Soaps you've hated this year

I just tried XPEC and that stuff stinks too.

I just tried XPEC and that stuff stinks too.

I was XPECting the scent to be quite harsh based on reviews and feedback from people ... but a friend just gave me a sample last night and it really isn't that bad. I like it, actually. Very spicy woods with a ginger note out of the container. Looking forward to lathering it up. But my nose seems to favor quite a few scents that are identified as "polarizing". Roam, Leviathan, Tabac, etc.

My guess is Xpec is one of those scents, that probably will stink to the less advanced noses. I actually did not care for it the first time I sniffed it.

Today I can enjoy it, but it's never going to be a favourite of mine. But I appreciate it for its rather unique and advanced scent profile.

Sort of like B&M Bay Rum and Tabac. Not over the top favourite scents (Tabac does have a nostalgic vibe for me though), but advanced scent composition that I still enjoy highly.

My guess is Xpec is one of those scents, that probably will stink to the less advanced noses. I actually did not care for it the first time I sniffed it.

Today I can enjoy it, but it's never going to be a favourite of mine. But I appreciate it for its rather unique and advanced scent profile.

Sort of like B&M Bay Rum and Tabac. Not over the top favourite scents (Tabac does have a nostalgic vibe for me though), but advanced scent composition that I still enjoy highly.

I don't want to say some noses are more/less advanced than others - perhaps some notes might not appeal to some people. I wouldn't be surprised if people don't like the note that I'm picking up as ginger (if that's even what it is). My nose is far from advanced.

One scent that I couldn't get into was Midnight Stag. That quite a harsh scent to me. And I love working on my motorcycles and being in my garage!

Speaking of B&M and Tabac - the B&M Fougere Classique pairs up quite well with Tabac! In fact, it's one of my favorite pairings. Highly recommended.

Xpex is definitely not an advanced scent. To me it smells like a public restroom sorry

From the Barrister_N_Mann Insider newsletter (published earlier today):

“A fragrance is subjective, everyone has an opinion about it Each of us smells a particular fragrance differently. What is pleasing to one individual may not be as pleasing or acceptable to another. It is not that a particular fragrance is necessarily bad, it is how our olfactory sensors process what is presented to them. Without getting into olfactory anatomy, it is ultimately our genetic structure that determines whether we like or dislike something. Our odorant receptors are what detect various stimuli and send signals to the brain which processes those stimuli. We then decide whether we like or dislike that particular smell.”

Xpex is definitely not an advanced scent. To me it smells like a public restroom sorry

Have you smelled Dior Privé Leather oud or Serge Lutens Musc Koublai Khan ?
They are definitely what I consider advanced high priced niche scents.
To me they still to this day smell like fecals, leather, musc and manure blended together. Xpec smells like vivid bright flowers compared to that !

But I actually got your reaction the first time I smelled Xpec. But after sniffing the scent more times, Xpec now smells more like dark dusty flowers mixed with a base of woody notes.

Xpec definitely is an advanced complex scent. Its composition is advanced, it has many notes and it gives me the same vibe as Czech & Speak 88, an also quite advanced scent.

VALBRONA Fougère and OSP Fougère. Their slickness is very good but their scent has nothing to do with Fougère. More of a "clean" / old soap perfume.

I've been enjoying reading this thread. I hope I haven't mentioned it already but I feel like the civility is solid here and we are just discussing things we didn't care for. Its all good. Nice work by everyone in this thread.

A note on Xpec. I've always heard mixed reviews on it. Typically I do not make rush decisions on soaps, especially expensive ones but on Pannacreama Nuavia Blu/Rossa I got them as gifts. If there were ever other luxury soaps on my radar, it would be Acua di Parma, Martin de Candre and Xpec. The first two for me, sound like winners, but I've always avoided Xpec because of the amount of mixed reviews on scent. It just seems like AdP and MdC do not have that kind of hate for them that Xpec gets.

I think hated is too strong a word - I don't think I've ever hated a soap.

That said, I think I've decided that I strongly dislike MLS Grand Havana and Henri et Victoria Cognac and Cuban Cigars. I know. Blasphemy. Those are two extremely popular soaps.

Still - that type of boozy cigar smell just doesn't do it for me. Odd, because there are other tobacco smells I just can't get enough of (SMdF & Obi Hill for instance).