Officina Artigiana Milano - Review

[GruncleIroh]

That good to know! Out of curiosity, how do you reckon it's a dupe of that fragrance if you don't have the soap? I ask because I managed to get a bottle of the Najran aftershave all the way from Italy thanks to a friend. Nobody in the US sold it and the day it landed in the US (last week), Pasteur had it for sale the next day, lol. I love the scent and I asked myself if a fragrance with similar notes existed.

What about OdB; do you find it to be a dupe of an existing fragrance? Some of its notes remind me of Acqua di Parma Oud but it's not a dupe per say. I find OdB more complex and superior.

Well, it’s a bit of a long story but might be interesting for people in the US.
Officina Artigiana Milano is a brand of Rasoi Goodfellas, one of the largest distributors of wetshaving products in Europe. (They also ship to US) They have a Facebook group so there was a lot of discussion while the soap was in the making. Some people say it’s a dupe, some other that it’s more “inspired”, I cannot say. Nasomatto and Orto Parisi are high end niche Italian parfums.

OdB is very close to Tom Ford Tuscan Leather, which I tried at an airport. Well OdB not only gets super close as a fragrance but also as persistence at a small fraction of the cost of the parfums.

I hope this helps

 

[Golden_Edge]

Well, it’s a bit of a long story but might be interesting for people in the US.
Officina Artigiana Milano is a brand of Rasoi Goodfellas, one of the largest distributors of wetshaving products in Europe. (They also ship to US) They have a Facebook group so there was a lot of discussion while the soap was in the making. Some people say it’s a dupe, some other that it’s more “inspired”, I cannot say. Nasomatto and Orto Parisi are high end niche Italian parfums.

OdB is very close to Tom Ford Tuscan Leather, which I tried at an airport. Well OdB not only gets super close as a fragrance but also as persistence at a small fraction of the cost of the parfums.

I hope this helps

Thank you for the info, it is helpful! I'll definitely look into Nasomatto and Tom Ford's Tuscan Leather. Maremoto smelled like Aqua di Gio to me but someone corrected me and said (like you mentioned) that it was inspired from Orto Parisi's Megamare. Megamare and AdG seem to share similar notes.

I can't agree more on OdB's strength, especially given its price. I have the non-alcohol sensitive version of OdB and it's incredible. There is an alcohol Dopo Barba Fraganza Concentrata that I am also looking to try. It appears to be the OdB scent but with even more sillage.

The topic of the company behind OAM was the matter of a discussion I had with a fellow member here (from Europe). The discussion initially started about OAM's marketing discrepancies (labeling/designation) and then shifted to who owns and/or makes the soaps. I searched online but didn't find conclusive enough info. All I had to do (which I did moments ago), was to click the 'About' on Rasoi Goodfella's website. Not sure how I missed that; #facepalm. Thing is when you go to Barbieri S.r.l's 'About', it says the company was founded in 2010 as 'The Goodfellas’ Smile'. Either way, it looks like Nico and his wife started the company in 2010 (as 'Rasoi Goodfellas' or 'The Goodfella's Smile') and later created Barbieri S.r.l as distribution of their and other brands. Do you know if they make their soaps or if it's outsourced?

 

[GruncleIroh]

I doubt they make soap in-house, but I am sure they work super close with local artisans, i.e. product specs and product development: they post photos and stories of the behind the scenes on their FB group. They are doing this also for their razors, which BTW are quite interesting.
They are going to launch soon a CNC machined full brass razor in the 30-40€ range.

 

[lasta]

Apart from a few old timers, most Italian soap brands source from Tcheon Fung Sing.

 

[Tulsa1977]

Great additional information here. Thank you gentlemen!

 

[sarimento1]

my (heavy-duty) jar of OAM Najran arrived a couple days ago, indeed it has a subtle oud fragrance.
shaved this morning with it, great shave, loads of oils and slickness.
really good for a veggie soap; glad i took the bait and tried this!

 

[Jonn]

Sir, SV is unique. Nothing I've encountered to date among Italian soaps is comparable: better lather, better slickness and much better post shave. Shave-wise it's Italy's #1 for me (and I have tested almost all of them).

Thanks for the input. I have Dolomiti and 70th edition. I will continue to try new soaps, but it is not likely I will find any that I like as much as these 2. I just purchased, but have not yet received, Boellis Panama and ABC hard soap. I like the American artisan soaps, but sometimes some of them feel a tad "greasy" for lack of a better term. "Butter bombs"

 

[Marco]

Thanks for the input. I have Dolomiti and 70th edition. I will continue to try new soaps, but it is not likely I will find any that I like as much as these 2. I just purchased, but have not yet received, Boellis Panama and ABC hard soap. I like the American artisan soaps, but sometimes some of them feel a tad "greasy" for lack of a better term. "Butter bombs"

My pleasure, Sir.

 

[BBSSBOSS]

Apart from a few old timers, most Italian soap brands source from Tcheon Fung Sing.

It's interesting that you mention this, as I have always been confused with the similarities between the Tcheon Fung Sing Classic Almond Shave Soap and Cella Almond Shave soap.. red tubs, scent profile, lathering etc

 

[lasta]

It's interesting that you mention this, as I have always been confused with the similarities between the Tcheon Fung Sing Classic Almond Shave Soap and Cella Almond Shave soap.. red tubs, scent profile, lathering etc

Cella is owned by Nick Chini SRL, a pretty small company. I wouldn't be surprised if they outsourced production.

But, it's only a conjecture on my part...

 

[Tulsa1977]

Thanks for the input. I have Dolomiti and 70th edition. I will continue to try new soaps, but it is not likely I will find any that I like as much as these 2. I just purchased, but have not yet received, Boellis Panama and ABC hard soap. I like the American artisan soaps, but sometimes some of them feel a tad "greasy" for lack of a better term. "Butter bombs"

I have the ABC hard soap. Excellent performance and scent. Purchased a backup while it was still fairly inexpensive. Enjoy!