Barrister and Mann

Will,

I've a sneaking suspicion Marko likes Kyovu.
Per chance, have you noticed as such too ?

Upon a serious note, it surprises me that it is not more popular, considering the issues you have with international freight and alcohol in products.

I had indeed noticed that, yes. It IS fairly popular, but I feel that there are problems with the formula, things that could be improved, which is why I want to suspend production and make it better. The relentless pursuit of perfection and all that.

Holy crap, I hadn't realized there was talk of a reformulation.  I was just shaving with Hallows today thinking I've encountered plenty of good soaps, a few great soaps, but only one beats them all.  My initial reaction is one of alarm and makes me want to scream, "Sacrilege!".  I saw some of Eric's review which was reassuring.

It will be very interesting to compare the new formula if I ever get to the bottom of my current supply.

Well, Eric kind of mis-portrayed it. It was created as a special edition base, but I'm so pleased with it that I'm considering doing over the entire line. That said, I'm going to wait to see what the response to Le Grand Chypre is like before doing anything drastic.

Will, I was wondering if I could pick your brain once more - there's a thread on off the wall scents in shaving soaps somewhere on this forum and one of the members (Number 6) has included B&M 42 on his list of off the wall scents.  I shaved with 42 today (and it was awesome) to see whether or not I agreed with Number 6 and I don't.  I find it to be different from the mainstream, naturally as it is a B&M soap and contains panGalactic gargleblast, however not so far off that I'd call it off the wall - I find it a hopeful, optimistic scent and not dark and foreboding like some of your other soaps that I would say are off the wall.  What were you going for when you came up with 42?

Thanks,
Mark
aka, lover of Kyovu

Honestly? I was trying to balance out the different notes that I felt were representative of the story such that each was intelligible and the entire thing smelled good. It wasn't really designed to be anything other than notes on a theme (no pun intended). The response to it caught me a bit off-guard; I had no idea people would take to it so readily.

Will,
The special thing for me about your products is that I have a hard time figuring them out. I find myself having to keep going back to them to smell them over and over, not just because I like them but because the profiles are so complicated and original that they beckon you back for further analysis. We all know what lavender, bay rum, sandalwood etc. smell like but you keep coming up with stuff that smells great after we sort it out. Like the first time I smelled and tasted a single malt scotch. So complicated that it can throw you off liking it right away, but the more you smell it the more you think of it and can't get enough of it. Plus the performance of your products is top notch. Sorry for the rambling, but I'm obviously a huge fan and I just received my Hallows soap today. Please keep doing what you're doing and thank you very much!

The vibrational theory of olfaction is an interesting one, but I'm not convinced.  Comparisons are made to the senses of sight and hearing but this to me seems apples to oranges.  Sight and sound are responsive to frequencies because the stimulus is merely energy distributed over a continuous dimension (~350-750nm sight; 20Hz-20kHz sound).  there is no receptor/ligand interaction with these senses.  On the contrary, smell results from the interaction between volatile compounds and their receptors. I'd be wary of drawing too many comparisons between the spectral senses with olfaction.  There doesn't seem to be a need for spectral system with odor since there isn't a continuous dimension as with vison or sound.  I'm also skeptical of some of the experiments used to support Turin's theory, specifically the deuterated compounds.  The assumption is that the shape of the deuterated molecule remains the same while the differing vibration frequency accounts for the observation of a different smell.  The problem is that deuterating the compound affects other physical properties which could also affect how the compound might bind to a receptor.  Enantiomers are another challenge which hasn't been adequately addressed. I imagine this could be a fun chat over a beer or a scotch.

Crystal structures of the receptor in the bound and unbound state to various ligands could go a long way to resolving the issue.


The foregoing notwithstanding, I have a greater appreciation for the new branding Will - kudos for subtle inclusion of science.

So it's not just me.

All evidence has been buried, all tapes have been erased.

For those not aware, Erlenmeyer has a Ph.D in chemistry.

Erlenmeyer, you make some excellent points and I definitely think that there is quite a lot to be hashed out regarding the mechanism of olfaction yet. I agree that there are problems with Turin's hypothesis and his paper, but I also think that to declare that olfaction is based purely on shape-oriented ligands is alarmingly limiting for a mechanism that's so poorly understood. At any rate, I think that the idea that our noses contain tiny TEMs is extremely interesting even as a thought experiment, despite any problems that may arise. And you're 100% right that crystal structures would help quite a bit, but I'm unaware of anyone currently conducting that kind of work. It's really unfortunate; there's so much to be learned yet!

Hey, don't label me a shapist Will! I had no knowledge of Turing's work prior to you alerting me to it. After some brief review, I am certainly intrigued and want to read more. These types of debates bring me back to Thomas Kuhn's book "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" and the idea of paradigm shifts in science. It strikes me that olfaction is ripe for such a shift.

There are plenty of things in this world that are wonderful, amazing and really cool that are not yet fully understood. Flight for one and apparently smell. All I know is that some smells I really like, some I'm indifferent to and some are so repulsive that they can trigger the gag reflex. I'm glad that Barrister & Mann focuses on the first category - it enriches my life. I like the thoughts and imagery that are triggered by smells. What a great way to start the day.
Mark

I think what I meant to say is that soap is more than just a tool, its an art form.
Your signature sums it all up.

I think as interesting or perhaps to a lay person, more interesting is the why of olfaction - sure its an evolutionary thing that allowed humans to survive by distinguishing between foul smelling and likely deadly things which shouldn't be eaten and yummy smelling things which we should eat.  But its obviously so much more than that.  There's cultural differences as well, have you ever smelled dried shredded pork?  Its revolting, however, Chinese people love it, go figure.  There's a certain perfume favoured by mostly teenage girls that, when whiffed brings me back to 16 years old and... pleasant memories.

I think as interesting or perhaps to a lay person, more interesting is the why of olfaction - sure its an evolutionary thing that allowed humans to survive by distinguishing between foul smelling and likely deadly things which shouldn't be eaten and yummy smelling things which we should eat.  But its obviously so much more than that.  There's cultural differences as well, have you ever smelled dried shredded pork?  Its revolting, however, Chinese people love it, go figure.  There's a certain perfume favoured by mostly teenage girls that, when whiffed brings me back to 16 years old and... pleasant memories.

Those with a literary bent would refer to that as a "Proustian Moment."

Hi Will, can you tell me if your upcoming November 20 releases are going to be selling out of your Canadian vendors as well as your site? There are some interesting offerings on the list. I bought the Dickens last year and it was the only one of your products that I've had a reaction to - I'm not sure which ingredient it might have been but it was like putting cayenne pepper on my face. The Latha and the Grande Chypre look very interesting, however.
Thanks,
Mark