Barbershop scents?

Pleasant morning drinking coffee reading the paper (Internet). I checked the mail and had a package with a sample of Seville in it. I figured I might as well get a late start to the day and find out once and for if Barbershop scents are for me. I had previously tried Kraken, London Barbershop, and Ghost Town Barber.

Out of the container (off the "puck") I got a strong whiff of the lemon and bergamot. It was immediately apparent that this Barbershop was nothing like the other Barbershops I had tried and was indeed what I was looking for. During lathering the lemon scent gave way to a more powdery scent with the bergamot still playing the beat. I'm unsure if this soap was white label or glissant, but if I were to guess I would guess glissant as I was able to put the water to it long and hard (phrasing).


I had previously mentioned that the other Barbershops I had tried had all left me with a slight burning and redness during and after the shave. I found Seville to have a cooling effect while shaving which I found odd as I'm fairly sure there is no menthol in it.

So, barbershop scents and me? Well, if Kraken, London Barbershop and Ghost Town Barber are the baseline for what a barbershop is, then no. However, if Seville is the classic barbershop scent, then absolutely.

In addition, Seville seems to be a scent my wife and I finally agree on. It may become my daily driver.

What are all of your thoughts on Barbershop and what that means?

I am going through my third tub of Seville. For a significant amount of time, Seville was my only shaving soap along with 2/3 creams. I have recommended this to all my friends whom I have converted and they all love it.

I can't wait to finish the current one and get the new glissant based soap. My only regret is Seville doesn't come with an Aftershave.

And I have also found that I am not fan of quite a few other Barbershop scents

I think Barbershop is similar to Fougere in that everyone seems to have their own take on it. I think the main accords are a combination of lavender, basil, oakmoss, and maybe some citrus and on occasion florals mixed in with it. That being said, Barbershop scents are definitely my favorite and considering both performance and scent than B&M Seville is definitely number 1 for me.

I really enjoy the different soap makers take on Barbershop scents. My top 3 are as follows:

1. B&M Seville (my favorite combo is Seville and Floid Amber/Original Aftershave)
2. CRSW American Barbershop
3A. CB Tonsorial Parlour (May be my top in scent but performance doesn't equal the other 2. I have the original French formula so I cannot speak to the new Luxury line.)
3B. Soap Commander Honor

I recently ordered CSRW Barbiere Sapone and that description also seems similar to a Barbershop scent so I may update my list when I receive it.

Mikes Natural is my favorite followed by B&M Seville.

I love Barbershop scents. When I'm in doubt which scent to try first, Barbershop is usually my first choice. I liked all of those that I've tried.


Mike's, Maggard's, Soap Commander (Honor), B&M Seville, CF Ghost Town etc. my favorite out of the bunch is Seville and Honor.


Aside from that, my ultimate Barbershop scent is probably Pinaud Clubman. It's a classic and brings me fond memories.

It seems that the “barbershop” scent is a little all over the place, depending on who is manufacturing it. I believe there has been at least one other thread about it here on DFS in the past.

Just a few days ago, I read that The Obsessive Soap Perfectionist’s (OSP) take on the scent is very much a lavender scent. Haven’t tried that one yet, or many of the others, but I agree that Seville is absolutely marvelous, and so is Stirling Soap Company’s Barbershop.

I think "barbershop scent" is just a catch all for a masculine melange scent that doesn't fall squarely into one of the other categories. I enjoy all of the barbershop scents I've tried but honestly, none of them smell remotely like my barbershop. Barbecide , clubman talc, maybe some Booster bay rum and around Christmas, maybe a touch of scotch.

My only regret is Seville doesn't come with an Aftershave.

B&M Reserve Classic is a good match. I'd probably, and will, use Spice and Cool with Seville. But you are right. I hope for a Seville Tonique and/or Kyovu.

I agree with Marko that as a scent, barbershop is all over the map.  Two of my favorite scents are Floïd Blue and Geo. F. Trumper Eucris.  To me, the former is a barbershop but the latter isn't.  Yet, there is a member here (and I apologize for not remembering who it was ) who felt that Eucris was a classic barbershop scent.  I now believe we are both right.  So much depends on memory (for us senior citizens), personal barber, and probably most importantly, region.  Different parts of a country or the world may very well have a different take on just what that classic barbershop scent is.  It's all good.

I agree with Marko that as a scent, barbershop is all over the map.  Two of my favorite scents are Floïd Blue and Geo. F. Trumper Eucris.  To me, the former is a barbershop but the latter isn't.  Yet, there is a member here (and I apologize for not remembering who it was ) who felt that Eucris was a classic barbershop scent.  I now believe we are both right.  So much depends on memory (for us senior citizens), personal barber, and probably most importantly, region.  Different parts of a country or the world may very well have a different take on just what that classic barbershop scent is.  It's all good.

My barbershop when I was younger always smelled like talcum and maybe eucalyptus. I'm not sure on the second part, but it was a clean sharp scent. Seville is closer than the others I've tried. I'm just happy Will was right about what was causing the reaction.