Reviews

Muc-Off Luxury Chamois Cream – review

An effective and luxurious chamois cream for all-day comfort and protection

Muc-Off, primarily purveyors of bike cleaning products, have produced a real gem of a chamois cream.

Some riders swear by chamois creams, others happily go without, and I’ve always found that they can be hit-and-miss – all have very much the same aims, promising great protection from chafing, rubbing and saddle sores, but some have always been more effective than others.

I shan’t dwell on this too long however, because Muc-Off’s Luxury Chamois Cream is brilliant. From the Dorset-based company’s Athlete Performance range, which is geared towards looking after the rider rather than the bike, as has typically been Muc-Off’s focus, the cream includes aloe vera, witch hazel and shea butter among its ingredients.

The nature of the cream’s ingredients means that, when it comes into contact with the skin, it has a gentle cooling effect, a bit like the way tea tree oil feels on your skin when used in a face wash. Of course, on delicate areas this can feel slightly strange at first, but is in no way harsh or uncomfortable – in fact, it’s very pleasant when you actually get into the saddle, and a boon when conditions get warmer.

The cream has a thick, smearable texture with great skin-cooling properties

Additional ingredients include pro vitamins for skin health, and the cream is also anti-bacterial (which will come in particularly handy if you’re managing emerging or healing saddle sores). Another factor working in the cream’s favour is the lack of paraben or formaldehyde, sometimes used in cosmetics but linked to a range of health problems. Tested athletes (I’m not kidding myself here…) can rest easy in the fact that the cream doesn’t contain any ingredients prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

All this means the cream is very effective, and the consistency is probably the best I’ve personally come across. Some creams are less viscous (e.g. it can literally drip off your hands), while this is more like a butter. That means you only have to use a small amount to ensure good coverage, and it works intensively. I only needed a two-finger dips-worth for all day protection, eliminating any friction in wet or dry weather.

It’s certainly not cheap as chamois creams go – the luxury tags gives you a clue – but value is better than it first appears. The cream costs £20 for a 250ml tub, but as I’ve only needed to use around 15ml for my last six rides in total, I’m not going to run out any time soon. For the record, I know can expect around 100 rides of use from one tub, working out at 20p per application.

Finally, one of the standout features is the odour of the cream – it smells much like talcum powder, with a delicate perfume. However, that delicate smell doesn’t wear out; it continues even after a long ride and six hours after application. Consequently, alongside the excellent moisturising protection the Luxury Chamois Cream offers, it helps keep you feeling fresh as a daisy – even if your legs aren’t at the end of a long ride.

The chamois cream is part of Muc-Off’s ‘athlete performance’ range

Conclusion

Muc-Off’s Luxury Chamois Cream, from the ingredients used to the consistency and fragrance is a top performer with, in reality, surprisingly good value thrown into the mix.