As you may know MR GLO (Musgo Real Glyce Lime Oil soap) has been hard to find in recent weeks. I have been trying alternatives, and I wrote a report of some of my findings for Sharpologist.com. Recently I discovered the Shaving and Grooming section of the Portugal Online Shop—amazingly, the site claims to have been around since 1249. (Take that, Al Gore!) Business must have been hard for the first several centuries, given the scarcity of reliable Internet connections. Even dial-up would have been a problem.

The Portugal Online Shop does offer MR GLO, and I learn that the company that makes it is Claus Porto, which has Musgo Real as one of its brands. But I also found Glyce Lime Soap from another company, Ach Brito. Compare:

Claus Porto’s MR GLO: Aqua (Water), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Öil, Alcohol, Adeps Suillus, Sucrose, Sodium Hydroxide, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Sodium Carbonate.

Ach Brito’s Glyce Lime Soap: Aqua (Water), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Öil, Alcohol, Adeps Suillus, Sucrose, Sodium Hydroxide, Rizinus Communis Seed Oil, Parfum (Fragrance), Limonene, Sodium Carbonate.

I can’t help but note a certain degree of similarity between the two—and I used Ach Brito’s soap as my pre-shave soap this morning: very like MR GLO, though lighter in color. Both bars weigh 165g. MR GLO is €6.90 ($8.79); Ach Brito’s Glyce Lime soap is €2.90 ($3.70).

(FWIW, found on the same site: Musgo Real shaving cream, 100ml for €11.75; Ach Brito Lavanada shaving cream, 100g for €4.49 and Confiança Top Secret shaving cream, 125g for €4.75.)

I find this extremely interesting. I also have a bar of Ach Brito’s Glyce Classic Soap, also 165g for €2.90. Ingredients:

Aqua (Water), Cocos Nucifera ( Coconut ) Oil, Alcohol, Adeps Suillus, Sodium Hydroxide, Riciunus communis (Castor) seed oil, Sodium Carbonate, Parfum (Fragrance), Cinnamal, Eugenol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Hydroxycitronellal, Isoeugenol, CI77491 (Iron Oxides), CI77492 (Iron Oxides), CI77499 (Iron Oxides).

So if the lime oil (I assume that’s the Limonene in the ingredients for MR GLO and Ach Brito’s Glyce Lime Soap) is a problem, here’s a possible alternative.

I also purchased:

Confiança – Redondo Glycerin Round Soap – 125g – €2.25

Aqua (Water), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Öil, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Adeps Bovis, Sucrose, Sodium Hydroxide, Alcohol, Glycerin, Parfum (Fragrance), Cinnamyl Alcohol, Citronellol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Geraniol, Limonene, CI 17200.

Confiança – Valeiro Pre-Shave Exfoliating Soap – 130g – €4.19

Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Aqua, Palm acid, Parfum, PEG-9, Cocoglycerides, Glycerin, Palm Kernel Acid, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, CI 77891, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional.

I’ll eventually report on these. But you may want to bookmark the site for your own use.

UPDATE: In case it’s not clear, the ingredients lists for the soaps can be found at the links given for those soaps.