Stirling Soap Company: Executive Man Review

I don’t think I’ve ever come out and said this, but my first taste of the incredible world of artisan soaps came from Stirling Soap Company. I got into wet shaving through The Wet Shave Club, which gave me a couple samples of the soap. I can’t remember which ones, but I do remember that I wasn’t a huge fan of the soaps as there was an underlying animal scent that I couldn’t get past.

I got wind that Stirling changed its soap to get rid of the animal scent, so I had to give it another try. I got four samples and Executive Man was one of them. Stirling has an insane amount of scents on hand and offers its soaps in three ways: jar, refill puck and sample.

Those that may be overwhelmed when looking at Stirling’s website for the first time will find comfort in being able to order an 1.1-ounce sample puck of any of the soap to try things before hand. At $13 for a 5.8-ounce jar, Executive Man comes in at $2.24 per ounce, or, if you go with the 4.5-ounce refill puck for $9, $2 per ounce.

There’s no way around it, but Stirling produces some of the most affordable shaving soaps on the market. At that price, one would assume that there’s no way Stirling’s products can keep up with more expensive soaps, but those people are in for a treat.

According to Stirling, Executive Man smells like: “You make your own decisions and stand by them. You give orders and expect them to be immediately followed. You walk into a room and all eyes are on you. You are the Executive Man.” While that’s not a lot to go off of, the scent is inspired by Creed Aventus. I’ve never smelled Creed Aventus, so I can’t say whether or not the soap is a similar scent, but it’s definitely a nice scent.

When I take a whiff of the soap, I get a lovely, complicated fresh scent that has some floral undertones with even a hint of aquatic ones. It’s a light scent that barely gets up to a medium off of the puck, but it’s one you’ll want to smell often. Since the scent is so good, I want more of it.

Getting a load off of the semi-hard puck is simple enough, while turning the soapy goodness into a slick, cushiony and luxurious lather takes minimal time. Once into a lather, the soap is truly incredible. It’s extremely slick, like one of the slickest soaps ever slick. The lather leaves something to be desired in the cushion department and while I didn’t get my closest shave, it did a fine job of letting the razor cut through the whiskers.

Post shave wise, Stirling Executive Man isn’t anything special, but it left my face feeling fairly hydrated. At $2 per ounce, you can’t go wrong with Stirling. For wet shavers that enjoy using a slick soap, this is one of the—if not the—best. It may not have the greatest cushion or post shave, but it’s well above the average for these two categories.

Scent Pleasantness: 9/10

Scent Strength: 5/10

Lather Quality: 8/10

Price: 10/10

Stirling Executive Man is an incredible product. My only gripe with the soap is its scent strength, which is barely a medium off of the puck and fades off into barely noticeable during the shave. However, it’s still a must try. Stirling’s soaps punch way above their price point and will make you question the need to purchase more expensive soaps. Oh yeah, it’s that good.

Overall: 8.5