Quick Take: Barbasol Pacific Rush

Back in Craig’s installment on Barbasol Beard Buster, he wanted to try the new Pacific Rush variety.  Since it touts a “fresh, oceanside” scent and is from Barbasol, it’s gotta be great, right?

Meh.

Though possibly a nice break from the same-old for some Barbasol users, the scent is nothing special.  More comparable to your garden-variety “sport” cologne – generally crisp and clean, if mildly juvenile – than the sea, Pacific Rush falls flat.

Additionally, like the Original Barbasol, Pacific Rush contains no aloe or lanolin.  Sensitive mugs used to the Soothing Aloe or Skin Conditioning varieties may experience a less-comfortable shave.

Bottom line: I applaud Barbasol’s attempt to diversify, but the superior shave and classic, masculine fragrance of Soothing Aloe (my personal fave of the Barbies) will have me reaching for the green stripes once again.

—Brent

Barbasol Beard Buster

As I mentioned earlier, my go-to shaving cream when I’m in Michigan is Barbasol. The TSA had confisacted my everyday cream during a trip home a few years back, so I picked up a can at the Krogers across from my Ma’s house for 99 cents. They stand as 99 of the best cents I’ve ever spent.

Barbasol is the perfect shaving cream for Michigan. Even though my can is of the Soothing Aloe variety, a stealthy blast of pine comes through. The cream itself, as the label says, is thick and rich. I would add “pasty” to the description: Between the fingers, it has a consistency similar to chocolate mousse. Barbasol has excellent staying power midshave, and has always done a fine job in providing the needed intermediary between blade and skin.

The Aloe can’s color scheme of navy blue, mint green, and white calls up the nautical imagery of Old Spice, but of a more interior nature: If Old Spice is the high seas, Barbasol Soothing Aloe is the Great Lakes. The spiraling stripes ingeniously echo a barber’s pole and, when paired with the solid, slanted sans-serif typeface, give the can a wonderful sense of movement.

When I get back to L.A., I’m going to invest in a few cans of Barbasol to try out the other flavors. As an Angeleno, I’m especially excited about the Pacific Rush Formula, which is supposed to have an “oceanside” scent. I hope this isn’t just a cheap play for Old Spice users, but something tells me the good people at Perio Inc. are smarter than that.

—Craig