Totally agree with the original post. Most soaps perform just fine for me but the scent is the deal maker or breaker. Unscented could be an option, but where's the fun in that?
I Wish Soap Makers Would Focus More on Scents Than Bases
- Thread starter Wgg2017
- Start date
I agree with the OP. Just about every soap I've tried the last 3 or 4 years had great performance. To me scent is important because it adds to my shave experience if I enjoy the scent of the soap. Tabac is a great performer, but the scent isn't my thing so I rush through my shave so I can rinse it away and put on my AS and EDT.
One other point--scent descriptions from artisans tend to be terrible, overly wordy, meaningless drivel. Don't tell me "this scent will remind you of a time when men were men and barbershops offered haircuts on a cool spring afternoon and the homeless lady on the corner was selling flowers she dug up from someones front yard..." I read a lot of descriptions that just leave me saying, "what the..."
One other point--scent descriptions from artisans tend to be terrible, overly wordy, meaningless drivel. Don't tell me "this scent will remind you of a time when men were men and barbershops offered haircuts on a cool spring afternoon and the homeless lady on the corner was selling flowers she dug up from someones front yard..." I read a lot of descriptions that just leave me saying, "what the..."
they do.
CF has done this....
the only problem is that they are limited edition with runs of 200 according to the website.
I would say these are not cologne like "smelling" in the sense of either modern cologne scents or older favs that have been around.
Macaque has green apple up front with frankincense or other spicy smells with it. some cedar and a lot of other smells poking out. I dont smell too well but everytime I pick up the jar I smell something different and that is amazing. at the zoologistperfumes.com website.......the collaborative perfumers seem to have quite the imagination and I like that.
to me it is a fresh look at soaps and a good product that is at least pondered by professionals.
will it be for everyone........probably not. I'm sure it will come with nay sayers. my intial impression is good.
camo
- Thread starter
- #45
I couldn't resist lol! I think we've all been there
Have you tried Aqua Velva with Williams?
- Thread starter
- #47
Not yet. I sorta started at the other end of the spectrum and I'm working my way down.
- Thread starter
- #49
I'll report back once I receive them. If I forget send me a pm lol.
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I would probably recommend picking
I would probably recommend picking
I find Zoologist's Civet to be very much in the style of a vintage women's fragrance. While I rarely have a problem with rocking a quality perfume that was "made for women", i would highly recommend that anyone not quite as comfortable with feminine-leaning fragrance find an inexpensive sample of the Civet parfum before dropping $40-ish dollars on a shave soap.
Agreed. And to be honest, I can't tell the new bases apart from something like Stirling or Haslinger. IMO people talk themselves into the minute improvements of the new soaps.
Australian Private Reserve was focussed on scents. Actually Dan does not longer sell soaps, just parfum....
I have a lot of soaps and will not be buying anymore till I've used up 5 different soaps
most of my soaps are a different variation of Lime since I'm a major Lime freak. I like the Orange scents too but not as much. I cannot stand Lemon scent because it smells too much like spic n span and I've hated the smell of that stuff since I was a small child.
most of my soaps are a different variation of Lime since I'm a major Lime freak. I like the Orange scents too but not as much. I cannot stand Lemon scent because it smells too much like spic n span and I've hated the smell of that stuff since I was a small child.
Steve56
Ask me about shaving naked!
Spic n Span is what they use to scent Arko..... /H
- Thread starter
- #55
Kinda long post. TLDR: these are all very well fragranced shave soaps that are more complex (in scent) than even the upper tier shave soaps. For those that prioritize scent over other factors I'd highly recommend all 3 assuming the scent notes match what you like.
On to the initial review:
Received the Civet, Macaque, and Panda today. All very nicely packaged in heavier than typical jars.
All three are noticeably more complex in scent than your typical artisan offering, even upper tier artisan offerings. Not to knock the artisans, but scents aren't always their specialty and given that my skin doesn't require a special base I focus on scents. I'm just tired of ordering soaps that sound intriguing based on the scent description but then when you get them it's absolutely dominated by one note or two and gets boring very quick. Maybe I'm just expecting too much from the artisans who aren't professional perfumers in the first place.
My only complaint with the Zoologist/Chiseled Face collaboration is that there is no aftershave option. I haven't used the soaps yet so maybe they are strong enough to act as an aftershave on their own but I think when a soap maker collaborates with a professional perfumer there should be both aftershave and cologne options. If I'm just spending an afternoon at home I don't need the strength of the cologne and an aftershave would be perfect for that situation.
Of the three Civet and Panda are my favorite. I can see Civet being a great spring and summer option. It's reasonably fresh and bright with other things I can't identify going on underneath. That's what I like so much about the more complex scented soaps, you can pick out a few things initially, but then there's more going on underneath that continues to pique my interest.
As mentioned, Civet was my initial favorite but I wouldn't call it a vintage women's fragrance; but then I don't know much (in other words, not a damn thing) about vintage women's fragrances. I would call it a complex chypre that tends slightly toward masculine but could be considered unisex. I don't have a problem with unisex fragrances as they've become more common over the years. I would compare it to a very complex B&M Le Grand Chypre where the citrus has been turned down and there is a lot more going on in the background. I'm not able to identify the background notes yet, still working on my nose.
Panda is my second favorite (and might be first after I use them) but I'm not sure what season it would go with. It's got nice, fresh fruit type smell upfront but then quickly transitions to a sandalwood note. It's very interesting and unlike anything I've smelled before. I usually don't like sandalwood but the freshness of this has me intrigued.
Macaque is my least favorite of the three. I don't think I'm a fan of the cedar in it and I suspect there might be something with the soap base that is throwing off the scent a little bit. This is one I'll definitely have to use first to see if I like it. Generally I don't prefer cedar scents but this one might turn out nice for fall.
Overall I'm pleased with the purchase and only see myself possibly parting with one, Macaque, but that will depend on how it smells after lathering.
I wish more soap makers would collaborate with professional perfumers more often and I wish they were easier to find out about rather than after the fact. I would have purchased Southern Witchcrafts Gravefruit but didn't find out about it until a few days after release and it was already sold out everywhere.
I really think there is a gap in the market at the moment where shave soap makers and professional perfumers can get together to create some really excellent products for those of us who focus on scent rather than performance. Unless you have a specific skin issue or allergy, any number of soaps today would work. Base isn't where we're lacking, scent is. Ymmv as always.
I’ll give you a couple more days to further distill your thoughts. 
the macaque morphs I think when lathering I think......but that may be me.
they are complex scents indeed.
camo
I'm glad that you liked the soaps!
I have, at one point or another, owned all three of those CF/Zoologist shave soaps (Rhinoceros as well). They are very good, and the fragrance in the soap is almost identical to the fragrance in the Zoologist bottle. And I guess that's my problem with the line. If I like the scent enough to justify spending $40 on the shave soap, why not just shave with the soaps that I already have and buy the Zoologist parfum travel bottles? It was impossible for me to justify keeping the CF/Zoologist soaps, as I liked the Zoologist scents and I knew that i could just buy the original parfum for what the soap cost me. And in the end it worked out well for me, as I got pretty burned out on all of the Zoologist line and I was able to sell the fragrances for what I paid for them. But like you said, YMMV.
- Thread starter
- #59
I think where I differ from a lot of the fragrance aficionados here is that I only want a true cologne occasionally. Usually I'm looking for the weaker fragrance of an aftershave or strongly scented shave soap (Nuavia, particularly blue and red) and there just isn't as much of that around. I still want the complexity, just not as strong of a scent while around the house. As always, ymmv.
Edited to add: obligatory pic
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Totally understand. I am pretty much the exact opposite. While i really enjoy soaps that smell good (Eufros is my favorite by a good amount), I don't want anything that will overpower and/or clash with my fragrances.
If you haven't already done so, you might want to check out some high quality attars at some point. They can be very complex and they last a very long time on the skin, but they don't project like perfumes. And even the smallest amount last!
Enjoy your new soaps.
