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review
Skincare & embrocation
Premax Performance Skincare Chamois Cream for Men2020 Premax Performance Skincare Chamois Cream for men

Premax Performance Skincare Chamois Cream for Men

7
by Stef Marazzi
Fri, Aug 07, 2020 06:45
0
£24.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Premium 'no tingle' chamois cream packed with natural ingredients that works well on long rides, but it's pricey
Hours of riding comfort
Easy to apply
No tingle, if you prefer creams with no tingle
Expensive
Weight: 
207g
Contact: 
www.premax.co
How we test

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.

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Hailing all the way from Australia, Premax Chamois Cream For Men is a premium offering with a new ultra-endurance formula. Loaded with natural ingredients, this cream delivers hours of riding comfort to your derrière, but it also stings you in the wallet. A women's version of the chamois cream includes slightly different ingredients and has a ph-balanced formula (there's a full review of the women's coming).

The chamois cream comes in a nice looking 200ml tube, with swish silver writing – first impressions are that it is a premium product. It wouldn't look out of place in the make-up department of a John Lewis or House of Fraser store. With a tube, rather than a tub, there is no chance of accidentally "double dipping" and risking contaminating the cream.

> Buy this online here

The cream itself has a clean, fresh smell and a perfect consistency for spreading either onto the chamois of your bib shorts or directly onto the skin. Either way works fine. I prefer the bib shorts method. It doesn't feel cold when applying.

There is no "tingle" feeling to the Premax cream; some companies seem to infuse their creams with what can almost feel like a very mild "minty toothpaste" sensation down below, to add a cooling effect. The Premax doesn't have any of that, which I prefer. It comes straight up to body temperature within a second or two.

During the testing period I was riding an average of 170 miles a week, including a few 50-mile hot and sweaty rides, and suffered no discomfort at all. I used the cream on a real variety of bib shorts, from expensive ones to well-worn commuter shorts, and it worked really well with all of them. I found I didn't really need to think about my comfort at all, which I think speaks for itself, being able to get on and enjoy my riding rather than thinking about the comfort of my undercarriage.

I forgot to put the cream on for one ride, and only realised several miles in when I started to feel the tell-tale signs of soreness.

When the riding was done for the day, a quick shower was needed as I found the cream would still be in place – a good sign that it lasts for hours. My skin felt good afterwards, and ready to go again for more miles day after day.

It leaves no residue on the bib shorts either, washing off in a quick one-hour, sportswear wash at 30 degrees.

The only downside to Premax cream, really, is the price. It is considerably more expensive than other creams we have reviewed on road.cc and others in the marketplace. Dave gave the Muc-Off Luxury Chamois Cream a "very good" 8/10 at its £20 RRP (about £16 if you shop around), but you get 250ml rather than the 200ml of Premax.

One of the best performing creams we've seen – with a 9/10 review – and also great value for money, has been the Sportique Century Riding cream. Made for big miles, with a 198ml tube full of natural ingredients, it can be found online for as little as £11.99.

> Buyer’s Guide: 9 of the best chamois creams

In summary, the Premax cream works really well for long rides, its tube looks "gift-worthy" premium, and it's nice to see so many natural ingredients being used. It's just expensive compared to others, and doesn't appear to be available for less than the RRP. Therefore it receives a 'good' 7 out of 10.

Verdict

Premium 'no tingle' chamois cream packed with natural ingredients that works well on long rides, but it's pricey

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Premax Performance Skincare Chamois Cream for Men

Size tested: 200ml

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?

Premax says, "An ultra-endurance chamois cream loaded with natural anti-bacterial and skin nourishing essential oils. With a fresh scent and no tingle, this luxurious chamois cream will keep you comfortable in the saddle and your skin in mint condition."

The tube looks more luxurious than other chamois creams I've tried – it certainly looks premium, and would probably make for a nice birthday or Christmas present.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Premax's Ultra-endurance formula includes a blend of tea tree, aloe vera, borage (also known as starflower – a medicinal herb), neem (a leaf extract), coconut oil, shea butter and vitamin-E. The tube contains 200ml of product.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Nice looking tube with a flip-top lid. The cream itself is just the right consistency to rub onto the chamois pad, not runny or greasy. It goes where you want it, and stays there.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

I found the Premax cream worked really well, using two or three fingers' worth rubbed onto the chamois pad before putting bib shorts on. The cream doesn't have the "tingle" you get with some creams, which I preferred, and is quickly warm against the skin.

I was riding an average of 170 miles a week, including a few 50-mile rides during the testing period, and suffered no discomfort at all using the cream on a variety of bib shorts, from expensive to well-worn commuter shorts, and it worked really well with all of them. I found that, on all rides, I didn't really think about my comfort at all, which I think speaks for itself – being able to get on and enjoy my riding and the views, rather than thinking about the comfort of my undercarriage.

I actually forgot to put the cream on for one ride, and several miles in only realised I had forgotten to apply it when I started to feel the tell-tale signs of soreness.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

Lasts for multi-hour rides, and skin feels unaffected.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
9/10

Comfort is what the Premax chamois cream is all about. It enables multi-hour rides in comfort. It even made things bearable on some of my well-worn commuter shorts that are past their best.

Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

The Premax is very expensive compared to others at £24.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Really well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

It works really well, and enables multi-hour rides in real comfort. It stays working for the entire ride, and is easy to wash off afterwards.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The price. And it doesn't seem to get discounted online.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Significantly more expensive – it's right up there in terms of price.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes, but I would check out alternatives too, as it is expensive.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

I really like the Premax Chamois Cream; the natural ingredients really appeal, it works really well on long rides, and is easy to apply and wash out. However, the chamois cream marketplace is a competitive one, and other creams we've reviewed that perform just as well cost considerably less. It's very good, but it's expensive, so 7 rather than 8.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 41  Height: 181  Weight: 92 Kilos

I usually ride: GT Grade  My best bike is: Boardman ASR 8.9

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Premax Performance Skincare Chamois Cream for Men 2020
Premax Performance Skincare Chamois Cream for Men
Premax 2020
Premax

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