Old Spice question...

[flight567]

ok, so i bought a bottle of old spice (plastic bottle )when i first started shaving... and of coarse it's the P&G type. however recently my grandpa gave me two (full) bottles of the orginal shulton stuff, and they smell almost exactly the same .(i bought a few of them and recently i've mixed cologne with AS and that ivy club with cologne) the ivy club with the cologne smells exactly the same as the shulton stuff my grandpa gave me... (lol i felt special it still was in the original box not even opened. so was the P&G stuff i bought a messup on their part or what? (ps. i compared each to the original... the P&G old spice in itself did smell furthest away but it wasn't as bad as i had thought it would be based on reading the forums...)

 

[WastedResources]

People get kind of sentimental about Old Spice. It's good stuff.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=149449

 

[The Nid Hog]

I don't think that P&G's juice is terribly different. Just enough to irritate and sadden. But it's still close enough that, when the strategic reserve of Shulton is pumped dry, I'll at least buy the cologne. And if Club d'Ivoire disappears, I will even buy the AS. But I won't use those lousy bottles.

 

[MrMoJoe]

The P&G stuff you buy in stores now, to me smells exactly like I remember the Shulton Old Spice my father used when I was a kid and then used myself when I started shaving in the 70's. Not having used Old Spice AS since the 80's, I bought some recently at the local Walgreen's. The first time I used it, my wife commented "that's Old Spice; it's what my Dad used".

I and others have questioned P&G about this, and they say they have never changed the scent; it's the same as it always was. Personally, I have no reason to doubt them; as I said it smells the same to me, plus, they would have little to gain by lying about it. However, it's pretty much accepted as fact in these parts that P&G has indeed changed the scent.

Scents in colognes and aftershaves can and often do change over time. That, in my humble opinion, plus the sentimental belief that things were generally better back when (I tend to agree) is the simplest and obvious reason for the belief that the scent has been changed. I don't suppose we will ever know for sure, and I don't know that it really matters; use what you like, as YMMV!

 

[fixcinater]

I just picked up a Shulton era traveler's set (red plastic bottle of AS, roll-on deoderant, and a can of shaving foam) at a thrift store, and compared to a modern clone, it is decidedly spicier, lasts much longer after application, and burns more.

I'm now on the hunt for more of the real deal, but will most likely get a modern version for daily wear, since it's infinitely more replaceable, and slightly more appropriate for office work (the real deal definitely makes itself known more to women).

 

[Radar O\'Reilly]

ok, so i bought a bottle of old spice (plastic bottle )when i first started shaving... and of coarse it's the P&G type. however recently my grandpa gave me two (full) bottles of the orginal shulton stuff, and they smell almost exactly the same .(i bought a few of them and recently i've mixed cologne with AS and that ivy club with cologne) the ivy club with the cologne smells exactly the same as the shulton stuff my grandpa gave me... (lol i felt special it still was in the original box not even opened. so was the P&G stuff i bought a messup on their part or what? (ps. i compared each to the original... the P&G old spice in itself did smell furthest away but it wasn't as bad as i had thought it would be based on reading the forums...)

Well, IIRC, they invented a machine which could reproduce almost every smell(or taste) there is. But it didn't need anywhere near the amount of "base" chemicals that you would think. It was only something like 8 chemicals. So while it's completely understandable that it can "smell" the same, it may not contain the same chemicals/ingredients to reproduce that smell.

 

[Topgumby]

IIRC, ClubmanRob said that there was a change when they dropped Saccharine as an ingredient, and I think this was when it was still in glass, perhaps pre P&G. He also posted that there was another change when it went plastic.

If P&G says it's the same as it ever was, they are probably telling the truth as they see it. I'm sure that the response goes along the lines of "Hey, this guy wants to know if Old Spice Classic has changed since we bought the brand. Oh, you say it's still Classic, and if he wants something else he should try the Swagger or Fiji or one of the other fifty new variations he might enjoy? OK!"

I doubt that they comb the records looking for minor changes that are covered in the "Alcohol, glycerin, fragrance" umbrella.

I think if you combine this with the effects of aging, various methods of storage, body chemistry, different perceptions of scent, fuzzy memory, corporate disinterest in what they regard as trivial matters obsessed over by a minute fringe, and just plain human nature, we'll never know, unless somebody pops for some highly detailed lab tests. Even then, the aging and storage factors would still be in play.

I think the old stuff was deeper, stronger and spicier, and that's the way I remember it. 'Course, I also recall the girls were prettier, the whiskey was stronger, and the horses were faster, too.

 

[firehydrant]

It is pointless trying to communicate with P&G. They really don’t want to hear from us.

 

[Mr. Styptic]

For what it's worth, the Shulton Old Spice AS I bought at e-bay smells just like the stuff now on the shelves. I suppose age could have mellowed the original down to the level of the current product, but I no longer feel the need to spend the extra bucks for the Shulton name.

 

[sandmountainslim]

For what it's worth, the Shulton Old Spice AS I bought at e-bay smells just like the stuff now on the shelves. I suppose age could have mellowed the original down to the level of the current product, but I no longer feel the need to spend the extra bucks for the Shulton name.

If it smells the same to you then go for it!

To me it smells nothing the same.

Wp

 

[Swampfox]

If it smells the same to you then go for it!

To me it smells nothing the same.

Wp

I agree. Seems I recall in the late 90s P&G doing some kind of test run to alter OS for the current generation. Test groups preferred the 'Classic' to the 'Original', and that was what they went for. My wife cannot stand the current P&G OS, and neither can I. The vintage & Ivy Club versions are just better IMO, and I wish I could get my hands on some of the Indian versions (all three actually).