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Why is Lime a popular shaving soap scent?

I like Lime shaving soaps, creams & gels. Does anyone know how or why Lime came to be a popular scent in regards to shaving products? I guess I'm sort of hoping it has some cool story to it but I don't know. Maybe it's just because it smells nice and clean...Anybody have any thoughts on the subject?
 
Welcome to the boards!! If I had to guess it would be similar to what you said; because it's such a sharp, crisp and (what I consider) clean scent.
 
Thanks for the welcome!!! I thought I was one of very few that had an interest in the art of shaving. Boy was I wrong as a quick internet search revealed!!! This site is totally brilliant.
 
Because it flat-out ROCKS, that's why.

I have GFT Limes cream, Mama Bear Spicey Lime soap, and Saint Charles Shave Lime aftershave milk and splash. I also ponied up for a decant of Penhaligon's Extract of Limes cologne. Yummy.:thumbup1:
 
Because it flat-out ROCKS, that's why.

I have GFT Limes cream, Mama Bear Spicey Lime soap, and Saint Charles Shave Lime aftershave milk and splash. I also ponied up for a decant of Penhaligon's Extract of Limes cologne. Yummy.:thumbup1:
I have so much to learn. That's expensive stuff!!! I had to look it up...Does anyone ever negatively comment on your Limeyness? ;-P How does it compare to other "Extract of Lime" colognes like Geo F. Trumper's?
 
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Welcome! I have no idea why it is so popular. Traditionally, maybe British companies used due to it being a very popular import from the outposts of the Empire? There is its association with the Navy, and I would imagine that this popularity translated to the civilian population?

And because it was so popular back in the 18th/19th centuries it is a common offering from modern-day wetshaving, which is rooted in celebration of the past?
 
My suspicion that we continue to smell lime significantly longer than most other scents. In other words, maybe we don't get used to lime as quickly.
 
If you love lime, Castle Forbe Lime EO shaving cream, in my experience, cannot be beat. You can even buy the new travel sizes to try it out inexpensively. They last a while, too, due to the cream's "soft soap" characteristics.
 
I just love the smell and use it quite a bit during the summer. I love lime foods, drinks, candles, etc. though. I am however very picky about different lime scents in shaving products though. You would think they are all a single note lime....NOPE! The Shave Den offers probably the best lime scent IMO. QED has a nice lime scent and Castle Forbes has a very nice cream but quite pricey.
We're a bit different in that respect. I'm not a big Lime flavor fan but I love the scent of most of the Lime shaving products. I'll never forget the first time I smelled my Grandpa's Lime Gillette shaving cream. I wanted to use it and he gave me an empty DE Safety Razor so I could shave with him. Maybe that memory is part of why I still like the scent...
 
I have so much to learn. That's expensive stuff!!! I had to look it up...Does anyone ever negatively comment on your Limeyness? ;-P How does it compare to other "Extract of Lime" colognes like Geo F. Trumper's?

Yeah, the Penhaligon's was pricey (to say the least). I like it better than any other lime-scented cologne I have ever smelled, but, as with most lime-scented colognes, the scent is fleeting. I get about 30-45 minutes of heaven out of two-three sprays. For me, it was worth it.

Nobody ever said anything negative about it. These scents tend to stay pretty close to the skin and don't last long, so there's not much to object to, I guess.

I don't think I would pay for a full bottle of it. In the end it's just not worth it because it doesn't last long enough.
 
i would guess that back in the old days getting things like limes, oranges, sandalwood and tabacco or tea was quite expensive. so only the rich folks could afford such things. besides i'm pretty sure bathing still wasn't very common in the early 1800s so really ANYTHING would have been an improvement.
 
I'm very anxious to try Mama Bears Lime Ice. This combination seems like ideal wake up/summer shave...
 
I don't think I would pay for a full bottle of it. In the end it's just not worth it because it doesn't last long enough.

Yeah, unfortunately most citrus-based scents are fleeting. That's why the citrus notes in most scents that have them -- Pen's Blenheim Bouquet, for example -- are top notes. Because they burn off fast.

I have the Extract of Limes too. And while that one lasts longer on me than it does on you, Creed's Bois de Cedrat is pretty much gone from my skin inside of an hour. So in addition to spraying it on my skin, I also spray some on the fabric of my shirt. I wear tshirts and/or sweaters to work -- if you wear a suit try it on your cuffs and/or collar. It's a good trick to extend the life of the fragrance.

i would guess that back in the old days getting things like limes, oranges, sandalwood and tabacco or tea was quite expensive. so only the rich folks could afford such things. besides i'm pretty sure bathing still wasn't very common in the early 1800s so really ANYTHING would have been an improvement.

Riding the subway in NYC, it sometimes seems that bathing isn't very common in the early 2000s either. But. I digress.

Yeah, materials like the ones you mention may have been difficult and/or expensive to obtain way back when, especially out of season. But there's also the fact that the method of obtaining essential oil -- the aromatic essence -- from most citrus fruits is relatively simple. They're "cold-pressed" from the rind (as opposed to distillation by steam or other processes). I'm sure the fact that this is a relatively low-cost, low-tech way of obtaining the scent had much to do with its early -- and present -- usage.
 
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