Shaving is a classic subscription and brand-loyalty category. The directory includes Dollar Shave Club, Harry's, Jack Black, Bombay Shaving Company, Wilkinson Sword DTC, and Gillette. It mixes incumbent mass brands, direct-to-consumer challengers, and prestige grooming. Razors are a repeat purchase, so lifetime value drives the advertising. Studying these ads shows how challengers attack an established leader and how a simple product earns repeat orders.
Bevel is a San Francisco-founded grooming brand created in 2013 by Tristan Walker to address razor bumps and ingrown hairs common in coarse, curly hair. The brand pioneered culturally authentic grooming advertising for Black men and was acquired by P&G's Walker & Company Brands in 2018.
Bic is a French consumer products company known for disposable pens, lighters, and razors, founded in 1945 by Marcel Bich and headquartered near Paris. The brand sells its writing instruments, shavers, and lighters worldwide through mass retail and advertises across digital platforms including Meta.
Bombay Shaving Company is a New Delhi-based premium men's grooming brand founded in 2015. It revived traditional wet-shaving culture — safety razors, shaving brushes, artisan soaps — as a premium ritual for urban Indian men, expanding into beard care, skincare, and body care. The brand positions grooming as an act of self-care rather than a utilitarian task. Also searched as Bombay Shaving.
Cremo is a Boulder-based men's grooming brand best known for its concentrated, slippery shave cream formula. Founded around 2013, the brand built awareness through humorous video advertising before expanding into hair care, body wash, and cologne. It operates across DTC and major retail channels.
Dollar Shave Club is a US subscription grooming brand launched in 2011 by Michael Dubin. It sells razors, shave butter and other personal care products delivered on a recurring basis. A humorous launch video in 2012 brought it widespread attention, and Unilever acquired the company in 2016.
Gillette is a global men's grooming brand owned by Procter & Gamble, selling razors, blades, and shaving care products. Founded in 1901, it is one of the best-known names in shaving worldwide and sells through mass retail, drugstores, and its own e-commerce and subscription channels.
Gillette Venus is Procter & Gamble's women's shaving and hair-removal brand, selling razors, blades, and shave care products. It is the women's-focused counterpart to Gillette's razor line and sells through mass retail, drugstores, and online channels.
Harry's is a men's grooming brand selling razors, replacement blades, shave gel, face wash, body wash, hair care and fragrance. Founded in 2013 by Jeff Raider and Andy Katz-Mayfield, it sells direct-to-consumer online, by subscription and through major retailers, positioning itself on quality shaving at fair prices.
Jack Black is a Dallas-founded luxury men's grooming brand launched in 2000 by Curran Dandurand, Jeff Dandurand, and Emily Dalton. A prestige DTC and Sephora staple, it was acquired by Edgewell Personal Care in 2018 and remains a leading men's skincare brand with products like the Pure Clean Daily Facial Cleanser and Face Buff Energizing Scrub. Also searched as Jack.
Wilkinson Sword is one of Britain's oldest brands, with roots tracing to 1772. Owned by Edgewell Personal Care, the brand has re-entered DTC subscription to challenge Gillette and digital-native disruptors like Harry's and Estrid, pairing 250 years of shaving heritage with a modern letterbox delivery model. Also searched as Wilkinson.
Challengers built this category's best-known advertising by attacking the cost and hassle of incumbent razors. Dollar Shave Club and Harry's pitched convenience, fair pricing, and delivery on a schedule, often with humor or direct talk about overpaying at the store. Incumbents like Gillette lean on trust, availability, and performance. Their creative tends to highlight comfort and a close shave, and the brand's scale supports broad awareness campaigns. Prestige and regional players find other angles. Jack Black positions shaving inside a skincare routine. Bombay Shaving Company treats grooming as self-care for urban Indian men. Wilkinson Sword DTC offers a subscription alternative for UK buyers. Common offers are starter kits at a low entry price, free handles with blade subscriptions, and flexible delivery. The first order is cheap on purpose, because the repeat blade orders are where the value sits. Subscription terms are worth reading closely, because they show how a brand balances low first-order cost against retention.
Look at the starter offer. The structure of a first kit, including what is included and what is discounted, tells you how a brand thinks about acquisition cost versus retention. Compare the tone. Humor, product close-ups, skin-care framing, and masculine tradition each attract a different buyer. Track which tone a brand keeps and which it drops. Note how subscription is explained. Strong ads make cancellation and flexibility clear, which reduces fear of being locked in. Also watch how challengers reference the incumbent, directly or indirectly, since comparison framing is a major lever in this category. Finally, check regional adaptation across Harry's, Bombay Shaving Company, and Wilkinson Sword DTC. Regional examples matter, since pricing norms and cultural attitudes to grooming shape what messaging works.
Examples include Dollar Shave Club, Harry's, Jack Black, Bombay Shaving Company, Wilkinson Sword DTC, and Gillette. Each brand page lists the ads it has run. Open the brand pages to compare how starter kits are framed, since the offer structure is often where challengers differ most.
They stress low-cost starter kits, convenient delivery, and flexibility. The goal is a cheap first order that turns into repeat blade purchases. Looking at both sides of the rivalry shows how comparison framing changes depending on whether a brand is the leader or the challenger.
Challengers like Dollar Shave Club and Harry's frame the incumbent as overpriced or inconvenient and offer a simpler, fairer alternative. Gillette answers with trust and performance messaging. Check ad dates to see which messages stay in market, since long-running creative usually reflects a proven angle.
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