Martin De Candre Letdown

A shaving buddy gifted me a sample and all I can say is that I would never fork over the Big Bucks this one costs based on performance. Although it is a decent soap, I saw no glimpse of greatness and as a matter of fact I would personally rate a run of the mill Stirling soap as better. Hell, even a Palmolive stick for that matter!! 

Note:  I don't view Stirling as "run of the mill" actually, it was merely stated as a "yardstick" as I have never received a bad shave with any Stirling soap and am quite fond of them. 

I had bought both Original and Fougere and enjoyed different things about MDC. Overall, it was a bit dry on my skin so I sold them both. Nice soaps though but I would rather use Stirling as well over MDC as far as performance.

I had come close to trying it but remember Zac zaclikestoshave mentioning the drying for him which I find in some soaps too and so have never seen a need to try them.

I actually bought some when I visited their plant in France.
Glad to hear I’m not alone. IMO…one of the worst soaps out there. Incredibly drying..minimal cushioning and protection.
Never understood why people pay huge prices for it. Mind boggling.
Perhaps it was relatively a good soap years ago…but…the bar has been raised exponentially. It’s been left in the dust.
And agree…so many cheaper brands are better…
It went to BST the minute I returned stateside.

Agreed. It's definitely not worth the price point.

I don't share this opinion. MdC, when properly hydrated, will create a sumptuous lather with plenty of cushion and protection. 200g will last you MUCH longer than 99% of the artisan soaps available. Rinse your face well and apply some ASB and there is zero issue with dryness. Great soap and very affordable, at a "price-per-shave" basis.

I totally disagree but certainly respect your experiences. I have the original which I bought from Maggards last year. I transferred it to an open Timeless container without a cover. MDC is dried out for about 6 months during the processing. I load it up with a hot wet brush and it lathers like crazy. I have felt no drying effects as previously mentioned. The soap does not have to be covered and rejuvenates itself by adding hot water. Incidentally my water is very hard. To me it's one of the best shave soaps out there. 

Yeah, fantastic soap, exceptionally beautiful and crisp natural scents, lathers brilliantly and performs exceptionally. And it lasts forever so it is a real bargain compared to most other artisan soaps, which really are expensive for how quickly they are used up. I’m also not really a fan of the artisan style of soap that we have so many of now - too thick and yoghurty, too heavy on the face, too much ‘residual slickness’ (i.e. snot). For my preferences Martin de Candre is about the best there is.

I have over 200 soaps in my collection, but MDC is not one of them. The most common comment in reviews of MDC is that a tub "lasts forever". I figure that people say that as justification for spending a lot of money. As I have yet to reach the bottom of any soap tub, the one thing I do not need need is a soap that "lasts forever".

Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Aqua, Potassium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Parfum, Citronellol, Geraniol, Linalool

This is a very simple vegan formula that contains little in the way of ingredients to nourish the skin. Thus, it is unlikely to match the performance of the better soaps in my collection. For those who skin needs no nourishment, it is probably a suitable soap.

I agree 100% BPman. Never got the hype on MdC. You mention Stirling which is 1000x better. You could buy 5 tubs of differents scents and they would outlast one jar of MdC for the same price.