No.

Soaps and detergents, interestingly, are actually different things. Soap is a molecule that attracts water molecules on one end and oils and fats on the other. So when you rinse away soap, the oils and the fats go with it.

The Original PreShave Bar™ works by sitting on your face and follicles for a bit, conditioning your skin and softening your beard in a way that shaving cream won’t. Your face needs to be free from oils and the general yuk of the day-to-day first, so always use soap (or preferably a facial scrub) before applying the PreShave bar. If you don’t, the oils on your face will block the product from working.

No.

Organic manufacturers find plants with the qualities they want to deliver and then refine and mix them into a product (note: there is a lot of debate on what “Organic / Natural” even means. It’s not a legal designation). I can’t imagine being able to find the sources to do what this does. There’s nothing especially nasty in this, but our ingredients are specifically formulated, not just stuff out of your fridge.

I’ve been using it daily for over 10 years. Neither I nor any of the many customers have reported any negative effects other than smooth shaves.

Not at all.

There are 26 ingredients used to make this (There were fewer when I first started). It took a while and a lot of experimentation to get this to do what I needed. Soap is a pretty simple thing, starting with just some kind of fat or oil and lye (which is very caustic on its own). As this isn’t a soap, it’s a whole different kettle of fish, although there are no fish in this bar.

Not at this time (although we’re working on that). We’re ramping up production to get to that point.

Yep. I actually developed this for my own use. Only after my friends tried it did they encourage me to start to sell it commercially (they got it for free). I’ve been using it every morning for the last 10 years. Once, I forgot my bar at home and had to shave without it. Ick.