Soaps that burn your face!

Barrister_N_Mann that makes sense to me - great observation! And of course it isn't a perfect correlation, since some expensive fragrances like Green Irish Tweed (which I enjoy but am slightly allergic to) have high doses of dihydromyrcenol.

And Creed tends to be a special case. Their quality control is so poor that no one outside the house could really estimate what the stuff costs to make. My guess is "far less than you'd think."

I was under the impression that this was my case as well. Today I got reactions from Meissner Tremonia pots of milk, got it from Eufros Citricos and MW coconut (sentitive is great btw) and been getting them from Cade, which was my only soap for a looong time. I don't expect cheapo FO from those but I guess you never know.

Who knows? It's obviously impossible to attribute causation with 100% certainty since we don't have access to the ingredients sourcing information. As I mentioned, in many cases it could be mere allergies rather than inferior oils. But speaking from my own experience, it is usually the cheap fragrances that give me allergic reactions. It might be different for you.

I haven't tried MW Coconut, but had no issues (thankfully) with Citricos or Messier Tremonia.

"Low quality" is a pretty nebulous term and not something you can really use to describe these things, especially on the criterion that they "smell cheap," which means basically nothing (for instance, I've heard people describe Knize Ten as "cheap and adolescent," which it's definitely not). My guess is that you're probably allergic to something in the fragrance, whether it's cheap or not; if I had to make a prediction, I would guess high-powered laundry musks like ethylene brassylate and dihydromyrcenol, especially because said ingredients tend to impart a weird metallic tang to fragrances and are used to create the "fresh" impression so common in modern masculine scents.

Very interesting. Then the obvious question: can you list B&M products that are free of those ingredients?
I have some B&M samples that have been sitting around for a while and, to be totally honest, they smell so good and strong am afraid they're gonna turn my face on fire (Lavanille is the most tempting). I've been proven wrong in correlating strength of scent with stinginess (namely LpL) but still, that's the associating my brain makes.

ps: arm testing did not work for me.

Who knows? It's obviously impossible to attribute causation with 100% certainty since we don't have access to the ingredients sourcing information. As I mentioned, in many cases it could be mere allergies rather than inferior oils. But speaking from my own experience, it is usually the cheap fragrances that give me allergic reactions. It might be different for you.

I haven't tried MW Coconut, but had no issues (thankfully) with Citricos or Messier Tremonia.

"Low quality" is a pretty nebulous term and not something you can really use to describe these things, especially on the criterion that they "smell cheap," which means basically nothing (for instance, I've heard people describe Knize Ten as "cheap and adolescent," which it's definitely not). My guess is that you're probably allergic to something in the fragrance, whether it's cheap or not; if I had to make a prediction, I would guess high-powered laundry musks like ethylene brassylate and dihydromyrcenol, especially because said ingredients tend to impart a weird metallic tang to fragrances and are used to create the "fresh" impression so common in modern masculine scents.

Very interesting. Then the obvious question: can you list B&M products that are free of those ingredients?
I have some B&M samples that have been sitting around for a while and, to be totally honest, they smell so good and strong am afraid they're gonna turn my face on fire (Lavanille is the most tempting). I've been proven wrong in correlating strength of scent with stinginess (namely LpL) but still, that's the associating my brain makes.

ps: arm testing did not work for me.

The only B&M soap that uses dihydromyrcenol is Latha Oceana. I don't particularly care for the stuff (and have developed a mild skin allergy to it), so I tend not to use it, but people kept asking me to produce an aquatic scent, so we created Oceana to fill the demand. It's gentler than most aquatic scents, but still contains a hefty bit of dihydromyrcenol. It does NOT incorporate ethylene brassylate AT ALL. Can't STAND that particular ingredient.

Completely understandable on the strength concern; we found that a lot of people wanted soaps that were pretty darn strong, so that's what we make. What do you have, other than Lavanille? Are you allergic to anything that you already know about?

Thanks for you answer Barrister_N_Mann
I have Rhapsody, Bay Rum, Fireside and Lavanille.
Have not been able to ID particular ingredients/substances that case reaction. Like I said, I've had bad experiences with: MW coconut, Eufros citricos, LpL, Cade and as I write I remember Soapy Bathman, a couple from RazorRock, Ogallala and probably a few moreThat I don't recall. Sometimes the reaction to a soap comes and goes (like with Cade which I used for a long time with no problems).
Thanks for your help.

The only soap that have encountered a burning sensation was LASS Bespoke.  Nice scent, but my face didn't agree with it.  I was actually surprised, since I don't have sensitive skin, and could shave with mustard and get a nice shave, lol.....

hrfdez you are a lucky man lol. Those of us with extremely sensitive skin encounter this issue a lot unfortunately .

NeoXerxes I'm sure it has to be tough. I have seen some pictures and videos of skin irritation, oh boy!

hrfdez I get exactly that unfortunately - combined oily dryness (if that makes sense), terrible redness and swelling, and a plagued texture that makes me look ill. When it's bad, it's bad. Fortunately I've found plenty of soaps that don't give me irritation, but of all the ones I've tried, a good portion have. I'm jealous of your mustard shaving capability :p.

LPV gave me uncomfortable tingling, and new P-160 turned me beet red. Sadly I liked both the scents. Thankfully that's been it so far, though I often avoid cinnamon or heavily spiced fragrance as they are not my favourite scents anyway.

hrfdez I get exactly that unfortunately - combined oily dryness (if that makes sense), terrible redness and swelling, and a plagued texture that makes me look ill. When it's bad, it's bad. Fortunately I've found plenty of soaps that don't give me irritation, but of all the ones I've tried, a good portion have. I'm jealous of your mustard shaving capability :p.

I grew up in the Caribbean and worked my family farm for years. I think the exposure to the elements and the sea salt has something to do with it.