This is the best shave brand when it comes to shaving cream. It seems to smell and lather the best. I have had years of experience with this brand. When I use a straight razor I prefer a soap to a cream for lather though. So, I naturally tried this soap. It is the best smelling soap in my collection and came in a beautiful bowl. However this soap is not very good at all for lather. It breaks down and absorbs so quickly that you cannot shave fast enough to take advantage of the lather even with safety razor. It is not well suited as a shaving product. I tried lathering it in a shaving bowl as well as direct to face from brush without positive results. I cannot in honesty recommend this soap. I will stick with the cream in this brand. Or, perhaps one of the other scents performs better.