Article updated: April 26, 2023
While Art of Sport is a relatively new player to the grooming and skincare market, it’s quickly gaining traction amongst athletes and couch potatoes alike for their performance driven products, and slew of star athlete endorsers.
But as I’ve learned long ago, just because a celebrity or athlete is promoting a product, doesn’t mean that product is worth a damn.
In order for me to formulate my own opinion on Art of Sport I decided to test out a few of their products and see for myself whether the hype is backed by reality, or whether it’s full of hot air.
I’ve always been sort of a bar soap kind of guy, so one of the first AOS products I decided to try out was their body bar soap, which I ordered online from Amazon in their Rise scent.
According to Art of Sport, their body bar soap is rich in natural botanicals, highly moisturizing, and deep cleans with the help of activated charcoal. It’s also free of parabens, sulfates, alcohol, and a slew of other crappy ingredients I don’t know how to pronounce.
Review
One of the first things I noticed about the AOS Body Bar Soap is the scent. I ordered their “Rise” scent, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the fresh, subtle fragrance. AOS states that their Rise scent is cedar and vanilla infused, but I probably would’ve never guessed that if I hadn’t read the description off of their website. Either way, it’s fresh, clean, subtle, and masculine so I’m not complaining.
The next thing that stood out to me was the size of the bar. While it’s certainly not the biggest bar of soap I’ve seen (3.75 oz) it’s important to keep in mind that it comes in packages of 2, so total combined weight is really 7.5 ounces. So all things considering it actually turned out to be a pretty good deal in my opinion.
In the Shower
One of the first things I look for in a bar soap is how well it lathers. Since every guy washes up differently, I simulated a few common methods (possibly the only methods) of building a lather in order to identify the most effective method for this particular bar of soap.
I lathered it with my hands, a washcloth, and a loofa. Here’s how the AOS bar soap faired:
• Washcloth – The AOS bar soap completely dissolved the washcloth then proceeded to consume my flesh…
While that didn’t actually happen, I did however notice that the washcloth produces the best lather. It’s thick, rich, and does the job while using as little of the bar as possible. Winner.
• Loofa – The loofa comes in a close second in regards to lather, and earns points for preserving as much of the bar as possible. 1st place loser.
• Hands – I found this to be the least effective method of getting a good lather. While my hands did eventually produce a nice lather, I believe regular use of this method will significantly decrease the lifespan of the AOS bar. Loser.
Another important thing I’d like to point out is that even though the bar is blackish/grey due to the activated charcoal, the lather it produces is white. This is worth noting because I’ve used some activated charcoal bar soaps in the past that produce a black lather that stain washcloths and shower curtains. That’s not the case with this Art of Sport Body Bar.
Out of the Shower
Like any bar soap, you can’t really make a full assessment of it’s quality until you’re out of the shower and fully dried off. If the bar soap you’re using is stripping your skin of moisture, you’ll get that tight, itchy skin feeling right around this point.
In regards to the AOS Body Bar, that dry, uncomfortable feeling doesn’t come. My skin is left feeling soft, supple, clean, hydrated, and moisturized. It’s also left with a fresh, clean feeling that lingers for a few hours.
How long does a bar last?
While individually these aren’t the biggest bars of soap you’ll come across, they do have a pretty impressive lifespan. I managed to get 3 weeks out of 1 of the individual bars (they come in packs of 2) with daily use. That’s roughly 6 weeks worth of use between the 2 bars combined. In my opinion that’s pretty impressive, and helps further justify the price difference between these AOS bar soaps and your basic grocery store bought brands.
Final verdict
Overall I’m impressed with these Art of Sport Body Bars. The Rise scent smells fresh and masculine. They leave my skin feeling clean and hydrated. And although they do cost a bit more than your average bar of soap, the 2-pack I ordered on Amazon is reasonably priced in my opinion. Overall I recommend.