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Newbie's Guide to Making Sense of Scents

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 – I’ve 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 Newbie’s 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, Vetiver’s 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 Bogart’s 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”

Penhaligon’s
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! :001_smile

Happy shaving!!! :thumbup:

-Sarfa
 
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, Vetiver’s 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.

I had a tub of Vetiver shaving cream from Cyril L. Salter. To my nose, it smells like a smoky burning campfire.

The person I got it from thought it was one of the nastiest smelling things ever. While I didn't find the scent repulsive, I didn't love it so much, that I want to suffer through 80+ shaves of that scent, so I traded it for 4 pucks of VDH Glycerin, which is not available locally where I live.

Vetiver as I understand it is a type of grass.

Musgo Real is also said to have the scent of Vetiver. To me that one smelled a bit like wet grass. It was another smell I couldn't see wanting to suffer with for the entire tube of shaving cream.
 
Thanks for the info. If you want to experience the TOBS scents for a small investment, you can go to www.shavingessentials.com and order the shaving cream sampler. You get all of them for $20 plus shipping. I found it helpful to smell them side by side to decide which I like best. For me, it was St. James and Shaving Shop.
 
Thanks for all the positive comments! :biggrin1:

I thought for sure that one line in the Vetiver section was gonna get me the custom user title "Some kind of cretin"... :tongue_sm

-Sarfa
 
Thanks for the post.. Ordered a T&H complete sampler pack a couple of days ago, so am looking forward to matching your descriptions with the different scents that will be in this pack.
 
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