In the future—and this is a serious proposal—you might glide an optical fibre over your chin, with pulses of light easily clearing away your stubble. Or you could dab on a chemical face powder to dissolve it, laser-style, without also removing your face. These are just some of the futuristic promises that have emerged from an industry obsessed with innovation—despite the fact that, essentially, shaving hasn’t changed since Roman times.
The wet shaving industry alone is worth around $21 billion, but the core method remains the same: a sharp bit of metal, dragged across skin. That hasn’t stopped brands from continually trying to upsell their blades with promises of advanced performance, from reverse-blade tech to anti-clogging systems and lubricating strips. But do they really improve the shave?
As Dr. Alun Withey, a historian of facial hair, notes, these kinds of claims have been made since the 1750s. Back then, blades were marketed based on their "crispness" or "hardness." Today’s equivalents—SkinGuard, ProGlide, XTreme—sound more like space tech than grooming tools. And while innovations like two-blade systems did make a functional difference (the first blade lifts, the second cuts), piling on extras hasn't brought a noticeable leap forward. In fact, more blades can cause irritation and inflammation, undermining the very promise of a “better” shave.
Austin Mutti-Mewse of Truefitt & Hill, the world’s oldest shaving company, puts it simply: “The market now looks to just be trying to build on an idea that’s more or less already perfected.”
Steel, stubble, and stagnation
Perhaps the only real problem with traditional razors is that steel dulls, which is great for the business of replacement cartridges, less so for sustainability. Alternative materials like ceramic or sapphire proved too sharp or too unstable, and even advanced research like MIT’s more durable steel hasn’t made it to mass production—possibly because there's little incentive to disrupt such a profitable model.
Will King, founder of King of Shaves, tried to challenge the big players with innovations like a self-lubricating razor coating. But even he found it easier to sell his IP than to go up against the industry giants. And while patents on shaving tech have mostly expired, brands like Gillette and Wilkinson Sword are so good at what they do that even copying them is hard. As King puts it, “It’s like the patent running out on Coca-Cola and everyone thinking they can just mimic that.”
For all the noise, shaving tech may be stuck in place—not for lack of ideas, but because the original idea still works. The electric razor, once scorned by purists, might be the only area where true innovation is creeping back in. Some now use AI to adjust the blade’s pressure and speed in real time. Another gimmick? Maybe. But at least it’s something the Romans didn’t think of.
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