Soaps that smell better after 2 or 3 uses?

[midwestshaver71]

Quick question that perhaps has been dicussed here before; as I've aquired more soaps over time I've had a few that were, to me at least, quite unremarkable.
Two examples that come to mind are ZM...The Rambler and Macduffs...Badlands.
The first time I used either one I was a tad let down. The performace was really good but scents just didn't hit me at all.
Anyone else find this to be the case?
I'll also add these were both bought third party, and Badlands was on sale, so makes me wonder how long it had been in stock?
Two soaps I was not sure I wanted to keep have turned into two that I rather enjoy.

 

[swellcat]

Interesting experience, one I've not yet had, but a couple of wild guesses:

1) Could scraping down two or three shaves' worth of soap have unleashed fresh fragrance molecules, thereby renewing the scent?

2) Could it be psychological, your brain acclimating itself to novel scents, associating them with good shaves, creating positive associations that turned these into likes?

 

[JimL911]

Like Arko. 2014 it was bad, I tried it last month and it was better. In another 9 years of airing out it may be tolerable.

 

[midwestshaver71]

Interesting experience, one I've not yet had, but a couple of wild guesses:

1) Could scraping down two or three shaves' worth of soap have unleashed fresh fragrance molecules, thereby renewing the scent?

2) Could it be psychological, your brain acclimating itself to novel scents, associating them with good shaves, creating positive associations that turned these into likes?

Interesting thoughts, both of them.
I would tend to lean towards the 1st. I suppose it's also possible if one is stuffed up or the sniffer is not working great any particular day it would affect initial impressions.
With that being said, I wasn't suffering any maladies during either of the aforementioend soaps when first opened.

 

[AlphaFrank75]

Quick question that perhaps has been dicussed here before; as I've aquired more soaps over time I've had a few that were, to me at least, quite unremarkable.
Two examples that come to mind are ZM...The Rambler and Macduffs...Badlands.
The first time I used either one I was a tad let down. The performace was really good but scents just didn't hit me at all.
Anyone else find this to be the case?
I'll also add these were both bought third party, and Badlands was on sale, so makes me wonder how long it had been in stock?
Two soaps I was not sure I wanted to keep have turned into two that I rather enjoy.

The Rambler happens to be my favorite ZM scent. And even though my tub is a couple of years old, the scent is still great. I'm not 100% sure, but Badlands seemed to have been sold out everywhere last spring before MacDuff's released a new supply late spring or early summer.

One thing that is common with me is scents that I don't pickup right away, usually show up after several uses. Another thing which is at the opposite end of this is scents that are off-putting upon initial exposure. With both examples, time usually rectifies these shortcomings. I'd say keep using both soaps, as you've noticed the soaps themselves are great, and I think eventually you'll pick up the notes of the soap and start enjoying them.

 

[Ravenonrock]

SV Tundra Artica was disappointing when I first opened the tin…barely there. Upon subsequent uses I have grown to appreciate the understated complexity and cleanliness of the subtle fragrance.

 

[Balin]

I saw your post in the GRUME thread and have had a similar experience. B&M Petrichor smelled like mildew comic books stored in the basement to me at first but after about a week of daily use I started to really enjoy the scent. It could be as @swellcat said either the top layer was stale or my brain got over it, lol.

 

[swellcat]

. . . if one is stuffed up or the sniffer is not working great any particular day it would affect initial impressions.

On-point and very timely, certainly so during the late-Summer Attack of the Killer Ragweed.

 

[JimmyJoeMeeker]

SV Tundra Artica was disappointing when I first opened the tin…barely there. Upon subsequent uses I have grown to appreciate the understated complexity and cleanliness of the subtle fragrance.

Opuntia is the olfactory equivalent of someone yelling into a megaphone positioned two inches from your eardrum.

 

[JimmyJoeMeeker]

Could it be psychological, your brain acclimating itself to novel scents, associating them with good shaves, creating positive associations that turned these into likes?

It definitely could be this. There's also a well-known effect of liking a novel song more with repeated exposure, even if you at first weren't wild about it. I suspect fragrances work the same way, especially when they're associated with something pleasant.