The 8 Very Best Shaving Creams

Ingredients: Vitamin E, Glycerin and Shea Butter | Texture: Gel | Scented:

To me, Gillette is synonymous with shaving — so one of their gels was bound to appear here. To decide precisely which one, I spoke to Dr. Karan Lal, a board-certified and fellowship-trained pediatric dermatologist, and Dr. Purvisha Patel, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Visha Skincare. They both pointed me towards the ultra-sensitive cream, which contains glycerin (a humectant), as well as vitamin E and shea butter — each deeply hydrating ingredients. Dr. Lal calls it “very elegant” for its sophisticated-for-the-price-point ingredients. Texture-wise, it comes out as a gel but foams up quickly. It’s more than gentle enough to be used on the face, but it does contain fragrance — so if you’re extremely sensitive, you might want to pick another option from our list.

Ingredients: Glycerin | Texture: Cream | Scented: Unscented

I come across Vanicream on a weekly basis, both as a beauty and grooming writer, and as someone with sensitive skin. Skin flaking off due to acne? Vanicream. Eczema feeling particularly irritated? Vanicream. So, if nothing else seems to be cooling that post-shave irritation, my suggestion? Vanicream. Both its packaging and ingredient list are as simple as they come. Its hero ingredient is glycerin, a powerhouse humectant that absorbs water back into the skin. Both Dr. Garshick and Dr. Binder say the Vanicream is safe for those with sensitive skin, as it’s free of fragrance, preservatives, formaldehyde, and parabens. (In fact, Dr. Binder says she prefers sensitive-skin shaving creams in general, as “I do not like putting a lot of foreign ingredients in sensitive areas.”) This cream is also suitable for allergy-prone skin, Dr. Lal notes, with a gentler, preservative-free formula to decrease the chance of irritation.

Ingredients: Shea Butter and Aloe | Texture: Cream | Scented: Pomegranate and raspberry

If your razor has to cover a lot of surface area, you’ll want a cream that’s just as suitable for your legs as it is your bikini line. This is it. And, as an added bonus, it costs less than $5. Despite the inexpensive price point, it’s packed with nourishing shea butter and skin quenching aloe. Though it doesn’t foam, the texture spreads easily and can be rinsed off or left on post-shave like a moisturizer. Either way, “this stuff will leave your legs as smooth as the day you were born,” as one user said in a previous version of this story, in which the EOS also emerged as a reader favorite. The bottle is also lovely and pink — it will look nice on your bathroom shelf.

Ingredients: Aloe, Olive Leaf Extract, Macadamia Seed Oil | Texture: Gel | Scented: Jasmine

The legs cover the most surface area, so it’s important to choose a shaving aid that provides maximum slip. This formula squeezes out as a concentrated gel, but once it comes into contact with water, it transforms into a milky serum. The unique texture “creates an ultraslick surface so the razor can easily glide over top without slipping or snagging,” Dr. Patel says of the hydrating and redness-reducing formula that contains olive-leaf extract, aloe, and macadamia-seed oil. And because the gel is relatively thin, you can see your progress as you shave. A little goes a long way, though — while the product description claims that a single container of Cremo lasts for 90 days, Strategist contributor David Walters worked on a tube of the original version for over a year and a half.

Ingredients: Aloe, Olive Oil, Marshmallow-Root Extract | Texture: Cream | Scented: Unscented

For most, the bikini line will be by far the most sensitive area to shave. Dr. Jamie DeRosa, a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon and the founder and lead facial plastic surgeon of DeRosa Center Plastic Surgery & Med Spa in Boston and Palm Beach, recommends using this whipped, ultramoisturizing cream for a close, nick-minimizing shave. “It’s infused with soothing ingredients like marshmallow-root extract, aloe, and shea butter to cushion against razor burn and help minimize ingrown hairs and bumps,” she says. And while it is formulated specifically for the pubic area, “the skin-nourishing, unisex formula works anywhere a person might want to shave — underarms, chest, legs, and face,” Dr. DeRosa adds. Our resident beauty columnist Rio Viera-Newton uses it on her legs, for example. “This gel formula is rich in aloe vera and coconut, so it helps deeply condition skin as you shave,” she says. “My legs used to feel insanely dry and parched when I stepped out of the shower, especially after I shaved — they feel moisturized and silky when I use this.”