Pros: great value for money, very nice scent, easy to lather
Cons: not as nourishing and protective for sensitive skin as other TOBS creams, lather tends to have a foamy and airy consistency
One of TOBS most popular shaving creams, alongside their Sandalwood and Avocado variants, Jermyn Street has gained a reputation of being a top performer with one of the best scents in their lineup.
Let’s see how it performed in our test.
Taylor of Old Bond Street is one of Britain’s most recognized brands among wet shaving enthusiasts and is also part of the 3 T’s (the other two being Trumper and Truefitt&Hill).
Their products offer great value for money and represent an excellent choice for those new to traditional wet shaving. The Jermyn Street shaving cream is no exception being very reasonably priced as well.
Packaging
The Jermyn Street shaving cream comes in a traditional screw-on tub (5.3 oz) or a plastic travel tube (2.5 oz).
Unless I buy it specifically for traveling, I prefer the first option as it offers better value for money and will last a long time.
The tub is a dark, almost black color and is made of durable plastic; nothing to write home about, but perfectly adequate for this price range.
Scent
Upon first opening the jar you are presented with a fresh, citrusy scent that is the complete opposite of the in your face type of smell that you get from other creams.
It is very pleasant to my nose and sort of resembles an aquatic cologne, but with a woody twist.
Describing scents is not something I’m really good at and it’s also a very subjective matter; definitely something to be experienced in person.
I will say that the scent strength is on the mild side and it fades even more once you lather it. Depending on how you like your scents, this can be either a good or a bad thing.
I personally prefer the ones that are not overpowering, so it gets a thumb up from me.
Lathering
The consistency of the cream is very soft and you only need a small dab to build enough lather for two or even three passes.
Taylor creams are known to be dead easy to lather; it comes as no surprise that I didn’t have any problems lathering this one, regardless of the technique I used.
Palm, face and bowl lathering worked equally well.
Performance
To say that I was excited about trying this cream is an understatement.
I have read rave reviews about it and had very high expectations.
For the purpose of this review, I used my standard gear for testing a shaving cream or soap: Edwin Jagger DE89 Safety Razor, Gillette Platinum blade, Edwin Jagger best badger shave brush, basic shaving bowl.
I did two passes (first with the grain, second across the grain) and had a two days beard.
When applying the lather to my face I first noticed that it had a more foamy and airy consistency when compared to the Avocado variant for example.
I simply assumed that I must have used too much water and decided to do it again. Unfortunately the result was the same and the lather simply wasn’t as slick and consistent as I would have wanted.
During the shave it provided adequate cushioning for the razor and it worked generally well; I prefer leaving the lather a few minutes on my face before starting the actual shave, just to give it enough time to act on the cuticle of the hair.
During this time is stayed well hydrated and I didn’t have to reapply.
Unfortunately the performance was not quite up to my expectations; I have sensitive skin and in some areas (like on my neck) the blade felt rough and even skipped a bit on the surface of the skin.
The post-shave sensation was also not that great, leaving my face feeling very dry.
I also didn’t get the closest possible shave as the lather wasn’t as slick and forgiving as some of my other shaving creams.
Having said that, the TOBS Avocado is, at least for me, a superior performer in almost every aspect.
If you are fine with the scent (you either love it or hate it), I definitely recommend it over this one, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Alternatives
While the TOBS Jermyn Street is by no means a bad shaving cream, it lathers easily and the scent is really nice, I think there are definitely better options for the price.
The first obvious alternative is the TOBS Avocado also mentioned above; it costs even less and it is a fantastic performer. You’ll have a very tough time finding a shaving cream that performs significantly better in this price range.
Another option is one of my all-time favorite shave creams and a staple in my shaving arsenal, the Speick Shaving Cream. While the scent is not to everyone’s taste (old-school barbershop spicy fragrance), the performance, nourishment, hydration, slickness, and post-shave sensation are almost second to none.
To wrap it up, I must say that way was a bit disappointed with the overall experience with the Jermyn Street shaving cream, especially when considering that it is a product geared towards sensitive skin.
I will probably keep it in my rotation as I still think it’s a decent performing cream and also sports one of my favorite scents. Definitely give it a try.