Proraso

Proraso is an Italian personal-care and wet-shaving brand owned by Ludovico Martelli srl. Its best-known products are shaving creams, pre-shave treatments, aftershaves, soaps, beard-care products, and professional barber supplies. The brand is particularly associated with traditional brush shaving and with color-coded product families designed around different skin, hair, and fragrance needs. The brand's pre-shave cream has been produced since 1948, giving Proraso a long association with postwar Italian shaving culture. Its original green range remains the most recognizable expression of the brand. Green packaging, eucalyptus oil, and menthol are used to communicate a cooling and refreshing shaving experience. The range developed from shaving products into a broader assortment that includes pre-shave cream, shaving soap, shaving cream, shaving foam, aftershave lotion, aftershave balm, beard shampoo, beard balm, and beard oil. Proraso subsequently organized much of its consumer portfolio into additional lines. The White line is aimed at sensitive skin and uses ingredients such as green tea and oatmeal extracts. The Red line is positioned for thicker or coarser facial hair and includes shea butter and a sandalwood scent. The Blue line emphasizes moisturizing and includes vitamin E and aloe vera. The Yellow line is associated with a close, moisturizing shave, with cocoa butter and shea butter, and has been sold only in Italy according to the reference material. Alongside the main consumer ranges, Proraso has developed more specialized fragrance-led collections. Wood and Spice combines shaving and beard-care products with notes including cumin, saffron, cedar, and sandalwood. Azur Lime uses a more complex aromatic profile built around lime, mint, woods, juniper, musk, and patchouli. Cypress & Vetyver combines cypress, bergamot, vetiver, cedarwood, and amber. The brand also markets professional products under a barber-oriented line known as Single Blade, as well as accessories such as shaving brushes and a metal aftershave vaporizer. Proraso serves both general consumers and professional barbers. This dual positioning allows it to connect traditional wet shaving with contemporary beard grooming, while retaining a recognizable Italian barber-shop identity. The brand is distributed internationally, although individual product lines and items vary by market. Its public reference profile describes the business as active and controlled by Ludovico Martelli srl. Reported company turnover rose from €36 million in 2009 to €61 million in 2017; these figures refer to the company context reported in the source material rather than to a separately disclosed Proraso segment.

Proraso's documented history begins in 1948, when its pre-shave cream entered production. The product established the brand in traditional wet shaving, a category in which preparation, lathering, blade work, and post-shave treatment are treated as distinct stages rather than as a single aerosol or disposable routine. Proraso later became associated with Ludovico Martelli srl, an Italian company that owns and operates the brand. The original Green line became the central visual and olfactory reference for Proraso. Its green packaging, eucalyptus oil, and menthol gave the range a cooling, fresh character. Over time, the range expanded beyond a single pre-shave product to include shaving soap, shaving cream, shaving foam, aftershave lotion, aftershave balm, and products for beard maintenance. This broadened Proraso's role from a specialist shaving preparation to a more complete men's grooming system. The brand then organized its assortment around distinct color-coded lines. White was developed for sensitive skin and incorporates green tea and oatmeal extracts. Red was designed for coarser facial hair and uses shea butter with a sandalwood fragrance. Blue emphasizes moisture and includes vitamin E and aloe vera. Yellow is associated with a close, moisturizing shave and contains cocoa butter and shea butter; the reference material identifies it as an Italy-only range. These lines made product selection relatively straightforward by linking packaging color to a particular shaving concern or experience. Proraso also extended its offer into more fragrance-oriented and beard-focused collections. Wood and Spice combines pre-shave and shaving products with aftershave, cologne, beard-care products, moustache wax, and hot beard treatment oil. Azur Lime and Cypress & Vetyver similarly combine shaving, beard, and fragrance products with more elaborate scent structures. This development reflects the wider integration of shaving, beard styling, and personal fragrance within contemporary men's grooming. A professional dimension remains important to the brand. Proraso offers a Single Blade line for barbers, described in the reference material as having three variants and more complex fragrances than the principal consumer lines. It also supplies accessories for professional settings, including a shaving brush and a metal aftershave vaporizer. The combination of consumer distribution and barber use has helped preserve Proraso's traditional barbershop associations while supporting international retail presence. Publicly reported business figures provide limited financial context. The reference material gives turnover of €36 million in 2009 and €61 million in 2017, with the latter described as an all-time high and an 18% year-on-year increase. These figures are not presented as audited standalone Proraso revenue, so they should be treated as company-level context. No separate executive roster, public listing, or detailed ownership chronology is established by the supplied sources. The available material portrays Proraso as an active Italian brand with an international presence and a portfolio spanning traditional shaving, beard care, fragrance, and professional barber products.

• 2017

  Reported turnover reaches €61 million

  [1]Prorasoen.wikipedia.org

  The associated company's reported turnover reached €61 million, described as an 18% increase over the previous year.

• 2009

  Company turnover and Italian category rankings reported

  [1]Prorasoen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reports turnover of €36 million and identifies strong positions in rapid foams, brush shaving cream, and pre- and aftershave creams in Italy.

• 1948

  Proraso pre-shave cream enters production

  [1]Prorasoen.wikipedia.org

  The Proraso pre-shave cream is documented as having been in production since 1948, marking the beginning of the brand's established shaving-product history.

Traditional Italian wet shaving and barber grooming, combining accessible consumer products with professional-use formulas, color-coded functional ranges, and distinctive fragrance profiles.

• Shaving and beard care · 1948

  Green line

  Proraso's original and most recognizable range uses green packaging and is built around eucalyptus oil and menthol. It covers the full shaving sequence, including pre-shave cream, shaving soap, shaving cream, shaving foam, aftershave lotion, and aftershave balm. The line also extends into beard shampoo, beard balm, and beard oil.

• Sensitive-skin shaving

  White line

  The White line is designed for sensitive skin and uses green tea and oatmeal extracts. Its fragrance profile is associated with lime and apple. The range is part of Proraso's color-coded consumer system and offers shaving products intended to provide a gentler alternative to the more cooling Green line; the reference material notes that it has no equivalent aftershave lotion.

• Coarse-hair shaving

  Red line

  The Red line is aimed at softer handling of coarser facial hair. Shea butter is among its identified ingredients, and sandalwood supplies the characteristic scent. The range includes pre-shave cream, shaving cream, aftershave splash, and aftershave balm, allowing the same fragrance and functional positioning to continue across preparation and post-shave stages.

• Moisturizing shaving

  Blue line

  The Blue line is positioned around moisturizing and contains vitamin E and aloe vera extract. Its fragrance is described through musk and amber notes. The range includes shaving cream, shaving foam, and aftershave balm, with a pre-shave cream added later according to the reference material.

• Shaving foam

  Yellow line

  The Yellow line is designed to support a close shave while providing moisture. It contains cocoa butter and shea butter and is scented with vanilla. The supplied reference identifies the line as consisting of shaving foam and as being sold only in Italy, distinguishing it from Proraso's internationally marketed ranges.

• Professional barber grooming

  Single Blade

  Single Blade is Proraso's professional-oriented line for barbers. The reference material describes three variants with more complex fragrances than the principal consumer lines. It represents the brand's professional channel alongside accessories such as shaving brushes and a metal aftershave vaporizer.

• Fragrance-led shaving and beard care

  Wood and Spice

  Wood and Spice is a yellow-packaged fragrance-led collection built around cumin, saffron, cedar, and sandalwood. Its assortment includes pre-shave cream, shaving cream, aftershave balm, cologne, beard shampoo, beard balm, beard oil, moustache wax, and hot beard treatment oil.

• Fragrance-led shaving and beard care

  Azur Lime

  Azur Lime is a dark-blue-packaged collection with lime, mint, woods, juniper berries, musk, and patchouli in its fragrance profile. The range includes pre-shave cream, shaving cream, aftershave balm, cologne, beard shampoo, beard balm, and beard oil.

• Fragrance-led shaving and beard care

  Cypress & Vetyver

  Cypress & Vetyver is a dark-green-packaged collection combining cypress, bergamot, vetiver, cedarwood, and amber. Its portfolio includes pre-shave cream, shaving cream, aftershave balm, cologne, beard shampoo, beard balm, and beard oil, extending the line from shaving preparation into beard maintenance and personal fragrance.

• Expansion from traditional shaving into beard care and fragranceStrategy

  Background

  Proraso's documented portfolio extends beyond its historic pre-shave and shaving products into beard shampoos, balms, oils, moustache waxes, treatment oils, and colognes.

  Action taken

  The brand created broader fragrance-led and beard-care collections, including Wood and Spice, Azur Lime, and Cypress & Vetyver.

  Aftermath

  The assortment supports both traditional wet shaving and wider contemporary men's grooming routines.

  Source

• Development of a professional barber lineStrategy

  Background

  The brand serves professional barbers as well as general consumers.

  Action taken

  Proraso introduced the Single Blade line, described as having three variants, and maintained a professional accessory assortment.

  Aftermath

  The professional line reinforces Proraso's association with barber-shop use while complementing its consumer ranges.

  Source

1. 1Prorasoen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Proraso official websiteproraso.com