Introduction
After joining this wonderful community and becoming dare I say obsessed with all things wetshaving-related, one of the most difficult things for me was to choose which scents to try. Nearly everything we use in the wetshaving process has a scent from the soaps and creams to the splashes and balms to the moisturizers to the colognes.
Many of these scents are relatively self-explanatory and easy to imagine Ive met few people who have never smelled a rose or lavender or a lime. My first cream was a rose cream for just that reason it is a safe choice. Now, though, I feel like it is time for me to get more adventurous.
BUT how?!?! Many of these products are difficult or impossible to find in person, which makes online shopping the only reliable way to purchase them. The huge drawback of this is, of course, that smells cannot be transmitted via the internet, so how the heck am I supposed to know what Eton College or 1805 or any other of the numerous creatively-names products smell like?? Many of the manufacturers give a description, but these tend to use flowery language that makes it hard to tell reality from hype. Fortunately, many reviews on this site give a more realistic description of what these scents are and I have scoured through each one to give you this unofficial Newbies Guide to Making Sense of Scents.
For each scent, I have included the official description provided by the manufacturer, and then followed it with excerpts from reviews found on this site in quotes. Most of the quotes are from reviews in the shaving cream section, simply because those are what interest me most. Individual scents may vary slightly between creams, soaps, aftershaves, and colognes, especially in terms of which notes come through the strongest.
What the heck is Vetiver?
Perhaps I am some kind of a cretin, but I had never heard the word vetiver before joining this site. Many creams and soaps either contain or are solely scented with vetiver. What on Earth does it smell like? According to Wikipedia, Vetivers scent is described as deep, sweet, woody, smoky, earthy, amber, balsam and about 90% of all perfumes contain Vetiver. Other comments about the scent include, clean, dry, slightly sour; herbaceous with a earthy/green smell; clean woody aroma complimented by citrus. Apparently it is not uncommon for people to either love or hate the smell of vetiver, so I would recommend trying to smell it in person before purchasing any vetiver-scented creams or soaps.
Truefitt & Hill
1805 - Fresh and oceanic, 1805 has top notes of bergamot, mandarin and cardamom combined with a lavender, geranium and clary sage heart resting on a sandalwood, cedarwood and musk base. mandarin; find myself unconsciously thinking of Caribbean beaches, warm seas and palm trees; oceanic; anise in the background
Trafalgar - Spicy, light and captivating, Trafalgar reveals its distinguished heritage with top notes of cedar and sandalwood complemented by subtle hints of jasmine and spice. hint of sweetness; bay rum with black pepper and citrus; smells like a gin and tonic; spicy and then citrusy; significant sandalwood with a smoky lightness
Grafton - Warm and spicy, Grafton has a fresh herbaceous opening combined with a spicy floral heart, leading onto a rich, woody, amber background with a hint of leather. similar to Mr. Taylor; more than just a hint of leather; masculine
Taylor of Old Bond Street
Eton College - A fresh invigorating fragrance combining sparkling citrus oils with rich woody undertones. Clean hint of floral scents; just smells like ivory soap; spiced vanilla; pine; scent varies from batch to batch
Mr. Taylor A crisp and spicy fragrance in which Tarragon, Lavender and Incense combine with hints of Green Galbanum and Citrus for an elegant manly scent and a warm, woody drydown with traces of Cedar, Sandal, Patchouli and Musk. citrus, spice, and leather screams masculine; spicy, warm; what Bogarts shaving cream smelled like;
St. James - A masculine, fougere with citrus ozonic top notes of Bergamot and Mandarin combined with crisp herbs. Heart notes utilise florals, fruits and spices on a base of Sandalwood, Amber, Patchouli and Musk. proper and old time; strangely addicting; clean; very youthful; woodsy, classical; manly not smoke/musty
Shaving Shop - Revitalising fresh Citrus traces blend vigorously with the sophistication and ruggedness of precious Cedar and Oak woods. Add virile undertones of musks over a floor of Sage, Rosemary and Petitgrain. exceptionally crisp and clean; citrus/spice; base of baby powder woody hint of spice
Jermyn Street - A modern fresh fougere fragrance with bergamot, lemon, lime and lavender supported by a heart of geranium, neroli and amber resting on a substantive base of musk, patchouli and vanilla. handsome; clean & fresh; melon-y; impossible not to like
Geo F. Trumper
GFT - The bright, fresh top notes of mandarin and lemon surge forth in waves and peaks of exhilarating invigoration. Woody notes of cypress and bittersweet tarragon beat in a heart with visions of lavender-filled horizons, while forest-fresh notes of cedar and moss blend with a musk-like base. citrusy; musk and cypress; pleasant and lingering; lemon & cedar
DR Harris
Arlington - A subtle blend of citrus and fern -- refreshing and stimulating. subdued; lime note; planty, mossy smell fresh and crisp
Marlborough - A subtle blend of woods including cedar and sandalwood. woodsy, planty, very masculine; woodsy cedar scent. No citrus, no floral
Penhaligons
Blenheim Bouquet Head notes of lemon, lime, and lavender mix with base notes of pine, musk, and black pepper. euphoric; gorgeous citrusy smell; has to grow on me citronella; fresh and clean
Endymion - A sensual fusion of citrus, spices and leather. It opens with a burst of sweetened mandarin wrapped gently in sage and lavender, then settles and smoothes gently into a dark coffee heart. As it warms up, mysterious resins rise up with hints of creamy nutmeg, cardamom and the softest leather. warm manly
Opus 1870 - A complex and elegant woody chypre. Opening with a luxurious accord of sweet citrus and fiery black pepper, the heart is lit by the delicacy of English Clove Rose and evocative incense. The base notes are glorious, smoky waves of aromatic cedarwood and sandalwood. manly dark and foreboding; deep, musky pepper/cedar/clove; woodsy, cedar-like; no citrus
Clearly, my interest is mainly in the English creams, but I am open to expanding this list to include more. Suggestions for adding to this post are welcome!
Happy shaving!!!
-Sarfa
After joining this wonderful community and becoming dare I say obsessed with all things wetshaving-related, one of the most difficult things for me was to choose which scents to try. Nearly everything we use in the wetshaving process has a scent from the soaps and creams to the splashes and balms to the moisturizers to the colognes.
Many of these scents are relatively self-explanatory and easy to imagine Ive met few people who have never smelled a rose or lavender or a lime. My first cream was a rose cream for just that reason it is a safe choice. Now, though, I feel like it is time for me to get more adventurous.
BUT how?!?! Many of these products are difficult or impossible to find in person, which makes online shopping the only reliable way to purchase them. The huge drawback of this is, of course, that smells cannot be transmitted via the internet, so how the heck am I supposed to know what Eton College or 1805 or any other of the numerous creatively-names products smell like?? Many of the manufacturers give a description, but these tend to use flowery language that makes it hard to tell reality from hype. Fortunately, many reviews on this site give a more realistic description of what these scents are and I have scoured through each one to give you this unofficial Newbies Guide to Making Sense of Scents.
For each scent, I have included the official description provided by the manufacturer, and then followed it with excerpts from reviews found on this site in quotes. Most of the quotes are from reviews in the shaving cream section, simply because those are what interest me most. Individual scents may vary slightly between creams, soaps, aftershaves, and colognes, especially in terms of which notes come through the strongest.
What the heck is Vetiver?
Perhaps I am some kind of a cretin, but I had never heard the word vetiver before joining this site. Many creams and soaps either contain or are solely scented with vetiver. What on Earth does it smell like? According to Wikipedia, Vetivers scent is described as deep, sweet, woody, smoky, earthy, amber, balsam and about 90% of all perfumes contain Vetiver. Other comments about the scent include, clean, dry, slightly sour; herbaceous with a earthy/green smell; clean woody aroma complimented by citrus. Apparently it is not uncommon for people to either love or hate the smell of vetiver, so I would recommend trying to smell it in person before purchasing any vetiver-scented creams or soaps.
Truefitt & Hill
1805 - Fresh and oceanic, 1805 has top notes of bergamot, mandarin and cardamom combined with a lavender, geranium and clary sage heart resting on a sandalwood, cedarwood and musk base. mandarin; find myself unconsciously thinking of Caribbean beaches, warm seas and palm trees; oceanic; anise in the background
Trafalgar - Spicy, light and captivating, Trafalgar reveals its distinguished heritage with top notes of cedar and sandalwood complemented by subtle hints of jasmine and spice. hint of sweetness; bay rum with black pepper and citrus; smells like a gin and tonic; spicy and then citrusy; significant sandalwood with a smoky lightness
Grafton - Warm and spicy, Grafton has a fresh herbaceous opening combined with a spicy floral heart, leading onto a rich, woody, amber background with a hint of leather. similar to Mr. Taylor; more than just a hint of leather; masculine
Taylor of Old Bond Street
Eton College - A fresh invigorating fragrance combining sparkling citrus oils with rich woody undertones. Clean hint of floral scents; just smells like ivory soap; spiced vanilla; pine; scent varies from batch to batch
Mr. Taylor A crisp and spicy fragrance in which Tarragon, Lavender and Incense combine with hints of Green Galbanum and Citrus for an elegant manly scent and a warm, woody drydown with traces of Cedar, Sandal, Patchouli and Musk. citrus, spice, and leather screams masculine; spicy, warm; what Bogarts shaving cream smelled like;
St. James - A masculine, fougere with citrus ozonic top notes of Bergamot and Mandarin combined with crisp herbs. Heart notes utilise florals, fruits and spices on a base of Sandalwood, Amber, Patchouli and Musk. proper and old time; strangely addicting; clean; very youthful; woodsy, classical; manly not smoke/musty
Shaving Shop - Revitalising fresh Citrus traces blend vigorously with the sophistication and ruggedness of precious Cedar and Oak woods. Add virile undertones of musks over a floor of Sage, Rosemary and Petitgrain. exceptionally crisp and clean; citrus/spice; base of baby powder woody hint of spice
Jermyn Street - A modern fresh fougere fragrance with bergamot, lemon, lime and lavender supported by a heart of geranium, neroli and amber resting on a substantive base of musk, patchouli and vanilla. handsome; clean & fresh; melon-y; impossible not to like
Geo F. Trumper
GFT - The bright, fresh top notes of mandarin and lemon surge forth in waves and peaks of exhilarating invigoration. Woody notes of cypress and bittersweet tarragon beat in a heart with visions of lavender-filled horizons, while forest-fresh notes of cedar and moss blend with a musk-like base. citrusy; musk and cypress; pleasant and lingering; lemon & cedar
DR Harris
Arlington - A subtle blend of citrus and fern -- refreshing and stimulating. subdued; lime note; planty, mossy smell fresh and crisp
Marlborough - A subtle blend of woods including cedar and sandalwood. woodsy, planty, very masculine; woodsy cedar scent. No citrus, no floral
Penhaligons
Blenheim Bouquet Head notes of lemon, lime, and lavender mix with base notes of pine, musk, and black pepper. euphoric; gorgeous citrusy smell; has to grow on me citronella; fresh and clean
Endymion - A sensual fusion of citrus, spices and leather. It opens with a burst of sweetened mandarin wrapped gently in sage and lavender, then settles and smoothes gently into a dark coffee heart. As it warms up, mysterious resins rise up with hints of creamy nutmeg, cardamom and the softest leather. warm manly
Opus 1870 - A complex and elegant woody chypre. Opening with a luxurious accord of sweet citrus and fiery black pepper, the heart is lit by the delicacy of English Clove Rose and evocative incense. The base notes are glorious, smoky waves of aromatic cedarwood and sandalwood. manly dark and foreboding; deep, musky pepper/cedar/clove; woodsy, cedar-like; no citrus
Clearly, my interest is mainly in the English creams, but I am open to expanding this list to include more. Suggestions for adding to this post are welcome!
Happy shaving!!!
-Sarfa