Strong scented Tallow artisan soaps

[HereticHermit]

Hey All,
Time to expend the soap acquisition a little before missus gets a hint of what is going on and impose another year long ban I already have Sterling soaps all worked out thanks to nearly 2 dozen samples but I have limited experience with others.

Looking for recommendations on soaps that have strong scent profile/interpretation of complex EDTs or original renders. I do like Tabac by buckets and use MWF regularly but while buying artisan soaps I don't want to revisit barbershop or powdery scents or 70s old man scents. I don't have any seasonal scent preferences either.

My den is limited and for reference I have WK King of Oud (i like it for robust scent but it isn't very original to my nose. I am from India and almost every condiment/incense shop here reeks of Oud, fake or otherwise), Pasha's Pride (i liked it a lot and likely to buy again), Gratiot League Square from DG (a complex a nice scent but far weak for my nose and i imagine it is just about 5 out of 10 on scent scale) and wonderland from G Dept (one of the best soaps I have ever used but scent is weak for my taste). Also have a WK King of bourbon for which I don't care about and it sits un-lathered in chest. All is smell is a ginger cookie dough there.

I am going to stick with only Tallows (any type of fat) from WK, Declaration Grooming, Barrister & Mann and Grooming Dept and Mike's natural. I can always order the samples but they work out almost as expensive as soap itself with international postage, so I am trying to work out a direct hit and home run here if I can avoid barbershop, almond, powdery, cookie dough, overly sweet kinda scents and weak (i.e liked but still very weak Man from Mayfair) and zero down on zesty, bright, complex and modern scent (i.e Pasha's Pride, Wonderland)

Happy Shaving

 

[steffenapelz]

Ok...so if you want strong tallow soaps that clone or approximate EdT scents, here are a few:

Ariana & Evans Vetiver Magnifique = Guerlain Vetiver

Noble Otter Nectar Amissa = Houbigant Fougere Royale (recent release)

APR La Violetta = Floris Santal

Those 3 all have fairly strong scents and perform beautifully to boot.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[BigJ]

I used Fine American blend today! Great soap and many other options worth considering!!

 

[RTM]

If you be so kind to post in BST - I'll trade your WK bourbon for something you might like.

 

[dfoulk]

Grooming Dept has some Tao available. Not too strongly scented though as it's complex but not overly bold. I get a lot of Grapefruit from it, so think citrus. Most of these scents are inspired by high end colognes and Mo keeps getting better and better at his scent making ability. Most of their scents contain from 50 to 80 different fragrances. Their Incense & Rose is outstanding but unfortunately out of stock.

PannaCrema has some really, really great complex scent in their Nuavia Blu and Nuavia Rossa scents. Nuavia Blu is my favorite shaving soap scent ever. This is one I often reach for on special days like my Birthday or Anniversary. The Rossa is interesting and complex as well. I'd highly recommend these if you're willing to pay the higher price for the elaborate scents and ceramic crocks.

Tallow & Steel has some outstanding performing soaps that are bold complex scents. I tend to get different experiences from those soaps each time I try them. They do smell different once lathered so sniffing the tub isn't enough to give you the true scent with this one. The scents grow on you and become very enjoyable if you give them the opportunity to do so. Their safest bet it likely Sicily if you're looking for less bold and more universally liked.

I'd recommend Lisa's Natural Herbal Creations Premium formula as well in terms of performance, but the scents, while very enjoyable, aren't quite as complex.

 

[Tdotts]

Another vote for Ariana and Evans

 

[HereticHermit]

@steffenapelz I find Houbigant Fougere Royale itself gets 4.1 rating on basenotes and any take on this powerhouse frag should work well. I will surely swing by NOs' Nectar Amissa.
@dfoulk thanks for PannaCrema call out. Admittedly their admission price is pretty high but I will keep Blu on my radar even if they are not tallow. Similarly Tallow & Steel scents are bold but a bit polarizing; i am inclined toward Himalaya. If you have used it, please let me know your take on that. I have sampled Florida Freeze from Lisa's but came unimpressed with clay use.
Actually it is not that I am only after EDT remakes in shave soap but I am looking for slightly bold and complex scents. Complex scents invariably tend to emulate popular EDTs. There are some artisans who come out with their own scents as well but that is far and few in between the established wheelhouse. I wanted to try meissner tremonia for bold scents alone but I don't do well with coconut/olive oil alone.
I am very keen to try some of bold barrister & Mann scents and look forward to recommendations.

 

[1Vader]

The most complex scent I've come across in a shaving soap is Nuavia Blu, then followed by Rossa. The Verde gives me an aquatic vibe, has the scent strength of the two without the complexity. To me it has an Acqua di Gio kind of vibe. It's good but the other two smells like something like Amouage would make if they made a luxury shaving soap, at least to my nose.

Strongest scents I have come across is probably from the LE's that Declaration Grooming and Chatillon Lux made in the past. It's been a while since I've made my purchase, but I am assuming the recent ones are still as powerful as the previous collaborations.

 

[dfoulk]

@steffenapelz I find Houbigant Fougere Royale itself gets 4.1 rating on basenotes and any take on this powerhouse frag should work well. I will surely swing by NOs' Nectar Amissa.
@dfoulk thanks for PannaCrema call out. Admittedly their admission price is pretty high but I will keep Blu on my radar even if they are not tallow. Similarly Tallow & Steel scents are bold but a bit polarizing; i am inclined toward Himalaya. If you have used it, please let me know your take on that. I have sampled Florida Freeze from Lisa's but came unimpressed with clay use.
Actually it is not that I am only after EDT remakes in shave soap but I am looking for slightly bold and complex scents. Complex scents invariably tend to emulate popular EDTs. There are some artisans who come out with their own scents as well but that is far and few in between the established wheelhouse. I wanted to try meissner tremonia for bold scents alone but I don't do well with coconut/olive oil alone.
I am very keen to try some of bold barrister & Mann scents and look forward to recommendations.

I'll give Himalaya a smell for you tonight and share my thoughts as I do have it here.
To give you an idea of the PannaCrema Nuavia scents Blu pairs exceptionally well with L'Occitane Eau des Baux. I haven't found a solid pairing for Rossa but Nera is in the same wheelhouse as Polo Black and Verde is a better less synthetic and much better smelling version of Acqua di Gio. The price is a bit steep with these but they do give you quite a bit of soap as well.

With Lisa's the newer Premium version is the one I'm referring to. It got a complete remake this past year so if you tried it a while back you might want to experience the newer version as it's completely different formula wise.

I'll try to think of some more for you as well.

 

[donttpanic]

Fine soaps are pretty much all "inspired by" EdT scents, some modern, some vintage. I think the scent strength varies, but the examples I have are certainly weaker than the WK, Sterling and DG YRP examples that I have.

 

[HereticHermit]

Thank you everyone for chiming in, I am still awaiting for some bold and strong smell recommendations from barrister & mann and Eufros.

@dfoulk @1Vader thanks for PannaCrema Nuavia suggestions but I am still have some miles to cover. I started off with MWF and Tabac as my go to soaps. Right now I am in the vicinity of $ 22-27 artisans. I will eventually work my way up but that will take a while. Nuavia Blu sound right up my ally if it pairs well with L'Occitane Eau des Baux. I find eau des baux plenty sharp and coniferous, a combination I really like.

 

[1Vader]

Thank you everyone for chiming in, I am still awaiting for some bold and strong smell recommendations from barrister & mann and Eufros.

@dfoulk @1Vader thanks for PannaCrema Nuavia suggestions but I am still have some miles to cover. I started off with MWF and Tabac as my go to soaps. Right now I am in the vicinity of $ 22-27 artisans. I will eventually work my way up but that will take a while. Nuavia Blu sound right up my ally if it pairs well with L'Occitane Eau des Baux. I find eau des baux plenty sharp and coniferous, a combination I really like.

No worries, actually most of my favorite soaps are made by artisans. I am sure you will find a lot that you would enjoy.

I'd like to offer more help but I lean towards lightly scented soaps as I cloy easy. My experience with strongly scented soaps are rather limited.

Fine's scents are excellent most specially the aftershaves, and to be honest I enjoyed their take on C&S Oxford & Cambridge even moreso than the original.

I agree with the B&M suggestions. I think Will has a talent for scents and is a genuine enthusiast. Some of his works are slightly too Avante Garde for my liking such as Night Music (IMHO if you want bold, this is bold) and Fougere Gothique, but among his many scents, I find I enjoyed Petrichor the most and Fougere Imperial which is sadly discontinued.

You may try his reserve line, he has Floid Blu, Old Spice and the name escapes me, I think it was Sun's up (?)

You mentioned you're mainly interested in tallow soaps, so that rules out PAA. I also think the gentleman has a knack for scents. Some also not right up my alley, but their choices are plenty and they seem to work nonstop to create even more.

Personally I'm keeping an eye out for Nobble Otter. I just got the Monarch but I haven't used it yet. If Monarch offers a glimpse of the kind of quality the scents they produce, I have to try more.

 

[steffenapelz]

Thank you everyone for chiming in, I am still awaiting for some bold and strong smell recommendations from barrister & mann and Eufros.

@dfoulk @1Vader thanks for PannaCrema Nuavia suggestions but I am still have some miles to cover. I started off with MWF and Tabac as my go to soaps. Right now I am in the vicinity of $ 22-27 artisans. I will eventually work my way up but that will take a while. Nuavia Blu sound right up my ally if it pairs well with L'Occitane Eau des Baux. I find eau des baux plenty sharp and coniferous, a combination I really like.

I have owned 6+ Eufros scents (doen to Gea and Fougere now) and they are ALL strongly scented. which ones you like will depend on your fragrance preferences. I personally really enjoy Fougere. I also like Gea, but that one doesn't come in the tallow formula. Brisa Oriente is probably my second favorite as an oriental cardamom forward scent. Perfect for the winter of vacations in Bali (where I have used it with great success). The single MOST strongly scented soap of Manuel's are Ylang Ylang and Dama de Noche and I can't do eithe of those two...just too much IMO. Fougere is really the most EdT like fragrance and even that one comes across super natural....more like a fragrance from Penhaligon or Floris than a more chem lab like creation from Guerlain or Chanel...

 

[bobmsp]

For Barrister & Mann, I would recommend either Le Grand Chypre or Lavanille as strong smelling and, in their own ways, bold scents. LGC is very floral/fruity and has a lot of things going on. Lavanille takes on a more earthy feel but still stands out and lasts a while. I smell both of them on me throughout the day when I shave with the soaps.

 

[AimlessWanderer]

Would I be right in thinking that American soaps tend to have bolder scents than European ones?

 

[1Vader]

Would I be right in thinking that American soaps tend to have bolder scents than European ones?

From the ones I have come across, I'd say yes. My european soaps tend to be on the milder side. There's some exceptions, MdC has some good scents, and of course Nuavia.

 

[kpfeifle]

Is there a US distributor for MdC these days?

 

[sarimento1]

Hey All,
... zero down on zesty, bright, complex and modern scent (i.e Pasha's Pride, Wonderland)

Happy Shaving

Sir Heretic, don't become a soap elite and look no further...

 

[AimlessWanderer]

From the ones I have come across, I'd say yes. My european soaps tend to be on the milder side. There's some exceptions, MdC has some good scents, and of course Nuavia.

Thanks for your input. I find strong scents "invasive" of my awareness and concentration, and would rather have a more subtle scent, so that comment and this thread are very useful, but in the opposite way to some other readers.

 

[Icarus8578]

Mike's Natural Soaps- Barbershop has an excellent, pretty strong smell. It is also an amazing soap. Highly recommended.