ManCave Cedarwood Shower Gel 200ml for Men, Fresh & Wood Aroma, Natural Formulation, Sulphate and Paraben Free, Vegan Friendly, Tube made from Recycled Plastics, Made in England

Product Information

I’m producing this ManCave review after seeing the brand many times on my targeted Facebook ads. The algorithm robots clearly heard about my passion for skincare, and I have to admit that the prices – lower than I’m used to – attracted my attention. 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.

ManCave is a men’s grooming brand with strong credentials for being cruelty-free and vegan-friendly. The company sells a wide range of products including shower gels and moisturisers. The products claim to provide “aromatherapeutic benefits that are good for both your skin and your state of mind.” 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. This is much more suited to daily face-washing than the charcoal scrub, coming out the tube as a lightweight gel. The feel and aroma of this particular product both lean toward “premium”– impressive for the price.

Rewards For Life

This isn’t a bad moisturiser – it’s just not an amazing one. It takes a lot of rubbing in before it’s absorbed, and leaves my face on the greasy side of moisturised. On the plus side, it does last well – really cheap and nasty moisturiser can leave your skin dry again a few hours later – and this is also kind to my sensitive and eczema-prone skin. 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.

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. 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. The Willowbark Face Wash has an intriguing smell – it manages to be rich and clean at the same time. It’s quite a strong aroma and good to snap you awake first thing in the morning!This is definitely a scrub, with surprisingly abrasive charcoal powder bits in it. It’s the kind of thing you’d use once or twice per week, not every day. It smells of nothing, and seems to be the only unscented product in the bundle.