Like the title says, what’s the worlds oldest, continually produced aftershave? I’m not talking reformations or re-releases, just the oldest continually produced scent? Think Old Spice classic (and yes i know the debate rages but it’s still ‘the same.’) Anyone who can enlighten me gets my sincerest thanks!
Worlds oldest (still in production) aftershave?
- Thread starter Macduff
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Great question. I'm interested to know as well.
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AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
4711? That's supposedly been around since 1792
Great point!
This sounds picky, but 4711 and Farina are eau de colognes, not aftershaves. 4711 has an aftershave, but I doubt it is no more than several decades old. Perhaps people used eau de colognes as aftershave centuries ago. I have tried a few eau de colognes as aftershave, and to me at least, they don't get the job done. You could argue that eau de colognes are for perfuming the body and nothing more. You could argue that aftershaves are for healing and scenting shaven skin and nothing more. So what product was the first marketed to heal, tone and scent freshly shaven skin? Guess we need to ask Google or Quora.
Lilac Vegetal was started about 1880 .
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It’s funny i was going to reply “here’s a curveball but what’s the oldest DEDICATED aftershave” but you beat me to the punch! In any event it’s pretty awesome that there’s a scent still going from 1792! Thanks guys for the info and i’ll definitely be picking some up for my collection. If anyone does know what the oldest purpose formulated aftershave is please chime in since this thread actually comes up number 1 on google when you search “world’s oldest aftershave” which is pretty cool and may one day be THE source for people like us hahaha.
I thought I read that Clubman was 1880 and the Veg was 1830. Can someone enlighten me?
The Veg is around 1830-ish. Florida Water predates The Veg.
Aftershave as a term might be a 20th Century invention. In the early 20th century you can find reference to toilet waters, which were different from colognes. Maybe the oldest formulation for shaving is standard witch hazel, which is pretty generic. There seems to have been all sorts of Bay rum recipes.
But Florida Water, at least L&M, still says eau de cologne on the bottle. From another aftershave foray I was led to believe that "aftershaves" have ingredients specifically designed to help the skin after shaving. I would be inclined to believe that before aftershaves people would have used eau de cologne after shaving, though.
People have been putting up with The Veg for that long? Yeesh...
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I think the crossover continues to be a grey area.
Many (non-shaving focussed) websites (over here at least) will list cologne and EdT if you run a search for aftershaves on their site, or select aftershave from a full down menu. To a lot of people, "aftershave" is a generic term for "men's fragrance". Scent is often the primary driver behind choice, rather than cleansing of minor wounds, or topically applied nutrition for skin.
I don't really know what the global history is of post shave treatments that weren't primarily scent focussed i.e. how various locations/cultures dealt with minor nicks when sanitation was less than it is today. As to skin condition, was that really even considered at all, except as maybe a marketting side note, or is that all just a relatively recent thing.
I think we here, have different expectations for what an aftershave is and should do compared to others, both today, and a few decades ago. There's maybe two questions here; when did we start expecting these scented water applications to have the other post shave functions, and what unscented post shave treatments did individuals/barbers use in days of old?
Many (non-shaving focussed) websites (over here at least) will list cologne and EdT if you run a search for aftershaves on their site, or select aftershave from a full down menu. To a lot of people, "aftershave" is a generic term for "men's fragrance". Scent is often the primary driver behind choice, rather than cleansing of minor wounds, or topically applied nutrition for skin.
I don't really know what the global history is of post shave treatments that weren't primarily scent focussed i.e. how various locations/cultures dealt with minor nicks when sanitation was less than it is today. As to skin condition, was that really even considered at all, except as maybe a marketting side note, or is that all just a relatively recent thing.
I think we here, have different expectations for what an aftershave is and should do compared to others, both today, and a few decades ago. There's maybe two questions here; when did we start expecting these scented water applications to have the other post shave functions, and what unscented post shave treatments did individuals/barbers use in days of old?
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- #14
I’m liking where this thread is going! Hopefully someone can do a deep dive and come up with some historical info on the subject. I’m interested to see when the line was drawn between aftershave as we know it and scented splashes.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I suspect they'll be two parallel products that occasionally crossed, rather than a single product. Think shampoo and conditioner.
I'm only just coming back to aftershaves myself, after years of unscented balm if required, and scent if required, with not all days needing both. The bottle I finished a few weeks ago, was the first aftershave (as per current thinking) I'd used in 20 years or so, despite being a DE shaver for longer.
The problem is just because it is the "oldest" does not mean it is the same original formula. Proctor & Gamble bought "Old Spice" from the Shulton Company in 1990 and changed the orignal scent/formula in 2016.
Aftershave is just diluted Cologne. Less alcohol and fragrances.
I believe in the old days alum was often used, and whatever toilet water or floral or herbal water they had, they would use in an ad hoc fashion.
I found this article about a brief history of aftershave, especially prior to the 20th century:
Splash it all over: A brief history of aftershave.
In a recent article in the UK’s Independent newspaper, the cosmetics industry for men in Britain was estimated to be worth over £30 million a year, after growing over 300% in 2014/15. Even so…
dralun.wordpress.com
I am guessing that heavily alcoholic splashes did not become commonplace until Pasteur discovered the nature of infectious diseases due to micro-organisms.
Looking around at the local Target the other day, most aftershave products have little or nothing to do with scent - many are minimally scented, and many are balms or gels. Younger men aren't using aftershaves primarily for their scent. They are using deodorant and body sprays.
Probably Clubman. Supposedly it was started in 1810.
Absolutely true, & very much to the point.
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