Aion Skincare

I trust your judgement, but I hope it's not *too different.* 
Kulfi, in my opinion, has always been one of your absolute masterpieces and my personal favorite!

I hope you like the new version. It's definitely different

I know that most of the posts in this thread have been focused on the AION Skincare Mallard formula due to be released in a few weeks. However, since the release on Black Friday of Maxima also occurred under the new AION Skincare brand, I thought I would post a review of that formula for those of you who were not quick enough to grab one of the soaps. I was planning to purchase Iris, but got my time zones mixed up and learned that that particular scent sold out in the first hour after release. Most of the soaps sold out with 24 hours and essentially every was sold out by Monday morning. I did manage to order UNUM and Tobacco Oud. Although the soaps arrived before Christmas, my wife confiscated them as Christmas gifts. I could not open them until Christmas Day.

I have only shaved with the UNUM. It is a wonderful oriental scent based in incense, including Frankincense. The scent notes are: Incense, Labdanum, Frankincense, Myrrh, Vanilla, Honey, Amber, Precious Woods, Cedarwood, Tonka Bean, and Benzoin. The scent is so well blended that it is impossible to distinguish individual notes. This is truly a scent fit for a king, even if your domain does not extend beyond your shave den. The scent is fairly subdued off the puck, but does open up once lathered.

The Tobacco Oud is a extremely interesting scent. The scent notes are: Tobacco, Floral Accord, Spice Accord, Amber, Vanilla, Peru Balsam, Oud, Patchouli. Rather than being a well blended scent, the tobacco, floral, spicy, and woody scents have enough contrast that they compete with one another for dominance. However, I compare it to eating a Chinese meal called Happy Family that has various vegetables and proteins. Every bite is different in flavor and texture. That is the kind of magical experience provided by Tobacco Oud. It is an experience not to be missed.

As for the performance of Maxima, this is a soap that maximizes everything you might want in a soap formula. The soap is semi-firm and loads easily from the tub with a damp brush. Lathering is a breeze, taking less than 30 seconds to bowl lather. The soap can take a wide range of hydration. If you want more slickness, add more water. If you want more cushion/protection, dial back the water. I try for a good balance of both. The face feel of the lather is a luxurious as any soap I have tried. It makes for a wonderful shaving experience

Maxima, along with its immediate predecessor Kairos SE 2023, provides superb residual slickness, better than any other soap I have tried. If you use buffing strokes to chase BBS, Maxima will keep your skin protected. I have found a close relationship between residual slickness and post shave conditioning. This holds true with Maxima. The post shave feel nd conditioning of the soap can persist easily persists beyond 24 hours, even without using an aftershave or balm. If you do not shave daily, this can be a great feeling.

I did read a post on another forum in which the OP was looking for a soap that rinses easily after the shave. If that is your desire, Maxima is not the soap for you. Because it contains a multitude of ingredients to provide residual slickness and post shave conditioning, it does not rinse easily. Thus, it might not be the soap of choice for someone whose skin is excessively oily.

For those who might be interested, today's shave will be with the DFS/Black Mountain Shaving/ Murphy & McNeil collaboration called Horizons in the Kodiak Base. I will post it in the appropriate thread for that soap.

I know that most of the posts in this thread have been focused on the AION Skincare Mallard formula due to be released in a few weeks. However, since the release on Black Friday of Maxima also occurred under the new AION Skincare brand, I thought I would post a review of that formula for those of you who were not quick enough to grab one of the soaps. I was planning to purchase Iris, but got my time zones mixed up and learned that that particular scent sold out in the first hour after release. Most of the soaps sold out with 24 hours and essentially every was sold out by Monday morning. I did manage to order UNUM and Tobacco Oud. Although the soaps arrived before Christmas, my wife confiscated them as Christmas gifts. I could not open them until Christmas Day.

I have only shaved with the UNUM. It is a wonderful oriental scent based in incense, including Frankincense. The scent notes are: Incense, Labdanum, Frankincense, Myrrh, Vanilla, Honey, Amber, Precious Woods, Cedarwood, Tonka Bean, and Benzoin. The scent is so well blended that it is impossible to distinguish individual notes. This is truly a scent fit for a king, even if your domain does not extend beyond your shave den. The scent is fairly subdued off the puck, but does open up once lathered.

The Tobacco Oud is a extremely interesting scent. The scent notes are: Tobacco, Floral Accord, Spice Accord, Amber, Vanilla, Peru Balsam, Oud, Patchouli. Rather than being a well blended scent, the tobacco, floral, spicy, and woody scents have enough contrast that they compete with one another for dominance. However, I compare it to eating a Chinese meal called Happy Family that has various vegetables and proteins. Every bite is different in flavor and texture. That is the kind of magical experience provided by Tobacco Oud. It is an experience not to be missed.

As for the performance of Maxima, this is a soap that maximizes everything you might want in a soap formula. The soap is semi-firm and loads easily from the tub with a damp brush. Lathering is a breeze, taking less than 30 seconds to bowl lather. The soap can take a wide range of hydration. If you want more slickness, add more water. If you want more cushion/protection, dial back the water. I try for a good balance of both. The face feel of the lather is a luxurious as any soap I have tried. It makes for a wonderful shaving experience

Maxima, along with its immediate predecessor  Kairos SE 2023, provides superb residual slickness, better than any other soap I have tried. If you use buffing strokes to chase BBS, Maxima will keep your skin protected. I have found a close relationship between residual slickness and post shave conditioning. This holds true with Maxima. The post shave feel nd conditioning of the soap can persist easily persists beyond 24 hours, even without using an aftershave or balm. If you do not shave daily, this can be a great feeling.

I did read a post on another forum in which the OP was looking for a soap that rinses easily after the shave. If that is your desire, Maxima is not the soap for you. Because it contains a multitude of ingredients to provide residual slickness and post shave conditioning, it does not rinse easily. Thus, it might not be the soap of choice for someone whose skin is excessively oily. 

For those who might be interested, today's shave will be with the DFS/Black Mountain Shaving/ Murphy & McNeil collaboration called Horizons in the Kodiak Base. I will post it in the appropriate thread for that soap.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on Maxima and the scents you purchased! I appreciate the generous praise you've given to the Maxima formula. I have no plans to alter Maxima in the near future, But I do have a stunning roadmap of upgrades for Maxima.

Thank you for that excellent, detailed review RayClem!  
   

I'm working on a musical project called Aion Dreams. I'm getting wild images from AI for the project!

Aion Skincare Maxima Shaving Soap - Jasmine. Scent Notes: Jasmine, Iris, Sandalwood.

Aion Skincare Maxima Shaving Soap - Jasmine. Scent Notes: Jasmine, Iris, Sandalwood.

I'm afraid there is a typo in the label...

Aion Skincare Maxima Shaving Soap - Jasmine. Scent Notes: Jasmine, Iris, Sandalwood.

I'm afraid there is a typo in the label...

Good thing I have already created 10 other variants. In the other versions the AI managed to get it right

Jasmine (not Jasmne, LOL) sounds like a wonderful scent. Jasmine is such a sweet, seductive scent. Balancing it with iris and sandalwood sounds like it would be liked by both men and women.

Jasmine (not Jasmne, LOL) sounds like a wonderful scent. Jasmine is such a sweet, seductive scent. Balancing it with iris and sandalwood sounds like it would be liked by both men and women.

Glad you love the scent! It's truly stunning. 

The Jasmine absolute I'm using in the scent is very interesting. It's sweet, almost clean. The Iris accord is a variation of the Iris scent which brings fruity, and leathery notes. The presence of sandalwood is palpable. It's a beautiful new material from one of the largest companies that produces fragrance and flavor materials.