Hello Brian and Klaus, I got my Pre de Provence shaving soap from the ebay store Simple Luxuries. Although they are US based their shipping is pretty reasonable at $5.90 and the soap arrived in a very timely fashion. I'm afaraid I do not know of a European source, I haven't been able to find a single reference to the soap on google.fr and I couldn't find it when I was staying in France at the end of last year. When I said it was widely available I was refering to the American market, sorry for the confusion. Apart from L'Occitane CADE, I have found that many of the French shaving soaps are much more readily available in the US than they are in the UK Hope this helps. Regards, Alex
Yes you should. Given the exchange rate between the US and the UK at the moment the overall cost worked out at a little over 8GBP which is considerably less than many of the alternatives. Even though it may cost a little more than some of the refills at this price, the Pre de Provence soap comes in that neat little container which makes a great travelling soap holder. Regards, Alex
Also, I forgot to add that you get 150g of Pre de Provence soap, with other brands you typically get 100g or less. AOS is considerably more expensive and you only get 100g. T&H and GFT are roughly the same price as the PdP soap but you only get 99g and 80g respectively. DR Harris is a little cheaper but once again you only get 100g. So, even when you factor in the shipping Pre de Provence is not significantly more expensive than any other brand and you get more product for your money. Plus it's really good Regards, Alex
I find that rather strange as well. Thanks for the info I will check it out. How do you find it compares to the L'Occitane cade soap?
I like both the CADE and PdP soaps. They both lather equally well, but I find that the CADE soap has a better scent, the lather is also a little more slippery and it cuts closer. PdP is definitely more cushioning than CADE and is more moisturising. I would be loathe to have to choose between the two as they are both top notch performers, but if I was forced to, I think that the Pre de Provence would just edge out the CADE. Regards, Alex
Great review Alex! I also have become fond of the french soaps in the past year. This soap is a winner and can be found on sale at times for <10.00 in the metal tub.
Thanks for the kind comments Jim. Klaus, you made a good choice and I hope you enjoy it when it arrives. Regards, Alex
I like Pre de Provence very much! It provides a great shave! I like the scent because it's kind of unique. On the other hand, if they made it in a sandalwood scent, it would probably be my favorite soap.
PdP is one of my favorite soaps! Great performer. As far as the scent goes, I find it very pleasant. It reminds me of something from the past, but I can't put my finger on just what it is. Anyway, definitely try this soap! :drool Jordan
I've also tried the PdP soap in the meantime and it's definitely a keeper - simply a great shaving soap ::