There's still something new in shaving cream.(MEN'S GROOMING: Evidence of the success of high-end products is plentiful.)

NEW YORK -- While sales of shaving cream in drug stores were flat over the past year, suppliers and retailers have high hopes for new products.

"It's a mature category, but that just means that something novel can really stand out from the pack," says one chain drug merchandiser. "And the young men coming to the shaving cream market for the first time are very impressionable."

Indeed, sales of Procter & Gamble Co.'s (P&G's) still relatively new Gillette Fusion Hydra Gel rose more than 69% at drug stores in the year ended September 9, making it the No. 5 brand in the segment, according to Information Resources Inc. (IRI).

The gel, which capitalizes on the popularity of the Gillette Fusion razor, …