that the Floris Elite is high-quality soap, and for those gentlemen who like to buy premium products from premium stores, this is one to consider despite being pricey.
Final Thoughts – Should You Try It?
It was a real pleasure to use the Floris Elite, and the light and somewhat bold scents are still with my senses now. It’s high quality and ticks boxes on many levels. I just wish I had bought the wooden bowl as well!
I guess guys who prefer the higher-quality shaving soaps and triple-milled types are the first to be attracted to the Elite. And those who enjoy woody and floral scents of nature that do not overpower but offer more than just sandalwood, for example, might like this.
See you on the next lather up and shave down.
