The very best luxury soaps/creams, money no object

The lather that I was able to generate with CRSW was very good, but it is still in my opinion not as good as the lather that I can get with B&M (especially Glissant formula) soaps or Nuavia.

A quick aside: Which B&M soaps have the Glissant base? In a quick look at the website, I only saw one where it was mentioned in the soap's description.

ANG69 Thanks for posting your experience! I had a similar allergenic reaction to one of the CRSW scents unfortunately. Not as bad as I received with a few other products, but still noticeably red, bumpy, and uncomfortable for my skin. I'd guess that this issue is due to the fragrance oils used (a few others have reported this problem elsewhere), so if you have sensitive skin, it's probably best to stay away from the scented V1/V2 formulas. I haven't heard of this issue happening with Oliva however, scented or unscented, and I personally had no issue.

Actually, as much as I enjoy artisans, many artisan soaps - particularly those on the cheaper end of the spectrum - tend to burn my face and have for some time. Maybe one of the resident soap makers will jump in and explain why this is the case, but I'd guess that it is due to a combination of skimping on the fragrance oils and my sensitive skin (I get all sorts of allergies from cheaper perfumers). I joke that my skin is spoiled, since I haven't yet had any sort of allergic reaction to one of the pricier soaps, even the heavily scented soaps like Czech & Speake and Nuavia.

The artisans that I stick to and enjoy regularly (stuff like Mystic Water, B&M, Pannacrema, and Jabonman) don't have this issue, and I've tried multiple of their scents. No idea why I get the burning issue from some brands and not others, but honestly I expected to get allergies from B&M since the scents are usually quite strong. Fortunately I've tried multiple versions and scents and haven't yet had a problem.

Anyway, as for your final point, B&M Glissant is up there on post-shave feel with a few other tallow products. My favorites in tallow post-shave feel are probably Czech & Speake and Boellis Panama 1924 by a VERY slight margin, but Glissant is mere nanometers behind, as is Mystic Water (which is also exceptional in this category, particularly in my soft water). Nuavia is fantastic for post-shave feel, especially for a vegan product, and is matched in this category (for me) only by one other non-tallow soap.

A quick aside: Which B&M soaps have the Glissant base? In a quick look at the website, I only saw one where it was mentioned in the soap's description.

So far it's been limited/seasonal releases, starting* with Le Grand Chypre, then the latest release of Fireside, and then Night Music. The next seasonal, Rhapsody, will continue the Glissant roll-out. Eventually the main line (not Latha) will be moved to Glissant as well.

*Le Grand Chypre was a sort of version 1.0 of Glissant; the base was tweaked again before reaching its current (final?) version. I find it notably better now.

beamon it's a relatively new formula from what I've read. The first soap to use Glissant (as far as I know) was Le Grande Chypre. The Glissant soaps that were released after this one (Fireside and Night Music) used a slightly modified Glissant base that removed almond oil due to allergy concerns.

EDIT: onethinline you beat me to it yet again . I need to be faster on my draw.

The lather that I was able to generate with CRSW was very good, but it is still in my opinion not as good as the lather that I can get with B&M (especially Glissant formula) soaps or Nuavia.

A quick aside: Which B&M soaps have the Glissant base? In a quick look at the website, I only saw one where it was mentioned in the soap's description.

LGC
Fireside
Night Music

Thanks gents (all three of you), for the Glissant answer. Boy, to be even somewhat conversant with the goings-on in this field you have to really spend some time at it. Don't know how those still working for a living do it!

Tom Slick,  Stick with CRSW.  I am not using any artisans in 2016 (year of Haslinger) but you should try more of the CRSW, especially the V2 and Oliva.
I still think the commercially made soaps (Haslinger, Valobra/Czech & Speake, Tabac are superior products to the artisans.

If I had to choose though, Cold River's V1 and V2 are far and away the best artisan soaps on the market.
It will be fun to try them again in 2017.

With all due respect Vtmax, why do you recommend Tom Slick to skip trying B&M? I recognize CRSW as an excellent soap, and it's actually in my top 3. However, I still think those interested in finding great soaps should be open to trying a variety of artisan and/or commercial brands, and B&M is definitely one worth trying.

Exactly. Everything is worth a try. At least get a sample.

Tom Slick,  Stick with CRSW.  I am not using any artisans in 2016 (year of Haslinger) but you should try more of the CRSW, especially the V2 and Oliva.
I still think the commercially made soaps (Haslinger, Valobra/Czech & Speake, Tabac are superior products to the artisans.

If I had to choose though, Cold River's V1 and V2 are far and away the best artisan soaps on the market.
It will be fun to try them again in 2017.

With all due respect Vtmax, why do you recommend Tom Slick to skip trying B&M? I recognize CRSW as an excellent soap, and it's actually in my top 3. However, I still think those interested in finding great soaps should be open to trying a variety of artisan and/or commercial brands, and B&M is definitely one worth trying.

I feel the CRSW soaps are indeed solid but do agree that the B&M Glissant formula in particular eclipse their performance. On top of that, B&M scent and associated creativity are hard to beat. Classic case of YMMV but definitely feel that they are worth a try as well. I'd be shocked if the performance didn't rev the engine; the scents can be polarizing but haven't found one myself that I didn't enjoy.

kwsher Great points! The scents are one of the main attractions to B&M, in addition to the performance of the new Glissant base. With the exception of Fireside, I've liked all of the fragrances that I've tried from the line, and really appreciate Will's interest in and tributes to classical perfumery.