Grooming Dept

I am pleased to inform you that all jars shipped to TRC contain at least 5 ounces of soap. This will be the new standard weight for all jars, and the labels will be updated to reflect the increase.

So how much does the container weigh empty w/o lid?  I don't, but I just received my two soaps, Amare and Schön.  One weighed 7.8oz and the other weighed 8.4oz.  I can't imagine the container weighing more than a oz or two.

Initial impressions of the scents:

The new Mallard base Amare has a more fruity scent vs the Kairos Amare.  Age may come into play since the Kairos version has several years on it.  When I first picked up the Kairos Amare, it moved to the top of my favorite GD scent.  Now it's been replaced with the new 2023 Mallard addition.

Schön was almost a pass for me only because I though I had already collected the finest apple scented trio of soaps earlier this autumn.  Well I now have a fourth beautiful apple scented soap.  This doesn't come out and scream, I'm Apple Scented.  It's like Mo's usual well-blended scents where the apple note is easy to pick up, but there's more going on.

Are these as soft as previous Mallard soaps like Laundry or Visage? Can you load from the tub, or best to scoop.

Mo says these are better than previous Mallard soaps. How is that possible? Any noticeable differences?

Are these as soft as previous Mallard soaps like Laundry or Visage? Can you load from the tub, or best to scoop.

Mo says these are better than previous Mallard soaps. How is that possible? Any noticeable differences?

I never considered the previously released Mallard soaps to be soft and I have six or so tubs. I'd say the new one might be a bit softer and I'll be scooping this one. It's firm to the touch, but if you use a bit of pressure you can make a depression in the soap.  I took what little stuck to my finger and rubbed on the backside of my hand.  My SO asked me what cologne I was wearing when I walked past.  That got me to thinking.  Can I use a bit of soap as a frag???  Maybe.

I never considered the previously released Mallard soaps to be soft and I have six or so tubs. I'd say the new one might be a bit softer and I'll be scooping this one. It's firm to the touch, but if you use a bit of pressure you can make a depression in the soap.  I took what little stuck to my finger and rubbed on the backside of my hand.  My SO asked me what cologne I was wearing when I walked past.  That got me to thinking.  Can I use a bit of soap as a frag???  Maybe.

Hi AlphaFrank75 

I appreciate your compliments on the fragrances. I'm confident you'll be equally impressed by the soap's performance.

I also highly recommend the aftershaves, as their performance has been improved.

Generally, newly released soaps will be somewhat soft, but I never have any trouble loading from the tub as long as the brush you are using is not soppy wet. If you do not use the same soap every day, over time soaps will lose moisture causing them to pull away from the sides of the tub and also to become harder. If you are using the soap every day and do not allow it to dry thoroughly between uses, the soap can become soggy. In  that case, scooping might be a better option. You can avoid that issue by purchasing several soaps and rotating between them. I have about 75 soaps in my rotation, with 25 of them being various Grooming Dept formulas.

I just received Schon. Although I have not shaved with it yet as I only shave every two days, I did lather it for testing purposes. As expected it loads nicely into the brush, lathers easily, is very slick, and makes a beautiful low-structure lather on the face. You do not need to look like you have a Santa Claus beard to get a great shave with Grooming Dept soaps. Just a thin layer will get the job done. 

In case you are wondering, I did not order Ardent because the scent leads with lemon and my face is super sensitive to that oil. While I could use Amare, I am not a fan of coconut scented products, so I skipped that one as well. 

I am looking forward to release of the new AION Skincare Maxima base which is a refinement of Kairos SE 2023, which is my favorite soap base to this point. This Mallard release is supposed to be a refinement of the Mallard released earlier this year, but I will need further testing to determine if Mo accomplished his objective of making it as good as Kairos SE. While Mo's newer soap based are an improvement on earlier formulas, even the earlier soaps are still quite capable and remain in my rotation. The only Grooming Dept soaps that have dropped from my rotation are those whose scents I do not love. Over the years Mo has advanced his perfumery skills along with his soapmaking artistry. When you combine a great scent with great performance, you have a great product.   

Schon is a somewhat subdued scent when you first sniff the tub, but it opens up nicely when lathered. Although it is an apple scent, this is not the scent of apple pie, as great as pie smells;  but Schon is a far more complex, sophisticated scent.

I am wondering if Mo would sometime in the future decide on a collaboration scent with any of the mainstream artisanal perfumers .

A limited run perhaps ...

Sent from my V2040 using Tapatalk

I've only shaved with mine one time so far and believe this latest mallard base is really close to the 2023 KSE. I bought amare and shön. Both are amazing scents. I really love the splash formulation on these. Not tacky at all and leave my face so smooth.

Mo's an extraordinary perfumer on his own and also has the gift of making the best shave soap one can buy.

I am wondering if Mo would sometime in the future decide on a collaboration scent with any of the mainstream artisanal perfumers .

A limited run perhaps ...

Sent from my V2040 using Tapatalk

With many soap artisans, I avoid their in-house scents and purchase collaboration scents as the scents developed by perfumers tend to be much better scents. I love scents by Zarahoff, Maher Olfactives, Black Mountain Shaving, Rogue,  and a few others. Most soapmakers do not have the nose of a perfumer. That is why there are so many "dupe" scents. The soapmaker can purchase a preblended knockoff scent and add it to their soap base.  Mohammad has worked hard at developing his perfumery skill alongside his soapmaking skills. He creates his scents from scratch using high quality fragrances. High quality fragrances are expensive to produce, some fragrances can cost hundreds of dollars per ounce. That is why Mohammad's soaps are more expensive than some, but I still consider them to be a great value as you are getting both superb soap performance as well as high quality scents. Because of the way Mohammad operates, collaboration with another perfumer is not likely to produce better scents. 

Grooming Dept scents, with a few exceptions, have been able to compete "nose to nose" with these perfumers. I have a total of 32 Grooming Dept scents. Of those, I rate 19 of those scents as 10/10. That is a remarkable 60% that I love, which is remarkable. In contrast, I have 9 Ariana and Evans scents with a 10 rating out of 16 soaps total, or 50%. That shows Peter also has perfumery skills. In contrast, I have a dozen Barrister and Mann soaps, but love only 2 of the 12 scents. That does not mean Will lacks perfumery skills. It means that his preference in scents does not coincide my my preferences. Many people love Will's scents.

One thing I have found as I have evaluated some 250 soaps over the years is I have become better and analyzing scent notes so that the soaps I purchase will be soaps whose scents I will love. That is a skill that every shaver has to develop. It is a skill that comes with practice as well as research. Everyone has different preferences in soaps; some people love scents that I hate. That is why it is important to understand how to analyze scent notes so you can make wise choices of the scents you purchase. Some people like simple scents. I tend to like complex scents that use multiple fragrances to weave a thick tapestry of aroma.

I noted in my post above that I avoided purchasing Ardent. Although I would likely love the aroma, my skin is sensitive to lemon, so I avoided that scent. Likewise, I skipped Amare. I am not fond of the scent of coconut. I realize that is a personal quirk and most people would not have that concern. Figure out what you like and do not like so you can make informed choices. BTW: For that reason, I avoid purchasing soaps whose scent descriptions are poetic, but do not list the scent notes. Who knows what scents are included in a scent described as "walking through a meadow just as the sun is coming up on a spring day"? It sounds nice, but it does not tell me whether I will love the scent.

The positive reception of these TRC releases has been a source of great satisfaction for me!

These notes were just posted on Instagram!

"All I can say is Wow, this is my 26th set of Grooming Dept and they definitely keep getting better and better. With notes of Apple, Magnolia, Mandarin, Muguet, Osmanthus, Fresh Air, Green Tea, Jasmine, Musk, Sandalwood, Vanilla the second In opened the lid I was hit with a blast of fresh, fruitiness glory. The lather quality was top shelf all the way and was dripping from my razor at every pass. The citrus pre-shave was the perfect compliment to the soap and helped prep my face for a 5 star shave; it definitely added slickness to a soap that is already crazy slick. The post shave is where I really noticed a difference between the last mallard batch. After the shave I usually keep some lather on my face while cleaning gear and after I rinsed it, my face felt fully hydrated as though I used a balm. The splash amped up the scent strength X2 and once applied my face felt soft and hydrated for hours…and I mean hours and hours."



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