Felce Aromatica Aftershave Splash - Or Is It A Balm?

[Phog Allen]

Gents, I bought this aftershave on impulse last week when I bought the shave soap. There are far too few water and aloe based aftershaves out there and I was not going to miss out trying this. Besides, by adding this to the order at Bullgoose I got free shipping. So I saved money, right? I mean, I did didn't I? Who cares? I wanted it and SWMBO was looking for a balm to replace the Proraso she had been using as a moisturiser and finished up earlier. This allowed me to try I Coloniali a/s balm as well and the whole thing was wife approved. How could I resist?

Those familiar with the Felce soap know it is a rather intense, modern type rendition of fern or fougere type scents. To me it has a modern/synthetic note that pervades so may newer fragrances. It is not like being blasted at Dillard's when you walk through the fragrance section but it is most certainly not English Fern or Crown Fougere. Not bad, just different. The a/s balm is very similar but lacks that modern note and has a touch of eucalyptus in it. Thankfully the note does not dominate like some of the products laden with it such as Proraso shave soap. This is much milder.

I took this list of ingredients from their web site direct;

Ingredients: Aqua, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis leaf juice, Parfum, Tocopheryl acetate, Potassium sorbate, Sodium benzoate, Xanthan gum, Caprylic glycol**, Trideceth-8**, Calendula Officinalis flower, Caprylic/Capric triglyceride, Chamomilla Recutita flower, Malva sylvestris extract, Menthol, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Lavandula Hybrida Abrial Herb Oil, Linalool, Citronellol, Limonene, Coumarin, Alpha-Isomethyl ionone, Geraniol

As you can see there is nothing too exotic in there but the proportions are good to me. Water based with alcohol, glycerin, and aloe mixed in for a base. I suspect the alcohol is there to prevent bacteria growth in the water base and it does not reveal itself at all when applied. This feels like an aloe juice treatment with goodness added. I do not see this as a fire stopper. Adjust your shave technique if you are getting razor rash. I can't really comment on it because the Felce shavs soap provided a superb shave and no a/s treatment was really necessary. I used it because it smelled good and felt great going on. It absorbed into the skin really fast and left it very smooth. This one is certainly worth a look as a mix up between using the typical alcohol based splash and the many times too heavy balms. The folks at Saponificio Varesino really know their work.

 

[Phog Allen]

Follow up. I have now used this product for three shaves. I rather like the scent more than the soap version. This goes on light and absorbs nicely. Only a minute or so of minimal aloe vera tackiness on the face and I hesitate to even call it tacky. More like you notice it if you touch it but after a quick minute it goes right away and leaves your skin feeling smooth and relaxed.

As I had surmised, this is likely no fire stopper. And needn't be. Shave well and the aftershave product becomes much less important. The scent is good but does not last and that is fine by me. The eucalyptus is not too strong either which is also a good thing to me. It works pretty well but is not something I would rate super high on the list. If you want some aloe vera product to really pamper your face then grab the magnificent Musgo Real Classic aftershave splash. It is a much more complete feeling product than Felce Aromatica. This is a good a/s product but not one I would actively seek out now that I have tried it. It also strikes me as one of those products that may be the 'wow' factor for some. So please don't let my maudlin description of it steer you away. As I said, this is a good product. Much better than some of the alcohol based a/s products costing quite a bit more.