The attack of the razor blades

Gillette launched its five (six) blade Fusion shaving razor in February 2006 (There is a sixth blade in the backside). As is the practice in USA, the launch was timed just ahead of the Super Bowl. However, the advertisement for the product secured widespread satire and was crowned as the most ridiculed ad during the Super Bowl.

So what’s the future for the shaving industry?

The Economist ran an article this week which predicted that the 14 blade razor should be available by 2100. The article also hinted that something like Moore’s law may be happening in this field. I had written a post earlier on this product and had received an interesting comment that one day there could be more blades than hair in a beard. There could be alternately shaving booths (Like Launderettes) where huge shaving razors with hundreds of blades with people rubbing their skin against them to get the shave (Since they would be too heavy to handle). One can also imagine industrial motors running thousands of blades in a razor. However, there is also a possibility that drugs/ cosmetics/ may be developed which may stop the outgrowth of beard altogether. And of course, the whole world population may be forced by religious fatwas banning any shaving. Governments may then decide to airspray weedicides to relieve mankind of human hair.