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Old Spice from 1950-1956

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
I've been trying to untangle the economic politics of company transactions and takeovers in the perfume industry for a while. It's hard to piece the truth together because in many cases there aren't any reliable documentations of what happens. In the case of Shulton, it's so complicated that it gets the head spinning. For example, the American Cyanamid story is one thing - I wrote an article a few years ago about the Indian Old Spice situation. The Menezes family, etc. P&G taking the formulas back, the whole thing was quite the narrative arc. (Btw, I think part of the reason P&G dropped the Shulton name from packaging has to do with the OS India story.)

Shulton's situation hinges on a dual perspective. On the one hand you can choose to view the AC buyout in '70 as much ado about nothing. Sales declined for Shulton between '69 and '70, it was the first downturn in sales in its 30+ yr history, and they were ready for bigger money to back them. Thus they maintained the Shulton company by plugging into a larger corporation.

On the other hand, you can consider the implications of what happens when a giant manufacturing conglomerate takes over anything, and infer pursuant events from there. If AC buys Shulton, what do they actually get? They get everything, including the rights to print the name and veil from customers the fact that Shulton no longer owns the product. They get to do stuff like let one of the related founders, Shultz himself, be "director" for the next 17 years. Titles are funny because if they sound official, they carry unearned weight. Shultz had every right to be CEO of Shulton, but director? When the sale to P&G happened, did anyone behind the original Shulton company's success see a penny? Did survivors of the 1970 deal approve of flankers like Old Spice Herbal? How far did AC's reach extend into the creative process?

I haven't been able to parse through all these details, even after extensive research.

The simplest analogy in company terms that I can think of is to refer to General Motors. Leland, Murphy, and Bowen founded the Cadillac Automobile Company in 1902. In 1909, the company was purchased by GM. Sure, the timelines are different, but the analogy is in how the independent Cadillac company, made by Cadillac alone, was eventually absorbed by a massive conglomerate, and from that point to today we subconsciously associate Cadillac with GM, even if in conversation GM never comes up. We still frequently pretend that Cadillac is made by Cadillac. The GM parts bin says otherwise!

The brands under American Cyanamid included Tabac, Pierre Cardin, Nina Ricci, Breck Shampoo, and Pine-Sol. These were all "divisions" of AC, just as Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, all divisions of GM.

Excellent post. I never did understand their mindset of Herbal or Night Spice. I always just assumed they were competing with companies like Mennen, when they came out with their different flavors of Skin Bracer around the same time frame.

Your posts definitely fills in some of the gaps in the time frames and goings on in their history. While I can easily smell the differences between any vintage Old Spice compared to the modern stuff.

The vintage stuff I have had and have used thru the years from 50’s stuff all the way to the 90’s, all had the same wonderful foundation or scent, aroma, profile or whatever they call it. I have always just recognized it as, ‘the goodness of Shulton.’ :)

I would take any vintage Old Spice regardless of the year over the modern stuff they sell now. It was just that good.
 
This is an original early-1937 set of Old Spice when it was called "Early American Old Spice". All pieces have "Pat Applied for", which is what lets me date it. The scent really isn't any different from the 1980s-1990s Shulton product. Fun stuff.



 
I have lots of Shulton, but just last weekend I found an early 50's bottle (stopper #2) which is about 1/3 full. Definitely different stuff than my later stuff. Smells almost concentrated, and sweeter for sure. I couldn't believe how well it's preserved.
 
Excellent post. I never did understand their mindset of Herbal or Night Spice. I always just assumed they were competing with companies like Mennen, when they came out with their different flavors of Skin Bracer around the same time frame.

Your posts definitely fills in some of the gaps in the time frames and goings on in their history. While I can easily smell the differences between any vintage Old Spice compared to the modern stuff.

The vintage stuff I have had and have used thru the years from 50’s stuff all the way to the 90’s, all had the same wonderful foundation or scent, aroma, profile or whatever they call it. I have always just recognized it as, ‘the goodness of Shulton.’ :)

I would take any vintage Old Spice regardless of the year over the modern stuff they sell now. It was just that good.
Today, I found a bottle of that HERBAL you mentioned.

1976
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FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
My older brother had a bottle and I'd sneak a few drops now and then.

I remember liking it, but have no memory of the scent.

I will find some eventually.
I BARELY remember seeing it back in the day, but I bet ya a nickel I thought I was too cool to wear an "old man" scent. I was even more full of myself back then than I am today!
 
Well that's all over eBay already. I'm referring to the formula for when it was first marketed to men, which is actually different from the first feminine Early American Old Spice, as Shulton tweaked it a bit for the masculine aftershave/cologne market in 1937. When I find that stuff you'll be the first to know!
 
Hello, I came across this at a flea market. I can't find this particular bottle anywhere. Does anyone have any idea what this is exactly. Its a huge bottle 7 1/4 Oz. Thanks Lou
 

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Hello, I came across this at a flea market. I can't find this particular bottle anywhere. Does anyone have any idea what this is exactly. Its a huge bottle 7 1/4 Oz. Thanks Lou

I don't know anything about this one but that is huge... I've never seen one of these old ones at that size!
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Hello, I came across this at a flea market. I can't find this particular bottle anywhere. Does anyone have any idea what this is exactly. Its a huge bottle 7 1/4 Oz. Thanks Lou

I know in it’s early beginning’s, Shulton marketed Old Spice to women as perfume?
 
As I mentioned in my reply to your posting of it in the other section, very impressive find. Take good care of it. It is indeed one of the earliest incarnations of Old Spice when it was still being marketed as a women's product in the early 1930s.
 
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