An Observation non scientific

Soap scalpers. Who knew?

Some will buy the release and “scoop” out some soap ( I’ve seen up to 25% scooped) then try to sell for as close to the original price as possible. If they can swing it they shave for free. If you discount the value of their time to zero. I’m pretty sure there are some guys out there that between scooping and reselling and free samples have never paid for software. The buzzards of the wet shaving world. 

I have noticed a growth in the BST section. It used to be small relative to the rest of the posts but it’s now the majority of posts some days.

While overall, the BST might not seem as busy as a few years ago, it seems that most the newest listings are soaps that just came out.

I listed a Savile Row 3824 and an ATT Calypso R1 for $150 on reddit. The brush itself is $150 and I was basically throwing in the razor. No deal. Nobody even asked.

I'm starting to think all the good scents have already been made. (I already know all the good songs have already been made.)

I'm starting to think all the good scents have already been made. (I already know all the good songs have already been made.)

In a way I agree. Many, many of the artisan scents I’ve sniffed in the last year are imho efforts to be bolder and more over the top than the next. I’ve found most would never have mainstream appeal. Maybe that’s what their going for.


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I'm starting to think all the good scents have already been made. (I already know all the good songs have already been made.)

In a way I agree. Many, many of the artisan scents I’ve sniffed in the last year are imho efforts to be bolder and more over the top than the next. I’ve found most would never have mainstream appeal. Maybe that’s what their going for.


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Creativity is an interesting thing. It seems to come along in bunches and then depart or at least become more infrequent. When I started down this wet shaving road there were fewer artisans making soap and I hadn’t experienced many. Then I found barrister and Mann and the world changed. He didn’t have that many scents back then but they were awesome and everything Will released was gold in my opinion. Then people wanted every new fragrance to be better than the previous one and then they start to feel the weight of expectation. With something as subjective as fragrance you aren’t going to please everyone and then there is the reality that nobody in human history has remained creative forever. The gods are fickle. The buyers want more of what they love but the creative wants to follow their own muse. sometimes there’s misalignment. It’s easy to feel that the best is behind us but I think it’s still to come. The question is, will I still be buying soap when it does come along?

I’m not sure one could argue that the best is yet to come when it comes to scent. One guy might say scent X from 25 years ago is great and nobody has topped it. Another might say scent Y from last week is the best ever, and yet a third guy might say scent W that comes out next week is the best ever. It’s too subjective. I just seem to see a ton of recent releases on the BST.


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I think makers should focus on nice simple, natural scents that have not yet been made by others.

I’m not sure one could argue that the best is yet to come when it comes to scent. One guy might say scent X from 25 years ago is great and nobody has topped it. Another might say scent Y from last week is the best ever, and yet a third guy might say scent W that comes out next week is the best ever. It’s too subjective. I just seem to see a ton of recent releases on the BST.


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I was being optimistic    I agree that subjectivity is the issue.  Best is always personal but there are definitely some that are generally more popular than others.  Its not all about scent either as there are some great classic scents out there that I love but the old school soap base just doesn't really cut it compared to todays top performers.  When I use them its always a compromise on performance to get the scent I love...until the truly excellent development in pre-shave products, specifically Grooming Dept Moisturizing Pre-shave.  That stuff makes any soap base perform very well indeed.  For me that was a game changer in that I could dust off some of the old favourites that hadn't been getting the love.

As the artisanal soap making business matures we've become more discerning and maybe even refined(?) in our tastes - we've also been able to distinguish those who blend their own fragrances and those who use pre-mixed formulas.  There is nothing wrong with the pre-mixes when they're well done and they usually are, however, its not always welcome when you find the same formula in multiple different brands of soap all with markedly different scent profile descriptions.  What has become abundantly clear is that blending and creating fragrance is hard.  There are many variables and not everyone is equally gifted.  I guess that's why the top perfume houses can charge so much for their creations and why its a good thing that the average wet shaver isn't looking for that degree of complexity.  Most of us want a soap that smells good and performs well and a decent aftershave.  The EDT/EDP space is where the boundary pushing should be in my opinion and that's a relatively small part of the wet shaving space.

You just described us. Thank you.

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