ManCave Anti-Ageing & SPF 20 Moisturiser 100ml, Counteract sign of Premature Ageing, Natural Formulation with Rosehip Oil and Vitamin E, Vegan, Made using Recycled Plastics, Made in England

Product Information

I have a bit of a thing for citrus shower gels. About 20 years ago, during a trip to the US, I grabbed a particularly amazing orange one from Tommy Hilfiger during a trip to Macy’s. It’s always been my benchmark for the perfect smelling shower gel, and every new product I try is fighting to live up to it. Unfortunately, it didn’t do that much to exceed my fairly low expectations – but I am setting an awfully high bar. My personal favourite moisturiser is Biotherm Total Recharge. It disappears into my skin in seconds, leaving it soft and moist for at least 24 hours – BUT it also costs more for a single 50ml container than the entire ManCave bundle I’m reviewing here.

This isn’t a range that I think intends to compete with Clinque and Clarins – it’s more “high end high street” than “high end department store.” Judged at that level, it’s great value, with some products standing out as particularly good.

Disclaimer

Before I start, I should say that I was impressed by the size of them! I hadn’t paid any attention to the sizes included in the bundle, so I was pleasantly surprised that the shower gels were each 200 ml, and that the moisturiser was 100ml.

ManCave’s Hinoki Wood shower gel is much more interesting. It’s described as “rich and woody,” which is very accurate. It smells expensive, bringing to wind a luxurious hotel bathroom. I know I’ve mentioned Molton Brown a couple of times but this is the closest to those (much more spendy) products – and that’s a compliment. Even so, I am able to report that this has a strong, agreeable and – I guess – masculine(?!) smell. Furthermore, there is a way that I can judge a shampoo, and that’s how kind it is to my scalp, which can get sore and dry with some products. I’m please to say that wasn’t the case here. I guess I’ll thank the shea butter for that. Aqua (Water), Octocrylene, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Shea Butter Ethyl Esters, Thermus Thermophillus Ferment, Glycerin, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Phenoxyethanol, Ceteareth-20, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Sodium Polyacrylate, Parfum (Fragrance), Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Benzoic Acid, Carbomer, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Dehydroacetic Acid, Linalool, Bulnesia Sarmientoi Wood Oil, Benzyl Salicylate, Hexyl Cinammal, Abies Sibirica Oil, Artemesia Herba-Alba Oil, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Juniperus Virginiana Wood Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Oil, Origanum Majorana Herb Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Coumarin, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Limonene, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionene, BHT, Sodium Benzoate, Abies Balsamea (Balsam Canada) Extract, Juniperus Communis Fruit Oil, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract, Piper Nigrum (Pepper) Fruit Oil, Thymus Vulgaris (Thyme) Flower/Leaf Oil, Disodium Rutinyl Disulfate, Hordeum Distichon (Barley) Extract, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid Lifestyle This one isn’t especially exciting. It lathers nicely and smells like a perfectly agreeable shower gel – but the aroma is rather muted. In fact, the smell of the caffeine shampoo (below) lingered for longer in my shower room, despite me using far less of it.

ManCave Protective Moisturiser 100ml

I’m very fussy about moisturiser, so this was always going to be the ManCave product that needed to do the most to impress me. Of course, on the flip side, there are others than don’t impress quite so much. There were a few misses among the hits in my bundle. However, it’s hardly fair to do a side-by-side comparison with – for example – a moisturiser that costs many times more. It’s attractive and understated, but doesn’t feel as premium as something from a Biotherm or Molton Brown counter. This isn’t a heavy criticism; While it doesn’t feel that expensive, it isn’t that expensive. My bundle of seven generously sized products only cost as much as I’d spend on a single item from one of those brands.