This is a Hungarian made shaving cream, which I remember hearing about a while back, but I never really paid very much attention. I just tested it now, and I find the lather very rich and stable and easy to create, it's a cheap cream--100 ml for only 3,75$ is not a budget killer. At first, I thought that it might not be for me, because the tube I had was old and perhaps stale. Last week, I received another tube, which was sealed and fresh, and what a difference. The scent is very nice, the cream is light green in color, (similar to the Euro Classic Palmolive) and the skin feels real good after a shave. It is a cream that I highly recommend now!
Scored a tube of this cream and have been pleasantly surprised. The cream whips into a dense, rich lather. It is not the slickest lather but it the density of the lather provide more than adequate protection. The scent of my tube was faint but fresh- I can't imagine there is enough to put off anyone. One thing I did notice was that the cream really needed to be hydrated. With more uses I should think the water/cream ratio would become more apparent but it does utilize a great deal of water. Not a deficiency but still nice to know.
I am very glad I purchased that cream ! With hints of bergamote and oakmoss, the scent is very distinctive and a pure joy to marry with a citrusy-woodsy aftershave like Eau de Brut, for example, an other item I bought recently. A beautif addition to my den !
Gary, the Barbon aftershave is awesome. It is very mentholated and soothing, with a sort of different scent from the cream. Another point I should mention about the Barbon cream is that it tends to act like medical anesthesia on the face. It also stops bleeding from a minor nick or weeper instantly, and prevents any pain.
Barbon cream is also available in Romania, particularly in the region of Transylvania which is right on the border with Hungary.
My pleasure - the gentleman who sent it to me with the aftershave said that I would love the both items, and he was so right. He lives very close to the Hungarian border in a city in Transylvania. As a matter of fact, I was in his city twice a LONG time ago.
A bit offtopic: I know where it is my family came from there to Croatia some 600 years ago while it was called Erdely and was a part of the Hungaro-Croatian kingdom
Of course you know the region! There are many people in Croatia whose families came from there. There is a guy who has a factory near my workplace whose great-great grandparents came from a town called Baia-Mare. This guy speaks perfect Hungarian, Romanian, Croatian, as well as German.
As a bit of an add on, Barbon is one of the few shave creams that contain chlorophyll. Barbon and also from the same manufacturer, Figaro, are available from shaveabuck.com. The only reason I mention the retailer is because at this time he is the only importer of Barbon and Figaro shave cream into the States. I didn't try the Barbon after shave, but if it is anything at all like Figaro's it will be a light menthol with a hint of matching scent. The Figaro aftershave does not smell like Figaro shave cream right out of the bottle, but after about 5-10 minutes on the skin it does. Back on topic, I did not like Barbon initially, but when I came back to it several months later, I liked the scent. I guess I like the stale ones... The scent was off-putting at first, a very sharp "green" earthy smell, but as time passed it became more of a rich mossy scent with only a hint of loam. The Figaro's scent also changes with time, but I like the scent, both fresh and stale. There is a third scent, which Jeff reviewed a while ago, but I can't think of the name at the moment. (has a picture of a black horse on the box) That one is unavailable here in the states, and I wish someone would import it, I'd like to give it a try. Performance wise, both Barbon and Figaro are the equal of any of the English creams out there.
The other cream from Caola-Alfa which produces the Barbon and Figaro shaving lines is called Derbylux. I think it's wonderful. That's the one you're thinking of. A classy, yet sporty scent with the same rich and explosive lather, and a lot of menthol cooling. I never tried its corresponding aftershave, however. The Barbon aftershave is strongly-mentholated, in fact I find it even stronger and colder than Aqua Velva or Mennen Skin Bracer. Here is what the Derbylux cream looks like:
I ordered the Barbon cream and aftershave from Joe a Shaveabuck. It was in my P.O. Box in 2 days! I used both this morning. As Jeff said, it produces a LOT of great lather with very little product. I will have to cut back next time. The later is slick and thick. I got a great shave. I really like the matching aftershave too. The scent is a fresh, "forest" scent with a big menthol blast. My skin feels great. Thanks for the heads up Jeff!
FYI-Joe at shaveabuck.com has the Barbon cream back in stock....at $1.50!! I just ordered two more tubes. The Barbon AS is also in stock at $2.50!
I'm not a cream guy, so with limited space I'll have to pass on the cream. However I do have Figaro AS and like it, so I guess now, after such a glowing review, I'll have to give Barbon AS a shot!
