What's new

Massacre of the Innocents shave soap - Declaration Grooming

I have just finished a tub of Massacre of the Innocents shave soap from Declaration Grooming (DG)(Declaration Grooming | Handcrafted Wetshaving Products - https://www.declarationgrooming.com/). I also have the matching aftershave using the full menthol dosage.

As most know this is DG’s Milksteak base that they have been using since 2019 or so. The performance is stellar in all respects. I do two or three passes every day, no problems. With less slick or protective soaps I can sometimes get a mild burn, but I do not have sensitive skin. I shave high on my face, up to the top of the cheek bones and above the ears on a slant where a sideburn might be for others – I’m fairly bald and the hair on the side is kept USMC short. I shave all the way, deeply down my neck and once or twice a week even go broader to the very top of my neckline, all the way around my neck nearing the collar bone, ensuring a comprehensively clean, well-shaved neck. On my last pass, I buff large parts of my neck against the grain. DG soap is perfect for extensive shaving – even areas I shave every day combined with areas I hit less frequently it is perfectly protective – a nice cushion- and provides a thoroughly pleasant shaving experience. DG is perfect for me, I use a scuttle every day, love warm lather, to load my brush but I am a face latherer. The DG soap is thirsty, so I enjoy adding water and lathering my face. If you adequately hydrate the lather to begin with, the shave is pleasant and easy, leaving a nice protective layer on your face.

The scent from Massacre of the Innocents is the clone of Herod by Parfums de Marly. To my nose, it is a perfect clone. If there are any differences to be noted, they are marginal at best. This was my first encounter with this scent, but I enjoy it so much, as does my wife, that I actually bought some of the originator EDP. The Herod EDP is a great scent in all respects. The scent from the tub is medium and is the same while lathering, it is definitely present but not overwhelming. I know Massacre has a reputation as a strong, masculine scent but I would say not overly so. I highly recommend DG soaps and absolutely recommend the Massacre of the Innocents scent.

Per Declaration Grooming:

Top notes: cinnamon and pepper wood. Heart: osmanthus, tobacco leaf, labdanum and incense. Base: vanilla, cedar, vetiver, patchouli, iso e super, cypriol and musk.

Ingredients: Stearic Acid, Water, Castor Oil, Potassium Hydroxide, Vegetable Glycerin, Bison Tallow, Mango Butter, Avocado Oil, Shea Butter, Sodium Hydroxide, Lanolin, Bentonite Clay, Yogurt, Buttermilk, Egg Whites, Coconut Milk, Goat's Milk, Tocopheryl Acetate, Maltodextrin, Milk Protein, Salix Alba L. (White Willow) Bark Extract, Arctium lappa (Burdock) Root Extract, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Fruit Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Silk Amino Acids


DG Massacre.png
 
Thank you, I have been looking at this. I have been a fan of their's for a long time. I have used quite a few of their offerings over the years and no matter what base it has been it has always impressed.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
Great write up. Thanks for posting this detail. I too am a long time DG fan although I haven’t tried this scent or the new base. I’ve been checking periodically on my absolute favorite darkfall that’s been out of stock. If it returns perhaps I’ll try massacre.
 
Great write up. Thanks for posting this detail. I too am a long time DG fan although I haven’t tried this scent or the new base. I’ve been checking periodically on my absolute favorite darkfall that’s been out of stock. If it returns perhaps I’ll try massacre.
Managed to snag Darkfall this year. Went without it last year. It’s my traditional October/November soap.
 
Great write up. Thanks for posting this detail. I too am a long time DG fan although I haven’t tried this scent or the new base. I’ve been checking periodically on my absolute favorite darkfall that’s been out of stock. If it returns perhaps I’ll try massacre.
They do have the Trismegistus in stock if you like that scent - which I do, very much. I do not care so much for the AS, though. If I use Trismegistus shaving I use the Fine - L'Orange Noir aftershave.

I got a bunch of samples from them some time back. Glad I did - as much as I like their soaps I do not care for all of their scents. This is the same for me with Southern Witchcrafts - love the soap, not all the scents.

Happy New Year
 
Great write up. Thanks for posting this detail. I too am a long time DG fan although I haven’t tried this scent or the new base. I’ve been checking periodically on my absolute favorite darkfall that’s been out of stock. If it returns perhaps I’ll try massacre.
For what it is worth Top of the Chain still has it in stock. I believe shipping is free with a $60 US order and I believe he is set up to ship aftershaves as well to the US.
 
MOTI is one of my favorite soaps in the den. DG’s Milksteak needs no introduction as one of the best bases in the business. The scent I would say it's very similar (85%) to 'Herod' by Parfums de Marly. To shave with a product that resembles so much a stellar fragrance gives the whole experience am uplifting twist.
 
I got a bunch of samples from them some time back. Glad I did - as much as I like their soaps I do not care for all of their scents. This is the same for me with Southern Witchcrafts - love the soap, not all the scents.

Happy New Year
DG - I’ve found them to be a really good soap. But you’re bingo on their scents. There are some which are mighty fine, like 88 Chestnut and Rose/Yuzu for me. But there also are others which get another reaction from me entirely.

Spent most of this week up in Willow Grove, PA…
 
DG - I’ve found them to be a really good soap. But you’re bingo on their scents. There are some which are mighty fine, like 88 Chestnut and Rose/Yuzu for me. But there also are others which get another reaction from me entirely.

Spent most of this week up in Willow Grove, PA…
Willow Grove? Huh. I used to live behind the old Naval Air Station up the road in Horsham about 30+ years ago.
 
What an unfortunate, though admittedly memorable name for a product with so many positive reviews. One does wonder what possesses these people and their marketing choices. I suspect its mainly marketing to the Harley, metal, tattoo and body piecing crowd. The wife tells me that the phrase may be an allusion to 'Remembrance of the Holy Innocents in the east Orthodox church.

Feast of the Holy Innocents is a Christian feast in remembrance of the massacre of young children by King Herod in his attempt to kill the infant Jesus. The feast is observed by the Christian churches in the West on December 28 and in the Eastern churches. It may have nothing to do with the depicted events. Still, its a curious name for a high end wet shaving product.

Im getting old.
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom