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Duru Kolonya from Turkey

So while looking through online stores for shaving stuff, I would occasionally come across Duru Limon (Lemon) Kolonya (cologne) from Turkey for obscenely low prices on giant bottles of it. Well, as someone who loves lemon, loves trying new things from different places, and is dirt poor, this appealed to me on several levels. Not to mention that I knew I would be moving into a new apartment (which I did on Saturday), so even if the 80% alcohol content was a bit much to use as an aftershave, or if the lemon was a bit strong on the skin (as it is a cologne), I figured I could use it for freshening up the new room.

I got the bottle in the mail and took a whiff, and it was great! It's a VERY natural lemon smell, literally smells like you just sliced a fresh lemon. Well, maybe it comes across as slightly sweeter than fresh cut lemon, so let's say fresh cut lemon + a bit of freshly grated lemon zest. Since I had the package delivered to my lab, I put a bit on my hands to see how long the scent lasted (since I wouldn't be shaving until the next morning), and the nice lemon scent lasted for roughly an hour on the skin, but without projecting so far as to be obnoxious. The scent also slightly sweetened up over time, but by that time the scent was pretty faint anyway and you'd have to sniff your skin to smell it, so it definitely wasn't cloying.

Then for the moment of truth, using it as an aftershave. I figured it would be super harsh, since the high alcohol content actually gave my hands a slight tingling sensation, so I couldn't imagine what it would do to a freshly shaved face. Shaved with Arko (how could I not?), used alum post shave (slight tingle, so I figured I would REALLY feel the Duru), and then rubbed a big glug of it all over my face and neck. And...no burn at all? Strange, it warmed my face at first, then cooled it as it evaporated, but didn't sting at all. The high alcohol content was sure to dry the ever-loving crap out of my face though, so I quickly put some Nivea cream on to trap any remaining moisture in my skin in.

The scent lasted even through the Nivea for about 30 minutes (to my nose), but I assume that if someone who's nose wasn't directly positioned above it smelled me, they might get a hint of lemon for maybe 30 more minutes after that or so.

Overall, fantastic, AND it did a good job of freshening up the room too. I saw some posts about Duru Limon Kolonya, but frankly not as many as it deserves considering the bright, fresh scent and the dirt cheap price.

I see some people really like it, whereas others prefer other Turkish lemon colognes (such as Pereja), but have you tried this as an aftershave? If so, what did you think?
 
Glad this one worked out! :a14::a14:

It’s new to me.

I had only seen it on the bay here and there in the past but hadn't heard anything about it. The price made me curious though, so I checked the old B&B threads on it, and while there weren't too many of them, the feedback of it was nearly universally positive, so I figured might as well take a shot. I'm glad I did, it's a fantastic lemon scent, and so cheap you can even use it to freshen up shoes if you need to (yep, I tested that too)! If you can find a good deal on it, I'd recommend trying some if you're a fan of straight lemon scents!
 
For me it did not "age" well on my skin, at least to my nose....Pe-Re-Ja is much more "natural" and does not change on my skin as it goes through the day...Another nice one is MYRTO from Greece.....
myrto.jpg
 
For me it did not "age" well on my skin, at least to my nose....Pe-Re-Ja is much more "natural" and does not change on my skin as it goes through the day...Another nice one is MYRTO from Greece.....View attachment 987495

Haha, I actually mentioned Pereja in my review specifically because I saw you write about it in the few threads I saw about Duru, and I was wondering if you'd pop into this one too.

I haven't tried Pereja, so I have no reference for that, but I'm lucky that at least with my skin chemistry, the Duru still stayed pretty natural smelling, even when it sweetened a bit towards the end, all the way until I couldn't smell it anymore.
 
Turkish lemon scented splashes are 3 ingredients: water, alcohol, fragrance. Main purpose is the role as deodorant and disinfectant. If you've been to Turkey you would realise how useful it is and prevalent in use.

In my bus trip from Istanbul to Ankara the bus stuards dispensed cologne among the passangers to clean up and refresh on breaks and before catering meals.

French perfume house Ed. Pinnaud created Lilac Vegetal for the Hungarian Army as a deodorant. Sweat, horse smell etc. are not great for moral, and hygiene is not easily accessible on the field. This was before Clubman purchased the business and popularized The Veg among barbers and shavers. Imagine 100 men together all bathing in The Veg.
 
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Turkish lemon scented splashes are 3 ingredients: water, alcohol, fragrance. Main purpose is the role as deodorant and disinfectant. If you've been to Turkey you would realise how useful it is and prevalent in use.

In my bus trip from Istanbul to Ankara the bus stuards will dispensed cologne among the passangers to clean up and refresh on breaks and before catering meals.

French perfumer house Ed. Pinnaud created Lilac Vegetal for the Hungarian Army as a deodorant. Sweat, horse smell etc. are not great for moral, and hygiene is not easily accessible on the field. This was before Clubman purchased the business and popularized The Veg among barbers and shavers.
Duru makes a decent bath bar soap as well...
 
Rebul and Pomellos produce very good Kolonyas. I picked up a Pomellos Bergamot and Lime kolonya in Istanbul last month.
 
Here (Kurdistan), they also use the Duru Lemon Cologne as hand sanitizer in one of the restaurants. Turkish Aftershaves/Colognes are genius. They are used here not just as Aftershave and Cologne, but as a splash to help cool you down in the heat. I keep a bottle of it in my bag.

I know Kurdistan and Turkey are at odds, but the amount of Turkish goods here is amazing. I had to back off my purchases a bit due to the amount of Turkish soaps, splashes, and other goods that are here, and inexpensive. It's all good stuff and works well. Really punches well above its price point.
 
Here (Kurdistan), they also use the Duru Lemon Cologne as hand sanitizer in one of the restaurants. Turkish Aftershaves/Colognes are genius. They are used here not just as Aftershave and Cologne, but as a splash to help cool you down in the heat. I keep a bottle of it in my bag.

I know Kurdistan and Turkey are at odds, but the amount of Turkish goods here is amazing. I had to back off my purchases a bit due to the amount of Turkish soaps, splashes, and other goods that are here, and inexpensive. It's all good stuff and works well. Really punches well above its price point.

I've only ever heard good things about Turkish soaps and whatnot, so I just got some Turkish hand/bath soaps to try out, all of which were pretty cheap. Looking forward to seeing how they make my skin feel.
 
I've only ever heard good things about Turkish soaps and whatnot, so I just got some Turkish hand/bath soaps to try out, all of which were pretty cheap. Looking forward to seeing how they make my skin feel.
Almost anything from Evyap (Arko, Duru, and others) is good stuff. Azmusebat (Derby) is good stuff too. Azmusebat makes a lot of things, but only really advertises its blades, razors, shaving creams, and disposable lighters.
 
I have never seen it online, it's not linear like most kolonya's. I will have to check the price, but it kicks above its weight. It's not expensive, I grabbed a bottle along with two Rebul's. A lime which I often order from the UK, and a natural.
 
I picked up a bottle of Mandarin Kolonya in Turkey last year.

Great stuff and smells even better than the lemon.

Perfect for a late evening shave when you dont want to be using your best aftershaves at bedtime!
 
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