I posted my thoughts on this on Reddit yesterday, figured I'd share here! Cause, you know, I'd rather post stuff in shaving forums than start my work day
The usual disclaimers apply: I am not affiliated in any way with Razorock, etc.
Presentation: The Dead Sea comes in the same type of jar as SMdF. There is, however, one minor difference. The label is a standard, waterproof label, rather than the craft-paper label found on SMdF. It's a little thing, but I applaud this change. I've always hated the SMdF label - craft paper has no place in my bathroom, where water is an inevitability. For what it's worth, I think the label design and jar are pretty striking, especially at this price point.
Scent: (Second disclaimer - I'm not a fragrance expert, and I'm under no illusion that I can pick out the intricacies of any scent - I can only give my meager impressions). Opening the jar, I immediately get that hint of Lemon and Rosemary. Smelling a little more deeply, I can tell there is a lot going on here. A complex scent to my nose. I wouldn't really call this a Citrus scent, despite the Lemon. It reminds me very much of being on a beach. Not a humid, tropical beach mind you, but a rocky, arid beach. I haven't been to the Dead Sea, but I've been throughout the Mediterranean, and some of that comes to mind. It's really, very pleasant.
It's not an overpowering scent - it certainly doesn't seem to linger as long even as SMdF. It's very unique, so I didn't know what to pair it with - I went with Fine Platinum for the citrus connection, and that seemed to do fine. Since it isn't super strong, you can pretty safely use whatever you want.
My wife smelled this again this morning and says it smells like "sand and citronella mixed together" - remember folks, scents are subjective
Performance: The consistency is pretty much the same as SMdF. Definitely a croap, if not a cream. I probably overloaded my brush a little, as is easy to do with these sorts of soaps. I'd recommend either scooping out a little bit, or using a wet brush. A dry brush will probably dig into the soap really quickly.
Too early to tell for sure if it's better than SMdF, or if it's just impressing me because it's brand new. I can tell you that it's at least as good. It's probably a little bit better. However, I'd say that it's an incremental improvement. The ingredient list is very similar, with only a couple small additions. It lathered very quickly, and it was plenty slick. Seems to tolerate plenty of water. Maybe not quite as slick as a tallow based soap like Glissant or MLS, but pretty close. Splitting hairs really.
Post shave is definitely good. Again, it's probably better than SMdF, which was already really good. Sitting here typing this, my face feels fantastic. I didn't really feel any need to use aftershave, but I always do anyway, because I enjoy it.
Bottom Line: Yeah, it's really good. I'm immediately a fan. The scent is unique and interesting, and the performance is as good as any. I'm a big believer in the idea that pretty much all the "top shelf" soaps are competitive with one another, and this one is no different.
A quick note on value: Like SMdF, this is a $20 USD soap. That's super cheap for a soap this good that comes in a big, beautiful jar. And, need I remind you, that's an 8 oz jar. Yeah. It's a steal.
TL;DR Soap good. Me like.
The usual disclaimers apply: I am not affiliated in any way with Razorock, etc.
Presentation: The Dead Sea comes in the same type of jar as SMdF. There is, however, one minor difference. The label is a standard, waterproof label, rather than the craft-paper label found on SMdF. It's a little thing, but I applaud this change. I've always hated the SMdF label - craft paper has no place in my bathroom, where water is an inevitability. For what it's worth, I think the label design and jar are pretty striking, especially at this price point.
Scent: (Second disclaimer - I'm not a fragrance expert, and I'm under no illusion that I can pick out the intricacies of any scent - I can only give my meager impressions). Opening the jar, I immediately get that hint of Lemon and Rosemary. Smelling a little more deeply, I can tell there is a lot going on here. A complex scent to my nose. I wouldn't really call this a Citrus scent, despite the Lemon. It reminds me very much of being on a beach. Not a humid, tropical beach mind you, but a rocky, arid beach. I haven't been to the Dead Sea, but I've been throughout the Mediterranean, and some of that comes to mind. It's really, very pleasant.
It's not an overpowering scent - it certainly doesn't seem to linger as long even as SMdF. It's very unique, so I didn't know what to pair it with - I went with Fine Platinum for the citrus connection, and that seemed to do fine. Since it isn't super strong, you can pretty safely use whatever you want.
My wife smelled this again this morning and says it smells like "sand and citronella mixed together" - remember folks, scents are subjective
Performance: The consistency is pretty much the same as SMdF. Definitely a croap, if not a cream. I probably overloaded my brush a little, as is easy to do with these sorts of soaps. I'd recommend either scooping out a little bit, or using a wet brush. A dry brush will probably dig into the soap really quickly.
Too early to tell for sure if it's better than SMdF, or if it's just impressing me because it's brand new. I can tell you that it's at least as good. It's probably a little bit better. However, I'd say that it's an incremental improvement. The ingredient list is very similar, with only a couple small additions. It lathered very quickly, and it was plenty slick. Seems to tolerate plenty of water. Maybe not quite as slick as a tallow based soap like Glissant or MLS, but pretty close. Splitting hairs really.
Post shave is definitely good. Again, it's probably better than SMdF, which was already really good. Sitting here typing this, my face feels fantastic. I didn't really feel any need to use aftershave, but I always do anyway, because I enjoy it.
Bottom Line: Yeah, it's really good. I'm immediately a fan. The scent is unique and interesting, and the performance is as good as any. I'm a big believer in the idea that pretty much all the "top shelf" soaps are competitive with one another, and this one is no different.
A quick note on value: Like SMdF, this is a $20 USD soap. That's super cheap for a soap this good that comes in a big, beautiful jar. And, need I remind you, that's an 8 oz jar. Yeah. It's a steal.
TL;DR Soap good. Me like.