Gillette Mach3
The mainstream plastic cartridge razor - a plastic handle and fused plastic-plus-steel cartridges that can't go in curbside recycling.
The verdict: Significant plastic contact
The bulk of this tool is plastic and the plastic is in the contact path. The handle is molded plastic with a rubber grip, and the recurring cartridge is a plastic body plus a lubrication strip that glide directly against your skin - only the three cutting edges are steel. That cartridge fuses plastic, steel, and a polymer strip into one unit, so it isn't curbside-recyclable and goes to landfill (mail-in TerraCycle is the only route). The steel edge is the only part that ever did the work; here it's packaged in plastic you throw away every few weeks.
What it's made of
| Part | Material | Skin contact |
|---|---|---|
| handle plastic handle with rubber grip | Plastic other / unspecified | No |
| cartridge plastic cartridge body + lubrication strip that glide on skin | Plastic other / unspecified | Yes incidental |
| blades | Stainless Steel grade unspecified | Yes primary |
A three-blade cartridge razor: a reusable plastic handle that clicks onto replaceable plastic cartridges, each carrying three steel blades, a pivoting head, and a lubrication strip. It's the default drugstore razor and the reference point the plastic-free options are compared against.
Pros
- Cheap, familiar, and available everywhere
- Pivoting head is forgiving of careless technique
Cons
- Cartridges fuse plastic and steel - not curbside recyclable, mail-in only
- Ongoing cost and waste of buying plastic cartridges indefinitely
Notes
- Gillette's own site now sells Mach3 only as refill cartridges - the standalone razor page is gone - but handle-plus-cartridge kits remain a standard drugstore item
Common questions
Does the Gillette Mach3 have plastic in it?
Yes. On the Gillette Mach3, the cartridge is plastic and sits in the skin path. The rest of what touches your skin is stainless steel. There is plastic in the handle, which never touches your skin.
What is the Gillette Mach3 made of?
Part by part, the Gillette Mach3 is: handle — plastic; cartridge — plastic; blades — stainless steel.
Categories: Razors
Sources
Every material claim above is backed by these. This is the scattered info we centralized.
- manufacturer https://gillette.com/en-us/products/razors-trimmers-and-blades/mach3-razor-refills brand's Mach3 refills page confirms three blades and a "lubrication strip [that] glides to help protect your skin"; gillette.com no longer lists the standalone razor, only refills
- other https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/gillette cartridges recyclable only via mail-in program, not curbside
Spot a mistake or something out of date? Let us know — corrections are how this stays accurate.