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review
2023 Muc-off Luxury Chamois Cream - 250ml - 3.jpg£30.00
VERDICT:
Pricier than some, but its great performance means you won't need to use that much
Barely noticeable – in a good way
Non-greasy feel
Quite expensive
Weight:
310g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
- Exceptional
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Quite good
- Average
- Not so good
- Poor
- Bad
- Appalling
Goldilocks would be a fan of Muc-Off Luxury Chamois Cream; it's just the right thickness, lasts for plenty of hours on the bike, and washes out of your chamois with ease – there is little to dislike. The only thing our little friend might baulk at is the price – that certainly doesn't hit the middle ground.
If I'm using a chamois cream, I really don't want to feel that I'm using it, if you know what I mean. I hate that greasy feel that some have, and I'm not a fan of overly cold creams that use menthols. Thankfully, the Muc-Off has none of these issues.
It's on the thicker side when it comes viscosity, but not so much that it sticks to your fingers when you apply it. It spreads onto the skin where you need it to with relative ease, so it's quicker than some to reapply when you are out on a ride should the need arise.
Once on, the sensation of having the cream on your skin soon dissipates, and from then on it is barely noticeable while riding, with just the slightest cooling effect of the aloe vera and witch hazel making themselves known when you're shifting about in the saddle.
From short road rides to longer gravel adventures, I found the cream worked for a long time with no feeling of friction or soreness at the end of the ride. Plus, it has antibacterial properties too, so the chances of saddle sores will be kept to an absolute minimum.
The mixture has no lasting effects on your clothing at all, even with some of it soaking into the pad as you ride; it washes out on a cool cycle as if it was never there. Should you get it on the fabric of your shorts it won't stain anything either.
Performance-wise then, it's a big thumbs up from me.
> Read more road.cc reviews of chamois creams here
When it comes to the price, though, at £30 for 250ml it is quite expensive. Ruzer Performance Luxury Chamois Cream, for example, is £18.95 for 225ml. John did say he found that a bit on the thin side, though, so you'd probably need to use more of it than you would the Muc-Off, which would render it less cost effective. You don't need to slap on a huge amount of the Muc-Off.
Up until I tried the Muc-Off I'd been using Faction Actionproof chamois cream, which I like a lot (I reviewed it last year). It has an rrp of £19.99 for 150ml, which works out at 1p per ml more than the Muc-Off (though it's currently discounted to £13.49).
Conclusion
Though the Muc-Off cream is on the pricier side, it does work very well indeed and because of its thickness it doesn't require much in terms of reapplication. It works impressively well for all kinds of riding, and any sports where chafing is an issue.
Verdict
Pricier than some, but its great performance means you won't need to use that much
road.cc test report
Make and model: Muc-off Luxury Chamois Cream
Size tested: 250ml
Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Muc-Off says, "A specially formulated cream to deeply moisturise your skin for total riding comfort and protection, over long distances, in all conditions.
We believe we've created the best cream out there.
Deliberately excluding nasty parabens and toxins, we have made sure our Chamois Cream is infused with essential provitamin moisturisers to help create that long lasting hydrated feeling on your skin.
Our luxury formula uses natural ingredients – including aloe vera, witch hazel, shea butter and sunflower oil – to create a mild cooling effect for total riding comfort.
Designed to form a protective barrier to help prevent skin damage on sensitive areas, it's also anti-bacterial, and ideal for all riding styles from hard fought classics through to long sportives, whether on the road or on a trail!
Created first and foremost for cyclists, our formula is also an essential companion for triathletes, runners and endurance athletes of all disciplines who want to minimise chafing."
It's a very good cream that stops irritation, without a greasy feel.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Ingredients
Aqua (Water), Petrolatum, Cetearyl Alcohol, Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral Oil), Ozokerite, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Propylene Glycol, Triethyl Citrate, Glyceryl Stearate, Polysorbate 60, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Lanolin Alcohol, Parfum (Fragrance), Phenoxyethanol, Sodium PCA, Polyacrylamide, Ethylhexylglycerin, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Menthol, BHT, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, Laureth-7, Benzyl Salicylate, Amyl Cinnamal, Panthenol, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Geraniol, Hamamelis Virginiana Bark/Leaf/Twig Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Limonene, Linalool, Eugenol, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol, Maltodextrin, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate.
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
9/10
Rate the product for value:
5/10
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Keeps you feeling fresh for many hours on the bike.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Barely noticeable in feel, but performs well.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
The initial cost.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
It's pricier than some in terms of pence per ml, but veeeeeeery slightly cheaper than others.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
It's very good: it works well, being barely noticeable in use, with the only stumbling block being the initial outlay.
About the tester
Age: 44
I usually ride: This month's test bike My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,
Since writing his first bike review for road.cc back in early 2009 senior product reviewer Stu has tested more than a thousand pieces of kit, and hundreds of bikes.
With an HND in mechanical engineering and previous roles as a CNC programmer/machinist, draughtsman and development engineer (working in new product design) Stu understands what it takes to bring a product to market. A mix of that knowledge combined with his love of road and gravel cycling puts him in the ideal position to put the latest kit through its paces.
He first made the switch to road cycling in 1999, primarily for fitness, but it didn’t take long for his competitive side to take over which led to around ten years as a time triallist and some pretty decent results. These days though riding is more about escapism, keeping the weight off and just enjoying the fact that he gets to ride the latest technology as part of his day job.
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10 comments
I use this or Veloskin - whichever I can get the better offer on.
Both are excellent
I switched to this when Assos was forever sold out. Funnily enough, I ordered some Assos today when I saw it was available.
It will be interesting to compare them after using this stuff exclusively for two years.
I miss the minty kiss of Assos on my sack 😳, but can it topple the coconut cream 😂
Yes, this stuff is great and especially for rides in excess of 100 miles.
I ran out recently & made the mistake of trying some Promax in it's place which i won't be doing again.
This is 5 star cream and marking it down for being expensive is silly - I have never paid £30, not even close. Even the deals promoted on the review page are £19, which is more than I usually pay.
The best chammy cream I ever discovered was that made by Hibros - Soprasella. Sadly it seems that its no longer sold in Blighty; and importing it from Italy seems to double its already significant price due to the various fuxdit additional border charges.
It was good for many things besides yer bum, salving various skin-thing bletches & wens, such as the itches of fly bites and the sun damages on the cyclists tan areas.
I too now use the Muccy stuff, which is good for the nethers but not so effective at those other jobs.
I've tried many bum creams and this is the only one that comes close to the now sadly discontinued Rapha offereing. None of the big players sells this at RRP - it's pretty much £19 across the board. Worth every penny IMO.
The Rapha stuff was truly the best, and I'm no Rapha fanboy.
Not a fan of minty bollocks either - this one's my favourite.
The shaving cream's not bad either.
For its intended purpose, or as a substitute chamois cream?