We’ll start this off with a commercial (sidenote: I wouldn’t recommend shaving whilst having a little dance):

 

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You may not have heard about the Gillette Guard but there are around five-hundred-million men who are all too familiar with the shaving mega-brand’s latest addition.

 

 

Having launched in October 2010 (soon after the Gillette Proglide), the Gillette Guard was created by Gillette to tailor to the Indian market where many men still shave with a double-edge (DE) safety razor. You might ask why Gillette would bother making a razor especially for Indian men (after all, their current roster boasts around 22 razors) but the Guard was created with some very specific requirements in mind.

Gillette had previously tried to introduce a regular, two-blade razor to the Indian market and… it tanked. Most men preferred their cheaper DE razors and, more importantly, a lot of them didn’t have access to the running water needed to keep a regular double-blade clog free.

So, with that in mind, the Gillette team flew out to India to watch Indian men ‘shave with a double-edge razor without running water, sometimes outdoors, while balancing a hand held mirror – an experience laden with nicks, cuts and frustration.’  They soon realised that it was affordability and safety (not comfort and closeness) that was paramount to a popular razor in India.

The Gillette Guard allows Indian men to use DE razors with the safety of a pivot head and comb to minimise risk of cuts. Not only that, the 80% reduction in materials means that this feather-light razor costs just 15 rupees (about 33 cents) and 5 rupees for replacement blades.

The Guard marks a turning point in Gillette’s interaction with emerging economies – it might mean we’ll be seeing a different razor to appeal to, say, the Chinese market soon.

So – is it good? Well, if you’re not used to shaving with a Double Edge safety razor – chances are you won’t enjoy shaving with this. However, in India there’s already a 6:1 preference for the Guard after only 8 months of it being on the market. Not only that, it has an emerging cult following in the West too – acting as a travel razor for DE fans.

Tried it? Want to? Let me know in the comments!