What scents a soap must or must not have?

[wormspank]

I know scents are subjective, but there always seem to be some that are present in a majority of soaps (e.g. patchouli, oakmoss, sandalwood). My undiscerning nose may not be able to pick out the individual elements, but I can tell when something is too fruity for my taste or is what I consider a "manly smell". This leads me to ask, what are your must have and "never put this in a soap" scents and why?

When I see smoke or dirt in a description, I kind of steer clear. For some reason, smelling like I rolled around in a freshly tilled garden or a fire pit doesn't appeal to me. However, I find that I gravitate towards soaps with tobacco, sandalwood and cedar in them.

BTW, I also don't like a very citrusy scent which makes me one of the only people in the world that doesn't find the appeal of B&M's Seville. It's a great soap in every other aspect and isn't something I find offensive, but I just am not a fan.

 

[FarmerTan]

I know what I don't like, and I know what I do.

But that's about all I can say, because I am lousy at describing scents.

I love Arko, and Tabac is beginning to grow on me. Expensive soaps are probably wasted on me.

Good thread!

 

[DalShaver]

Any soap (or aftershave) that smells like something you use soap to wash off is out for me. Smelling like dirt or something that I spilled on myself is not high on my list of fragrance wants.

 

[shavefan]

Any scent remotely associated with urinal puck or any scent that can be described as "an ashtray stuffed in grandma's purse".

Just, no.

 

[guitarslinger]

I’m tired of neroli being in everything, even though I don’t dislike it.

 

[musicman1951]

Eucalyptus does not appeal to my nose.

 

[gwsmallwood]

• No vetiver for me.
• Tobacco is a maybe. I enjoy tobacco blossom, but usually not tobacco leaf.
• Leather notes usually ruin things for me as well, which is weird because I grew up around horses and rodeo and I love the smell of good leather.
• Lime is usually a turn-off, but I just tried Zingari Man Lime, Gin, and Ice and I enjoyed it.
• Lemongrass is another red flag for me, but not always a deal breaker.
• I'm not a big fan of labdanum.
• Not very fond of Juniper.

 

[Ivo4u2]

For me b&m eigengrau strongly reminds me of cleaning out my fishponds dirty algae clogged plant filter yeeeeeeeech no thank you!

 

[Peterv1]

clove scented soaps (bay rum) its just not for me

 

[DEPenguin]

Anything remotely smelling of cigars . . . although I confess sometimes there is something strangely comforting about smelling a nice cigar, but I can't stand the scent in shave soap.

 

[arano]

All the cologne stuff, I wanna smell like that, do not care for my shaving soap to smell like it.

 

[MrSpeedy]

Thinking about this there's more I don't like than I realized. I don't like:

Sandalwood - which makes me feel like the only person on B&B who doesn't!
Vetiver - in fairness, I've only tried one and it was a long time ago; perhaps I should try again.
Smoke/Fire - like Stirling's "Texas on Fire". I like this scent if I come by it naturally, like standing around a campfire, but I don't want to shave with that scent.
Patchouli - no, unless it's blended with something else.

 

[SharpieB]

Same

clove scented soaps (bay rum) its just not for me

Same.

I hate clove on my ham, in my tea or pie and I hate it on my face. Not a fan at all.

 

[RayClem]

As far as scents go, I like most of them with the exception of eucalyptus, lily and gardenia. They kind of make me sick. I hate the scent of cigarette smoke, so any scents that smell like a stale ashtray are out. Stale beer is also gross. Gunpowder/canon smoke is another scent I would rather avoid. The same goes for diesel fuel, gasoline, Hoppes, etc.

There are also scents that I like, but that do not like me. Lime, lemon, grapefruit, cinnamon, clove, peppermint and menthol all smell great to my nose, but cause severe face irritation if they are too concentrated in a soap.

There are over 500 different scent notes used in soaps. Thus, if you do not like one or even a few dozen, there are plenty more to choose from.

 

[wormspank]

As far as scents go, I like most of them with the exception of eucalyptus, lily and gardenia. They kind of make me sick. I hate the scent of cigarette smoke, so any scents that smell like a stale ashtray are out. Stale beer is also gross. Gunpowder/canon smoke is another scent I would rather avoid. The same goes for diesel fuel, gasoline, Hoppes, etc.

There are also scents that I like, but that do not like me. Lime, lemon, grapefruit, cinnamon, clove, peppermint and menthol all smell great to my nose, but cause severe face irritation if they are too concentrated in a soap.

There are over 500 different scent notes used in soaps. Thus, if you do not like one or even a few dozen, there are plenty more to choose from.

What soaps are you using?

I've never found (and hope I never do) any soaps with stale beer or diesel fuel in it

 

[linty1]

I like citrus or fruit smelling shave soaps, and the less scents in it, the better. Just lemons. Just oranges. etc, I dislike something with an undertone of xyz etc. I also dislike perfumy scents.

 

[Barbarian80]

I'm not into soaps that smell like any type of food or baked goods. I also can't stand rose. To be honest, i get sick of most everything except for Tabac.

 

[BudgetShaverGuy]

This unsophisticated nose likes most scents found in commercial products because a) are not too loud b) won’t irritate my face and c) linger around just enough to be barely detectable once I’m done.

Most of the fancy stuff is so strong I can taste it an hour later after sipping my coffee and licking my lips to savor the magnificence, not cool.

 

[RayClem]

What soaps are you using?

I've never found (and hope I never do) any soaps with stale beer or diesel fuel in it

I have over 200 soaps in my collection. I have managed to avoid most of the scents I do not like as I carefully review the scent notes before making a purchase. One soap that I smelled at Maggards Razors is Chiseled Face Midnight Stag. It has the scent notes of: Russian Leather, Motor Oil, Hoppes #9, Birch Tar, Oakmoss, Gasoline, Smoke, Cedar, Cade, Bergamot, Vanilla. It is designed to smell like a motorcycle garage. For some people it might smell great, but it is definitely not for me.Southern Witchcraft's Valley of Ashes has some of the same type scents.

Barrister & Mann Diamond is supposed to smell like a baseball park, grass, dirt, caramel popcorn and beer. I am sure some folks love it, but I am not one of them.

 

[wormspank]

I'm not into soaps that smell like any type of food or baked goods. I also can't stand rose. To be honest, i get sick of most everything except for Tabac.

I like the smell of rose, just not when it's overpowering. Food type scents I love and hate. I really don't like making myself salivate because my soap smells like something I'd eat