Chamois Butt’r Eurostyle

Chamois Butt'r Eurostyle cream sends a minty zing directly to your nether regions to provide an effective barrier against chafing or a soothing balm that can deal with early onset saddle issues.

Check out our guide to the best chamois creams for more options.

Chamois Butt'r products come in a range of flavours including Original, Coconut and Her – one specifically designed for 'women's more neutral skin pH'.

Quite how this 'flavour' got the Eurostyle tag is anyone's guess, but this version of the popular anti-chafe cream is formulated with menthol and witch hazel, 'to produce a cooling and soothing effect for cyclists who prefer a traditional European chamois creme'.

No double dipping...

When I first got into long distance bike riding, I put a lot faith in Sudocrem – an antiseptic product that most parents of young children probably have sitting in a bathroom cabinet. It is used to treat nappy rash and I found it was both a good barrier to protect my skin and a healing lotion to look after my 'gooch' when issues did arise.

And then I stopped using it altogether. I found a pair of shorts that worked for me, sorted out my bike fit, and developed the leathery backside of a long-distance rider.

So it was interesting to try out a product that is specifically designed for cyclists.

The first really obvious advantage is that it comes in a tube, so if you want to share your cream with someone else mid-ride there's no danger of an awkward 'double dip' from someone who has already applied a generous handful to their arse.

The (even more) obvious disadvantage is that the tube is a bit massive for carrying on the bike (it's available in a tub too, but of the same volume), so you'll want to decant it. You can also buy it in little 9ml sachets, but that could get expensive at £1.15 a go.

I threw on my ultra-comfortable Kostüme cycling shorts and headed to the bathroom to lather my undercarriage with Eurostyle Butt'r. (Images of this process can be found on more specialist sites.)

The menthol sends a minty zing from backside to your frontal cortex that is guaranteed to wake you up at the start of an early morning ride. There is a pleasing lack of fragrance to the cream – as if you are going to notice that after a few hours of riding.

You can also apply the Butt'r directly to the chamois pad of your shorts. So it's good to know that it promises to leave no greasy residue and washes out of technical clothing very easily. I am happy to report that it ticked all of these boxes.

The chemists and vegans amongst you will also be pleased to know that it contains no parabens, phthalates, glutens or artificial fragrances. The first two of these are commonly found in cosmetics and there are health concerns around both of them, so their absence here is reassuring, specifically given the very sensitive nature of the intended area of application.

First ride

I used this product for a month on a number of local rides between 70 and 120km. I returned from each foray feeling super comfortable without a hint of any saddle issues.

There could be a great placebo effect going on here. This could be snake oil sold to an unwitting cycling public – but I suspect not. I have plenty of cycling friends who swear by this product. We swapped notes on rides and all agreed it added to our comfort and was a sound investment.

So I decided to put it to the ultimate test: 1,200km of riding over four days on the Paris Brest Paris. And just to make things interesting, I was going to be on a fixed gear bike. That meant no freewheeling on descents, or coasting and easing myself out of the saddle when things started to get uncomfortable.

Thousands of riders gathered at the start line in Rambouillet, some 50km outside of Paris, and as the start queue for my wave shuffled forward, I nipped behind a tree to apply a generous slathering of Eurostyle cream. It seemed the appropriate version for a ride that attracts riders from around the globe to one of France's greatest festivals of riding.

I had decanted what I assumed to be 90 hours' worth of balm from the massive 235ml tube into a smaller container that I picked up from the chemists, or use Tupperware pots and film canisters that you might already have lying around your house.

And off we set, into the night, in the direction of Brest, with my saddle and backside in perfect harmony for over 800km of the ride.

What causes saddle sores?

Pain in the backside post cycling can come from a number of causes. There's the pressure between sit bones and chafing between shorts and skin. Trapped hairs can cause folliculitis and boils on your backside can appear mysteriously and be utterly excruciating.

Chamois creams can help but they aren't a silver bullet, and they certainly can't help with issues like folliculitis.

If you're regularly struggling with saddle sores then you need to first think about getting a bike fit, and consider your choice of saddle and shorts.

> What to wear for cycling – how to choose the best cycle clothing 

Some 918km into the ride, on the return leg as we left the control at Fougeres, I could feel the worrying burn of extreme saddle sore. I had taken regular showers and was trying to be meticulous about personal hygiene. I had washed the padding of my shorts and been applying the chamois cream liberally throughout the day, and at night, when we grabbed a few hours sleep, I was trying to get out of my shorts to allow my undercarriage to breathe. On one occasion it was so warm that I slept for two hours naked, outside, in nothing more than a silk sleeping bag liner.

We were riding into one of the hottest weeks of the year. Cyclists were dropping at the side of the road in the afternoon heat and hoping to make up the distance by riding through the night on the return leg to Paris.

Sweat and salts were accumulating under the greenhouse effect of black Lycra. Bouncing around on a fixed gear bike on long descents was having a really detrimental effect.

The final 150km were fuelled by painkillers and the hope that daubing more Eurostyle cream would get me to the finish. I limped the final 45km to the finishing line in a pair of running shorts that allowed my skin to breathe and provided some relief. I was reaching for more chamois cream every 5km, and wincing as I lowered myself back onto the saddle.

There's no doubt that it helped to get me to the arrivee at Rambouillet, where I downed a large French beer that felt more medicinal than celebratory.

Value for money

At £17.99 for 235ml there are probably cheaper ways to protect your backside in the long run (see saddle and shorts selection above). But it's on a par with similar products.

John tested BeElite's Chamois Cream and gave it 9/10 – you can read his review here. It's listed as £20 for 250ml though it only seems to be available through Wiggle or CRC, where it costs £10. He found it wasn't the easiest to apply, but that it offered a long-lasting shield that stayed where it needed to.

An oil rather than a cream, Crotch Guard Skin Care Oil was rated as our best in test. VecchioJo says this product aims to mimic your own natural oils, and at just £6.54 (for a small 29.5ml spray bottle) it is a cost-effective way of testing it out to see if it works for you. You can find it available on ebay or buy directly from the supplier in the States.

Conclusion

The fact is, chamois creams are often a personal choice. What works for you might not work for someone else. It might be a case of testing some of the options out there before finding a favourite. But for me, this Eurostyle cream is just the ticket to sores-free day rides.

Verdict

An excellent cream to protect your most sensitive regions – well worth a go