The Rise and Rise of our Citrus Kiss Range

In the last three months or so, sales of our Citrus Kiss Shaving Cream and matching Aftershave Balm has gone from buoyant to booming. For the first time ever, last month sales of Citrus Kiss Shaving Cream have exceeded sales for our ever-popular Natural Shaving Cream. I wish I could pinpoint exactly why this sudden boom in sales has happened but I can make a few guesses.
1). Spring and summer, men and women buyers for men think that a zesty, citrusy scent is best suited for the spring and summer months.
2). Recent favourable feedback on some online shaving forums.
3). Christmas gifts of creams and balms now running out and needing to be replenished.

At one time, Fitjar Soaps, our pals in Norway produced a shaving cream called Citrus Kick which benefitted from a strong citrusy scent, I loved this cream, it was an ever-present in my shave den. Surprisingly, Fitjar stopped making it. I then turned my attention to the utterly brilliant Castle Forbes Lime shaving cream which reminds me so much of Opal Fruits lime sweets. This is one of the all-time great shaving creams, it features regularly on shaving forum top 10 lists.

Way back in early 2016 we were bowled over by the success of our Original Shaving Cream, customers were asking when will you be bringing out a different shaving cream? I didn’t want a Sandalwood or West Indian Limes or an Almond-scented cream, I wanted something young and fresh, a high quality, cream and balm that would appeal to men of all ages.

Looking back, I remembered Fitjar Citrus Kick but although that was a big favourite with me, it wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, some men though the scent was overpowering and some thought the citrus in the mix would irritate sensitive skin.

So, keeping all that in mind, I went back to the cosmetic chemist we had used for our Original Shaving Cream, I told him for the scent we wanted a mix of citrus fruits, lime, lemon and orange to the fore with something behind these ingredients to take the bitter high notes off the citrusy scent. I didn’t want an in-your-face Fitjar Citrus Kick scent, I wanted something with more broad appeal, something more subtle. I also insisted that the ingredients be as natural as possible, being free of alcohol, parabens and artificial colourants. The most important feature you need from a shaving cream or soap is a rich, protective and moisturising lather, without that you’re onto a loser, not a winner. Several testers were rejected for a variety of reasons, we would provide feedback about the lathering power or lack of, the scent and even the consistency of the cream and eventually, months later we agreed on what is now Citrus Kiss.

The scent we settled on was indeed subtle – just a hint of Mediterranean, summer citrus scents and calling it Citrus Kiss just seemed right.

The aftershave balm was developed after the cream and both were submitted to the EU Lab for safety and stability testing. It was September 2017 when we launched these two products in their original plastic packaging. It was in 2019 we switched to a glass jar for the cream and an aluminium bottle for the brand. 

We’re pretty chuffed with how the new packaging and branding has turned out but unless the products deliver the high-quality performance you never get high repeat sales and that’s what we need to make the financial wheels turning. Feedback from past buyers of the old branded Citrus Kiss duo was lost when we changed to the new capacities and branding but I can tell you that these products are very highly rated by all who buy them. If you are looking for a top-notch shaving cream and balm, look no further.

Isn’t about time you tried them?