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Best colognes to use as aftershave

I know some guys use colognes as aftershave. I only did it once. It wasn't a great experience for me.

I'd like to know what colognes contain less harsh ingredients, so they can be used as aftershave.

What are your opinions?
 

lasta

Blade Biter
NorthernSoul is right.

Assuming each splash ~1ml, you'll quickly become Mr. Too Much Cologne Wearer. I usually use 3 splashes.

I was a Basenotes member long before B&B. I stick with Nivea in the dryer months, and either Gatsby or Proraso Green in the warm/humid times. Neither interfere with scent of the day.
 
I'll often use a cologne to finish the shave!
No problem!
As a post-shave step, I normally smear left-over lather from the brush over the wiped face.
That step re-moisturizes the skin and is sort of an 'aftershave'.
So, a cologne as finish is quite ok!

penhaligon's endymion muehle joris october 14 2022.jpg
 
I'll often use a cologne to finish the shave!
No problem!
As a post-shave step, I normally smear left-over lather from the brush over the wiped face.
That step re-moisturizes the skin and is sort of an 'aftershave'.
So, a cologne as finish is quite ok!
Soap is not moisturizing, even if it has added fats, they are there to make up for all the skin oils that were stripped away by the soap! You must be blessed with good skin.

Personally, I could not get away with that. If I used cologne as an aftershave, people could smell me coming from a block away. I'd rather not be "that guy".
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
I am aware of the intended purposes of the different products but for my entire life I have used aftershave, EDT, and cologne in exactly the same way; I apply them after shaving and thereafter reapply as often as I feel like. My skin looks pretty good for a man of my age; I may well be 'that guy' but I could not care less unless my wife objects.
 
Turkish kolonya is like a very old-fashioned "cologne water" as is 4711. It's intended to be splashed on liberally.

Most often in American usage, a cologne is a strongly fragranced product intended to be used sparingly on a few pulse points, like an EdT or EdP. Confusing terminology!
Brits call all this stuff aftershave. Go figure.
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
This sounds like a horrible idea to me, but I've been wrong before.

Do you need aftershave? Why? I use WH and balm because my skin is dry and they soothe my skin. If you have after you shave needs those should be addressed with WH or an unscented aftershave treatment.

Then choose your cologne - which will be waaaaaay stronger than aftershave and required in much smaller amounts (preferably not on your face).
 

nemo

Lunatic Fringe
Staff member
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From Pasteurs:
Popular gentlemen’s scent for classic wet shavers. Scented with sweet tobacco and menthol. Made in Austria Alt-Innsbruck’s Cologne and Aftershave combines the strong, masculine fragrance of tobacco and the soothing qualities of menthol. Alt-Innsbruck uses a traditional recipe unchanged for over fifty years. It’s simplicity is its greatest attribute. It has an unmatched, refreshing feel extremely popular with shavers.
 
Ive used cologne Taylors of Bond Street Sandalwood but l miss the burn you get from an aftershave. Lets a man know he is alive. 😀
 
I use a cologne every day after a shave. Just not directly on my face.

I normally use one shot pointed directly at my chest after getting dressed. Most of it ends up on my shirt with a very little bit on the neck area.

Keeps it from irritating my freshly shaven face and scent seems to last longer on clothes than skin.
 
I'm a pilot so strong scents are a no-no at my company. I mix in 2-3 tiny drops of Musgo Amber cologne into unscented Zingari balm. It keeps a light whiff going all day. If they made a regular aftershave I'd use that.
 
Most often in American usage, a cologne is a strongly fragranced product intended to be used sparingly on a few pulse points, like an EdT or EdP. Confusing terminology!
I want to chime in about the terminology here and say that the term "Cologne" refers to the concentration of perfume oil, at least in the more civilized parts of the world, namely europe. Eau de Cologne or just Cologne consists of around 2-5% perfume oil, in comparison an Eau de Toilette has 5-15%, an Eau de Parfum has 15-20% and a Parfum 20-40%. There are Extrait de Parfum and Extrait de Toilette and other such shenanigans out there too. All of this has to be taken with a grain of salt though, these values are rough averages and there is no law that forces producers to label their fragrances correctly. As such someone could label a Cologne a Parfum, but it usually doesn't happen.
In any case the scents of classic Eau de Colognes like 4711 or Farina 1709 (the real original) are very fleeting and closer to the longevity (and perfume oil content) of AS than to the average Eau de Toilette. They also contain over 80% alcohol, so they're disinfecting. They'll lack soothing properties though. Personally I've not tried it and I prefer a good ol' AS and whatever fragrance I want for the day afterwards.
And to answer the original question, I believe you'll be more likely to find a shorter ingredients list on older Colognes rather than modern ones. I believe Farina still uses the same formula they used in the 18th century. But keep in mind that some people react badly to some ingredients of fragrances, although it's less of an issue (with european products) in recent years "thanks" to IFRA regulations. I hope my ramblings helped a bit.
One last Cologne fun fact: some people dilute 4711 in water to drink it as a refreshing beverage.
 
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