Old Man Smell

[silverlifter]

I was born in the mid-1960s and grew up in places where masculinity was still pretty rigidly defined, and deviations weren't socially acceptable. Australian outback, mining towns, those sorts of places.

Men didn't wear cologne. Aftershaves were acceptable, but nothing too floral or feminine. Old Spice was ubiquitous. Later, Brut appeared. Men smelled like Old Spice, cigarettes, beer, dust, and oil.

I don't think of those as old man scents, though. They smell like... victory!

 

[Alum Ladd]

I was born in the mid-1960s and grew up in places where masculinity was still pretty rigidly defined, and deviations weren't socially acceptable. Australian outback, mining towns, those sorts of places.

Men didn't wear cologne. Aftershaves were acceptable, but nothing too floral or feminine. Old Spice was ubiquitous. Later, Brut appeared. Men smelled like Old Spice, cigarettes, beer, dust, and oil.

I don't think of those as old man scents, though. They smell like... victory!

Yes, my smell memories of things, and grown up males, was cigarette or pipe, beer and oil mixed with warm metal, machine scents. I suspect aftershave was barely tolerated. These were industrial and 'working class' environments.

My father was a lathe operator and also seemed to know of smelting. I recall in about 1968 he applied for Australian citizenship and was accepted, mum and me. We were going to a place called Broken Hill. The name remains in my head, as a little kid the image conjured was pretty vivid.

My mums family chickened out at the last minute and dissuaded her, which put the blockers on the project.

So I was very nearly an Australian, a kid going to Broken Hill in the 60's as a 10 Bob Pom I assume.

Fate is weird.

 

[silverlifter]

So I was very nearly an Australian, a kid going to Broken Hill in the 60's as a 10 Bob Pom I assume

Bullet dodged, Simon!

 

[Valerius]

I grew up in a small Scandinavian town. When I started to shave in 1974 shops usually carried three, or sometimes four, after shaves: Old Spice, Tabac, Skin Bracer and Brut. We didn't consider any of them being 'old mens scents', they were after shaves and you picked the one you liked best.

 

[Guido75]

I asked my wife, who is German, and she said Farina, Old Spice and Tabac are what she thinks of as old man scents.

I agree with your wife wholeheartedly. And would add Fresh Up to that line.

I like Tabac as shaving soap, but Tabac and actually most aftershaves are too heavy for me.

Guido

 

[Noodles]

To me, it's more about old man *European* smell. I mean no offense to our European members as many of the best scents are from Europe. But, in my memories, it's the smell of some European men, who immigrated to Canada, that I would come across in childhood and who used way too much fragrance. I'm 50's for reference.

Examples that my wife or I feel smell like this would be Pre de Provence No. 63, Tabac, or Manna di Sicilia. Also, I despise scents with obvious musk notes.

OTOH, I loved the smell of the Italian barbershops I would go to as a young kid (probably something like Proraso green, which I also love). And, my wife has a fondness for Old Spice since her dad used it.

 

[mikey517]

I was born in 1975.

I went on the job in '75! Had to shave everyday, and if memory serves, most lockers had Right Guard deodorant, Gillette Foamy, and some brand cart razor, and either Old Spice or Aqua Velva. There were exceptions. Never thought of them as Old Men Smells.

My Dad wore Brut a lot. That's as close to an "old man smell" as I can get.

After I left uniform, my wife bought me Obsession for Men Aftershave, which is her favorite. I still wear it for special occasions.

I'm 74 now and still usually use OS, AV, or Brut after a shower or shave.

 

[lancre]

I have a pet theory about how some aftershave scents are perceived by people.

Is there an aftershave you have tried and you don't want to wear it because it "smells like an old man" or has that "old man smell"?
Does your significant other have such a reaction to something you liked or to something you didn't like yourself?
Can you share what age group you and your partner are in and what aftershave it is that triggers that reaction in you/them?
No need to be specific, even young adult, middle age, codger, crusty old guy would be fine. If you're comfortable with "mid-30's" or "early 50's" that would be fine too.
I'm just trying to get an idea of age group, not to try to track down how old someone specifically is.

If I get enough posts with some names and ages of both wearer and spouse, I'll share what my pet theory is, and whether the data tends to support or refute my theory.

Feel free to share your experience and where you stand with those dreaded "old man in church with hair growing out of his ears" aftershaves!

No particular preference, but both the OL and I prefer a light scent of limited duration.

IMO, regardless of your age, "Old man smell" is whatever your dad smelled like.
I mean, the classic definition of "old" is your parent's age.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

Ironically my dad was never a fragrance guy and wears a beard. So I remember him smelling like Speed Stick and V05 hair cream. My grandpa was a big fan of Old Spice although I'm pretty sure he used Avon aftershaves too, I distinctly remember many of the old glass decanters, the empty ones were displayed around the house and he had a full one on his dresser and in the bathroom. At any rate, my father absolutely *hates* the smell of Old Spice since grandpa used to practically bathe in the stuff.

Then again, there's modern Old Spice and then there's Shulton. My daughters (ages range from 6 to 12) are ambivalent about the modern stuff but are generally fans of the original scent. As long as it's not overpowering.

 

[Slock]

By the time Axe is called an old man smell. You can reintroduce old spice. No one will have a scent memory to associate with it. What is old is new again.

 

[slimshavy]

Anything barbershop has that old man smell to me, and anything particularly powdery.

 

[RayClem]

Since I am an old man, I guess I must smell like one. I grew up in a time when the common scents for men were Old Spice (the original Shulton formulation), English Leather by MEM (not the current Dana stuff), British Sterling by Speidel (not the Dana stuff), and Brut Original by Faberge. Of course, barbers always applied Pinaud Clubman talc after a hair cut.

The really are only two scents that I consider to be old man scents, so old that I won't wear them.

One is Grey Flannel by Geoffrey Beene. Grey Flannel was not available until 1975, which is more recent than the other fragrances I noted. According to Fragratica, it has the following: Top notes are Galbanum, Petitgrain, Neroli, Bergamot and Lemon; middle notes are Violet, Iris, Geranium, Mimosa, Narcissus, Sage and Rose; base notes are Oakmoss, Vetiver, Cedar, Tonka Bean and Almond. I generally like complex cologne fragrances, but this is not a fragrance that I like. I do not hate it, but I would not wear it.

The other old man scent is Pinaud Lilac Vegetal (aka THE VEG). Lilac Vegetal is predominantly the scent of lilacs and Victorian era musk. If you do purchase the scent and it comes in a plastic bottle, immediately decant the juice into a glass bottle. The improvement in fragrance is remarkable and immediate. In the plastic bottle, many people detect the scent of cat urine. That scent goes away as soon as you ditch the plastic bottle. I do not quite know why this happens, but it does. I enjoy smelling the scent from time to time, but I do not wear it.

I love scented shaving soaps, but seldom apply any scented aftershaves or colognes.

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

 

[Dobric]

This one

Why?
Because my grandfather used it. Now I asociate scnet with my grandfather, therefore, old man smell

 

[Columbo]

The really are only two scents that I consider to be old man scents, so old that I won't wear them.

One is Grey Flannel by Geoffrey Beene.

I have a bottle of that somewhere. I think from when Ronald Reagan was President. And that one stinks too old even for me. Smells like an overpriced solvent cleaner, or maybe embalming fluid, or what the priest burns at the funeral mass. Toss it in the casket before dropping me in.

 

[StewB]

My sense of smell is quite poor, always has been, which has its advantages I suppose. As a result, there's nothing I can really contribute to the original question. I am just writing to say that this is one of the most enjoyable threads I have encountered for a while!

 

[borwish]

My wife said that Gillette Cool Wave aftershave smells like an old man's dentures. Of course, she couldn't explain to me how she knew what that smelled like.

 

[know1special]

I am 52, Mrs. k1s is 46.

Neither of us would be considered scent connoisseurs but we at least share broad agreement on what smells 'classic' vs. what smells more 'modern.' For the record, we both tend to prefer classics or at least immitations of them. I've not yet heard her say anything like 'old man smell' and believe me...she would have.

FWIW, I agree very much with the previous remarks about association. My current favorite scent is Proraso Azur Lime. I've been using it daily for the last two years. While I do enjoy the scent on it's own merits, the main reason I stick with it is that it strongly reminds me of someone or someplace that I encountered as a child. I've yet to put my finger on it, but it feels like a happy memory.

 

[Juanmosey]

I remember being around maybe 9 or 10 and my dad had this AS that didn't smell very pleasant--sort of skinky. It wasn't Old Spice or Skin Bracer or Aqua Velva. What could it have been? How much was there back in the early 1960s? Not much.

 

[GR5233]

I really like the smell of Bay Rum aftershaves. Although no one has said anything about it to me, because it is such an old scent, I'm afraid that some young people might think of it as an "old man" scent.

I wouldn’t consider bay rum to be an “old man” scent and I’m in my early 40s. I would consider it along with Clubman, Old Spice, Skin Bracer and Brut as timeless classics for every generation

Stetson is a scent that I associate with old guys

Another one that I wouldn’t consider as an “old man” scent