Dollar Shave Club

Dollar Shave Club delivers razors, shave products, and grooming essentials on your schedule. Famous for its viral "Our Blades Are F***ing Great" ad, DSC pioneered the direct-to-consumer razor subscription model. Now under private equity ownership with mixed recent reviews.

Dollar Shave Club revolutionized the razor industry in 2012 when its viral video “Our Blades Are F***ing Great” challenged overpriced drugstore razors. The company grew rapidly on its promise of quality blades at fair prices, eventually selling to Unilever for $1 billion in 2016.

However, Dollar Shave Club today is not the company that made that famous ad. In 2023, Unilever sold DSC to Sycamore Partners, a private equity firm known for cost-cutting. Since then, customer reviews have plummeted. The 1.3/5 Trustpilot rating and 165 BBB complaints in three years reflect widespread issues with quality decline, billing problems, and poor customer service, despite the company maintaining an A+ BBB rating through complaint response procedures.

Important Notice: We include Dollar Shave Club for completeness, but based on current reviews, we recommend considering alternatives like Harry’s that offer similar convenience with significantly better quality and service. While both companies have A+ BBB ratings, the customer experience differs dramatically, see the Harry’s page for their excellent trust indicators compared to Dollar Shave Club’s 1.3/5 Trustpilot (473 reviews) and 165 BBB complaints in three years.

Trust Indicator Analysis

Dollar Shave Club presents an interesting case study in why BBB ratings alone don’t tell the full story:

• BBB Rating: A+ (accredited since 2012)
• BBB Customer Reviews: 1.21/5 stars (low customer sentiment on BBB site)
• BBB Complaints: 165 closed complaints in past 3 years
• Trustpilot: 1.3/5 stars (473 reviews)

The A+ BBB rating reflects that the company responds to complaints, not that customers are satisfied. The stark contrast between the institutional rating (A+) and actual customer feedback (1.2-1.3/5) suggests significant operational issues that formal complaint resolution hasn’t addressed.

Pricing Plans

Dollar Shave Club offers low entry prices:

Starter Kits

Kit	Price	Includes
Mixed Blade Starter	$8 (subscribe) / $9.50 (one-time)	Handle, blades, samples
Basic Starter	$5	Handle, 2-blade cartridges

Blade Refills

Blade Type	Approx. Price	Notes
Humble Twin (2-blade)	~$4/refill	Budget option
4X (4-blade)	~$8/refill	Mid-range
Executive (6-blade)	~$10/refill	Premium option

Subscription Frequency

• Every 2 months
• Every 3 months
• Every 4 months

Pricing Context: DSC’s low starter prices make trial easy, but the 1.3/5 customer rating suggests many don’t continue. Harry’s trial set costs $15 but offers significantly better quality perception and 4.4/5 customer satisfaction.

What’s Included

Dollar Shave Club offers a range of grooming products:

Razors & Blades:

• Ergonomic handle
• 2-blade, 4-blade, or 6-blade cartridges
• Blade delivery on your schedule

Shave Products:

• Shave Butter (for smooth glide)
• Post-Shave Dew (moisturizer)
• Prep Scrub (pre-shave exfoliant)

Body Care:

• Body Cleanser
• Bar Soap
• Deodorant

Hair Care:

• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Styling products

Oral Care:

• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes

How It Works

1. Choose Starter Kit: Select a starter kit with handle and initial blade cartridges. Prices start at $5.

2. Select Blade Type: Choose 2-blade (budget), 4-blade (mid-range), or 6-blade (premium) cartridges.

3. Set Delivery Frequency: Choose shipments every 2, 3, or 4 months based on shaving frequency.

4. Add Optional Products: Include shave prep, body care, or other products in your subscription.

5. Receive Shipments: Products arrive on your schedule. Adjust or skip through your account.

6. Manage Subscription: Modify frequency, products, or cancel through your online account (though reviewers report difficulty with this).

Who It’s For

Might Work For:

• Risk-Takers: The $5 starter is low-risk to try despite poor reviews
• Budget Maximizers: Cheapest entry price among major grooming subscriptions
• International Customers: Ships to US, Canada, UK, and Australia

Probably Not For:

• Quality Seekers: 1.3/5 Trustpilot rating indicates widespread quality complaints
• Reliability Focused: Despite A+ BBB rating, 165 complaints and 1.3/5 Trustpilot suggest operational issues
• Customer Service Needs: Multiple reviews cite unhelpful, unresponsive support
• Hassle-Averse: Difficulty canceling is a common complaint

Our Recommendation: Given the dramatic decline in reviews since the 2023 private equity acquisition, we recommend Harry’s as a better alternative. The $10 price difference for the starter set is worth the significantly better quality and customer experience (4.4/5 vs 1.3/5 Trustpilot).

Dollar Shave Club earned its place in marketing history with clever advertising and industry disruption. Unfortunately, the current product and service no longer lives up to that legacy.

The Rise and Fall of Direct-to-Consumer Razors

Dollar Shave Club’s trajectory illustrates both the potential and pitfalls of disruptive direct-to-consumer brands:

The Disruption (2012-2016): DSC identified a genuine consumer pain point: razor blades were overpriced, locked behind theft-prevention cases, and sold by companies with no direct relationship with users. The viral video and subscription model solved all three problems, building rapid customer loyalty.

The Acquisition (2016): Unilever purchased DSC for $1 billion, validating the direct-to-consumer model and forcing Gillette to respond with its own subscription service. For several years under Unilever, quality and service remained stable.

The Private Equity Transition (2023): When Unilever sold to Sycamore Partners, the pattern familiar to private equity acquisitions began: cost-cutting to improve margins, reduced investment in product quality, and scaled-back customer service. The 1.3/5 Trustpilot rating emerged after this transition.

Lessons for Subscription Shoppers: DSC’s decline demonstrates why trust indicators matter more than brand reputation. A company’s history doesn’t predict its current performance, especially after ownership changes. The viral video that made DSC famous has no bearing on blade quality today.

The Competitive Landscape: Harry’s, which launched around the same time as DSC, took a different path: owning its blade factory in Germany to control quality. This vertical integration protects against the cost-cutting that damaged DSC under private equity. When choosing between legacy disruptors, ownership structure and quality control matter more than original brand positioning.