What's new

Old Spice New Vs Old why do people complain about the difference?

I don't believe vintage OS we can buy today smells the way it did when it was first made. All fragrances change as they age. So I don't get the part where people say the new stuff doesn't smell the same as the old stuff because the old stuff doesn't smell the same as it did 'back then' either. And yes, the new and old stuff, today, smell differently than each other, the new OS is brighter and more distinct yet, thankfully, less potent. I have 50s vintage now and the fragrance profile is muddied with powder note/s that are unapologetically rude.
Mind you, I wasn't sniffing OS back in the 50s, but I was in the 70s and I do not remember it being so flamboyantly floral/powdery. I do remember more spicyness. In a perfect world, I'd say that the new OS would nail it for me if it was double strength.
 
I have some Original yet from the 80's, the 90's, and the mid 2000's. They all smell alike. And us old duffers know how wonderful it was. Also have some Classic from maybe 2017. While it is "ok", it isn't the Original Shulton. I can live with the Classic, because their aren't any other alternatives short of going the overhyped artisan market. Have tried a couple artisan "our version of vintage Old Spice" splashes, they aren't as good as the Classic, to me at least. Give me the Shulton Original-to me everything else is junior varsity.
 
So im 22 and recently wanted to buy old spice from my local big box store. I read a bunch of reviews and its almost all people b!tching about that the new stuff doesnt smell the same.
So I bought the new P&G bottle and promptly wanted to find out the difference and bought a vintage bottle from the 1973 area of time. It arrived yesterday and They both smell COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. What im not understanding is why people complain about the new stuff smelling too powdery with not enough spice smell. Now when I smelled the vintage shulton It smelled WAYYY more powdery and floral than the bottle I bought from the store. They did smell similar but to me the new stuff smells better on the grounds that I can smell the nutmeg,clove, cinnamon,citrus,and a slight powder scent.

My question TLDR is: why do people complain that new old spice is worse than old old spice when as a new consumer of this product who has smelled both vintage and new thinks that the new one actually smells like the notes put on the internet as a definitive scent?

Different strokes for different folks.

Here's one to try. Compare a smaller bottle of OS from a store like Dollar General to a larger one bought at a larger store chain. Make sure both are Old Spice and one's not a clone. Now compare. The one I bought from Dollar General smelled different, like a bottle of OS cologne I still have, while the larger bottle smelled more muted. I need to buy another bottle of OS from Dollar General to see if I just lucked up on an old bottle, but I don't think I did.

BTW, I use the OS I bought at DG on Sundays. The rest of the days I use the cheaper smelling stuff.
 
I’ve heard about the Old Spice made in India as smelling closer to the original. Is that true? It costs more than the one made in the US, but I would be interested in giving it a try.
 
Over the last week I've toggled back/forth using new OS and several different bottles of 50s vintage cologne and splash. The old stuff is, literally, overpoweringly too powdery. I'm going to dump the old stuff and put the new stuff into the vintage bottles. It's not a perfect fix but it's better than smelling like diaper powder.
 
Over the last week I've toggled back/forth using new OS and several different bottles of 50s vintage cologne and splash. The old stuff is, literally, overpoweringly too powdery. I'm going to dump the old stuff and put the new stuff into the vintage bottles. It's not a perfect fix but it's better than smelling like diaper powder.
At least you’ll have nice glass bottles!
 
I’ve heard about the Old Spice made in India as smelling closer to the original. Is that true? It costs more than the one made in the US, but I would be interested in giving it a try.
The last time I tried Indian OS, it was much closer to the current version in the USA.
 

steveclarkus

Goose Poop Connoisseur
So im 22 and recently wanted to buy old spice from my local big box store. I read a bunch of reviews and its almost all people b!tching about that the new stuff doesnt smell the same.
So I bought the new P&G bottle and promptly wanted to find out the difference and bought a vintage bottle from the 1973 area of time. It arrived yesterday and They both smell COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. What im not understanding is why people complain about the new stuff smelling too powdery with not enough spice smell. Now when I smelled the vintage shulton It smelled WAYYY more powdery and floral than the bottle I bought from the store. They did smell similar but to me the new stuff smells better on the grounds that I can smell the nutmeg,clove, cinnamon,citrus,and a slight powder scent.

My question TLDR is: why do people complain that new old spice is worse than old old spice when as a new consumer of this product who has smelled both vintage and new thinks that the new one actually smells like the notes put on the internet as a definitive scent?
I’m seventy years old and have used Old Spice off an on for fifty five years. I can’t remember the old scent exactly but the new still smells like Old Spice to me. What I do remember is that the old version was very strong and could be a bit off putting to bystanders. It was just a bit too loud and I much prefer the current “classic” iteration. It is more subtle but still has a very lovely scent.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
1. There is no clove, nutmeg or cinnamon in vintage Old Spice. That is Bay Rum your smelling. Someone put bay rum in a vintage Old Spice bottle. :)

2. People who buy already opened and used bottles of "Vintage Old Spice" from Ebay; and saying they smell the same as the modern stuff, are probably buying vintage bottles that sellers are putting the modern stuff into, because they know there are people who will pay mint, looking for the old stuff. So unless you find the Holy Grail of an unopened bottle of vintage Shulton to compare to the modern stuff, there just isn't know way to know, if it's "really vintage" or not.

3. INB4 someone says they compared a unopened "new old stock" bottle of Shulton for $100 just so they could compare to the $7.99 version at Walmart.


3. Modern P&G Old Spice is floral more than it is spicy.

4. Vintage Shulton Old Spice is spicy more than it is floral

5. They are not the same. This is all.

your miles may vary and all that... stuff. :)
 
Last edited:
I agree with @OkieStubble that the vintage is much spicier and less floral than the new juice. It is also much longer lasting as some have also mentioned. I like the newer OS because it works with almost any EDT due to its fleeting nature. I like the Shulton version when I pair it with Vintage OS cologne.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
I agree with @OkieStubble that the vintage is much spicier and less floral than the new juice. It is also much longer lasting as some have also mentioned. I like the newer OS because it works with almost any EDT due to its fleeting nature. I like the Shulton version when I pair it with Vintage OS cologne.

Agreed Brian, good post. No one is saying the modern version doesn't smell like Old Spice because it does. But even though they are similar in their scent recognition and profile, they are not identical. There are several differences in ingredients and environmental differences, that several have already spoken of.

The naturally evaporated alcohol from the vintage stuff is one change, just as changes in natural and synthetic ingredients P&G has made to cut production costs is another. Even the chemical changes that occur when the modern stuff is kept in a plastic bottle is another. And the strength or weakness in scent and longevity between the vintage and new is yet another difference.

And yet, while similar enough in scent profile which allows someone to recognize them both as "the old spice scent I remember" the differences in both also still allow us old school gents who wore it back then, "to still distinguish that they indeed, are not the same.
 
Agreed Brian, good post. No one is saying the modern version doesn't smell like Old Spice because it does. But even though they are similar in their scent recognition and profile, they are not identical. There are several differences in ingredients and environmental differences, that several have already spoken of.

The naturally evaporated alcohol from the vintage stuff is one change, just as changes in natural and synthetic ingredients P&G has made to cut production costs is another. Even the chemical changes that occur when the modern stuff is kept in a plastic bottle is another. And the strength or weakness in scent and longevity between the vintage and new is yet another difference.

And yet, while similar enough in scent profile which allows someone to recognize them both as "the old spice scent I remember" the differences in both also still allow us old school gents who wore it back then, "to still distinguish that they indeed, are not the same.
Indeed!
 
My question TLDR is: why do people complain....

Because a number of OS fans want new Old Spice to smell like Old Old Spice. And even though Old Old Spice doesn't smell the way it did when it was New Old Spice, some think Old Old Spice today smells more like Old Old Spice then and that New Old Spice smells less like Old Old Spice then or now.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
Because a number of OS fans want new Old Spice to smell like Old Old Spice. And even though Old Old Spice doesn't smell the way it did when it was New Old Spice, some think Old Old Spice today smells more like Old Old Spice then and that New Old Spice smells less like Old Old Spice then or now.

Pretty much in a nutshell. :)
 
Because a number of OS fans want new Old Spice to smell like Old Old Spice. And even though Old Old Spice doesn't smell the way it did when it was New Old Spice, some think Old Old Spice today smells more like Old Old Spice then and that New Old Spice smells less like Old Old Spice then or now.
I think he has a point there.
 
people live in the past and always talk about how great things were in the past. Move forward, onward and upward, the old formula aint coming back, we have the new stuff, enjoy it or don't, but it's a little off putting how much debate goes on here about the old version vs the new version.
 

OkieStubble

Dirty Donuts are so Good.
people live in the past and always talk about how great things were in the past. Move forward, onward and upward, the old formula aint coming back, we have the new stuff, enjoy it or don't, but it's a little off putting how much debate goes on here about the old version vs the new version.

The past was great! Remember the time way back in the day before Penicillin was invented?

Sure do miss the good ole days.

Telling people to move forward and embrace the modern with their aftershave in a forum where they shave with tools that were designed decades ago?

Question: do you use a DE Or Straight? Do you use a shave brush? Is This not moving forward? Kinda awkward isn’t it?
 
Last edited:
Top Bottom