Worst-smelling shaving cream?

[Rorschuck]

After not using Proraso since the end of the summer, I dusted my green tube off this morning and shaved with it. While whipping up some lather, I was immediately struck by how awful the stuff smelled, and I couldn't believe I've never noticed it before! Like a cross between wet dog and something else no-so-pleasant (could that be the lanolin?)

So, without further ado, I cast my vote for worst-smelling (but wonderful-working) shave cream: Green Proraso.

[TimmyBoston]

The worst I've ever used by far was Trumper's Violet.

[beisler]

So, without further ado, I cast my vote for worst-smelling (but wonderful-working) shave cream: Green Proraso.[/QUOTE]

+1--The smell is awfull

[odoyle]

I don't care much for the smell of L'Occitane Cade.

[Straight Arrow]

Vicco cream from India really takes some getting used to in the olfactory department. It contains turmeric which gives it a very unusual scent. The stuff makes a helluva good lather though.

[adrox]

I got several samples from Trumper and loved them all except for the Sandalwood. It smelled so awful I had to throw it away.

[Baloosh]

Taylor's Shaving Shop.

Putrescent.

[rabidpotatochip]

I'm nominating Gillette canned goos; everything else was an improvement.

[Limey]

Derby Lemon was not pleasant for me.

[letterk]

Arko anything.

[loueedacat]

Worst smell - I'm torn between GFT Violet and Proraso....I'll give the tie breaker to Proraso because the performance is awful for me on top of the smell and it makes my skin feel bad too, whereas I like the GFT Violet's performance.

Best smell - QED Wild Rose (this week)

[KUJO]

Taylor's Shaving Shop.

Putrescent.

Let me know when you can pop it off in the mail...I love Shave Shop and will do my duty to take it off your hands.:thumbup:

I had a viscerally bad reaction to Taylor's Lavender and had to trade it ASAP.:eek:

Gave it to Ron for a similar tub of Taylor's Rose which was heaven-scent!:lol:

[norman931]

I got several samples from Trumper and loved them all except for the Sandalwood. It smelled so awful I had to throw it away.

Trumper's Sandalwood smells bad to me.

Norm

[redbike]

Mine was the SCS Very V cream. It's available on the SCS web site, so there must be buyers, but I traded it off as soon as I could. Never even shaved with it. Smelled like moldy cigars on a hot day.

jim

[gps]

I'm not crazy about Taylor's Avocado.

[JonnyAngel]

Let me know when you can pop it off in the mail...I love Shave Shop and will do my duty to take it off your hands.:thumbup:

I had a viscerally bad reaction to Taylor's Lavender and had to trade it ASAP.:eek:

Gave it to Ron for a similar tub of Taylor's Rose which was heaven-scent!:lol:

If you dont want your tub of shaving shop you can send it to me for proper disposal!

[rm71]

The scent of proraso doesn't smell good at all, but it's performance is top notch.

[Areler67]

Florena SC. The smell is very special but except that, It's a very good cream

[SilkySmooth]

Palmolive Red.


==Tom

[180gVinyl]

I'm not crazy about Taylor's Avocado.

Neither am I, but I love the lavender

On the subject of Proraso, I love the tube but find a different smell that I'm not too fond of with the tub :confused:

[calexs]

Cade smells bad - soap or cream.

It's funny, some of these suggestions (e.g. Trumpers Sandalwood and Violet, Taylor's Avocado) are among my favourites. Just shows.....well it shows something, I just don't know what.

[Daves]

IMHO Edge is the worst. The smell is too synthetic, too industrial. I'm glad not to use it anymore.

DaveS

[Lynchmeister]

I'm not crazy about Taylor's Avocado.


Palmolive Red.


==Tom

In addition to those two, after thinking about it for a bit, I'm not too crazy about Taylor's Sandalwood, either.

[ralphie]

salters french vetiver:9898:

[180gVinyl]

In addition to those two, after thinking about it for a bit, I'm not too crazy about Taylor's Sandalwood, either.

It may not be the normal Sandalwood smell but I like it

[stripec30]

Most everyone likes Tabac. Maybe I got an old tube but the smell was just too chemical and artificial... I'll probablly end up trying the soap... because it does have potential..

[Lynchmeister]

It may not be the normal Sandalwood smell but I like it

Cool. I happen to not care for it. :smile:

[BrianP]

GFT Violet. Blecchh.
ToBS Eton College was another one I couldn't get rid of fast enough.

Proraso... I used it yesterday JUST for the smell.

[rschul2]

Crabtree & Evelyn's Nomad...the entire line smells awful to me.

[FriscoSoxFan]

Derby Lemon was not pleasant for me.

+1

It smells like Lemon Pledge

[BBB3]

+1 on the Proraso. To me, the smell is somewhere between ben-gay and the Scrubbing Bubbles I use to clean my razor.

[jazzman]

After not using Proraso since the end of the summer, I dusted my green tube off this morning and shaved with it. While whipping up some lather, I was immediately struck by how awful the stuff smelled, and I couldn't believe I've never noticed it before! Like a cross between wet dog and something else no-so-pleasant (could that be the lanolin?)

So, without further ado, I cast my vote for worst-smelling (but wonderful-working) shave cream: Green Proraso.

:mad5: :ohmy: :frown:

But to be honest with you, I've found so many great scents since coming up with that sign-off, I'm thinking about updating it.

[Tiggercat]

Floris JF is wonderful, but Floris Elite smells foul to me.

[luckysealy]

the firt tube of proraso didn't smell all that bad. the second tube i got smelled horrible. i'm not sure if it's me or just a bad batch. whatever the case it is by far the worse smelling cream i have.

[Tiggercat]

Crabtree & Evelyn's Nomad...the entire line smells awful to me.

Have to agree there - while they work well, I just can't warm up to ANY of the C&E fragrances.

[bonusmarple]

I guess I am in the minority here, but I really like the smell of the green tube of proraso. It reminds me of the type of incense they use in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. I really like that smell.

[TorzJohnson]

Harris Arlington. Smells like you're shaving with a green hard-candy.

[garfinkel]

I wrote earlier about how I was not fond of SCS New Spice. But, it wasn't so bad that I would not use what I had. And, the more I use it, the more I get used to it. Would I buy it? No. But, I am no longer adverse to the scent.

Otherwise? I have found nearly all soaps and creams to be pleasant.

I did just get an Arko Regular as a freebie from Giovanni at ............., and it doesn't smell slightly odd, but not offensive.

[Doug]

I love the smell of Proraso. To me it smells like menthol and eucalyptus. I don’t want to smell like it all day , but while I’m shaving it’s nice. I wonder if it can spoil.

As for the worst smelling, I nominate e-shave cucumber. I don’t know why one would want to smell of cucumber. I don’t even like the sound of it.... Cucumber:nuke:

YMMV
Doug

[vmtech]

C&E Nomad SC I recently tried and could not get the smell off me. A very strong, spicy, lingering smell that I do not care for. But it still wasn't enough to knock Taylor's Avocado off the top of my list of worst smelling creams.

V..

[Aevum]

the real question is... pre or post lather, becuase aqua di parma smells heavenly when lathered, but the cream in the pot smells a bit like urine,

[TimmyBoston]

I don't care much for the smell of L'Occitane Cade.

I love the smell of CADE but the efficacy, you might as well just use water.

[patrisVII]

Taylor's Shaving Shop.

Putrescent.


Yep!

All the Taylor 'cologne' scents are awful and Shave Shop is at the top of this stack.
It smells to me that Taylor is imitating commercial creams with their scents here. Trouble is, every single 'shelf brand' of shaving cream smells terrible - especially the gels. I have no earthly idea how or why the major manufactures can think these scents are good and consequently why Taylor wants to copy them.

[patrisVII]

I guess I am in the minority here, but I really like the smell of the green tube of proraso. It reminds me of the type of incense they use in St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. I really like that smell.

I like it too. It's still one of my wife's favorites on me as well.

[redbike]

I wouldn't call Proraso green one of my favorites, but like using it on a day when the temp goes into the 80's or higher. The cooling sensation is a great way to start that kind of day.

jim

[crankymoose]

Any of the Magic shave powders that when mixed with water become a cream with a smell that makes what the dog dig smell good, never tried it myself and never will but been around a few people who have used it. :001_07: Supposedly the stuff is good for guys who have in grown hair problems and apparantly no sense of smell.

[mental]

Floris Elite smelled vile to me, so much so that I never even lathered it up (this was a sample), so maybe I haven't given it a fair shake. I wasn't particularly pleased with the Proraso Green scent, but the shave was good and I'll try it again in warmer weather. On the other hand, I really like the Proraso Red scent.

[_JP_]

The worst shave cream that I ever smelled was some canned goo that came from a New Jersey hospital. Whiskers cringe in fear from the smell.

[razercat]

Palmolive Red, but lather and the shave was good.

Eddie

[drumana]

Kiehl's Top Flite shave cream for the brush. Not so bad once you lather it up, but if you stick your nose in the pot it is quite a challenging scent. Reminiscent of dirty laundry that's been stewing in itself for about 2 weeks. You got to wonder what they are thinking with this. . .

[BD1970]

Palmolive Red.


==Tom


+1 this crap smells like axle grease or something.

[Consettmag]

For me it's Palmolive, the European dark green tube - can't abide the smell and makes my skin feel like I want to itch the cream off rather than shave it off.

Proraso? What? :w00t: How can that be included?? Lovely stuff!! :biggrin:

[Texican]

I'm not crazy about Taylor's Avocado.

I love Taylor's avocado, personally.

[KUJO]

I love Taylor's avocado, personally.

+2

[OldSaw]

If I would have known this was a Proraso bashing thread, I would have jumped on the band wagon sooner. :biggrin:

However, as much as I dislike Proraso, more for its performance than its smell, I have to award the worst smell, so far, to Gillette lemon-lime lathering shave cream in a tube. It smells like a green Jolly Rancher. I bought a tube in Croatia and have not used it since the first time I tried it.

[Must Dash]

Proraso soapycreamywhateveritis in a tub was my point of entry into DE shaving. The menthol / eucalypt fragrance can be a bit sharp, but I don't mind it. I even purchased the Crema pre & post barba to go with it.

Interestingly, when I purchased my second jar of the pre & post, the stuff was definitely off. The retailer apologized and had a hard time finding a replacement jar that wasn't off as well. She had to open approximately 10 jars before finding a good one.

Makes me wonder if they have some quality control issues or shelf life issues and whether some of the people here who have tried Proraso have been using a product that is somewhat less than prime.

Cheers

Jeremy

[180gVinyl]

Proraso (Green) was my introduction to "proper" shaving cream (some 14 years after a dalliance with "The Body Shop" without a proper prep)

At the same time I bought a 100 ml tub of the pre/post

I even bought a 500ml tube in Sicily to augment my existing stock along with a 500ml tub of pre/post

I then bought Omega (Proraso with a twist)

Proraso cream is superb but I do confess to having reservations about the tub of soap

I have used:

Proraso
Omega
Kent cream
Noxzema
Ingram

And have loved every single menthol/eucalyptus one of them :cool:

[Rorschuck]

Just to clear up any confusion and avoid hate mail/letter bombs, let me let it be known that I *love* Proraso. It's performance is super and I dig the cooling, esp. when followed up with Proraso Balm. It's only the smell I object to (though not enough to quit using it). It smells, to me, like wet dog or wool, though my tube could be off; it's the only one I've tried.

[mistercoffee]

Another vote for Proraso. Can't stand the smell or the feel.

[guitarslinger]

I love the proraso scent. You guys must've come across a bad batch.

I thought Palmolive Green smelled like Industrial floor cleaner.
Herban cowboy is pretty bad too. interesting though.

[OldSaw]

Just to clear up any confusion and avoid hate mail/letter bombs, let me let it be known that I *love* Proraso. It's performance is super and I dig the cooling, esp. when followed up with Proraso Balm. It's only the smell I object to (though not enough to quit using it). It smells, to me, like wet dog or wool, though my tube could be off; it's the only one I've tried.

It's OK to hate Proraso. Some like it, some don't. I'm one of those that really wanted to like it and have the tube, the tub and the pre/post. I would probably use it if there weren't sooo many other better lathering products available. I just can't bring myself to suffer a lower quality shave for the sake of using it up.

The good news for me is that my wife likes it, so she is using it.

[Sue]

Mine was the SCS Very V cream. It's available on the SCS web site, so there must be buyers, but I traded it off as soon as I could. Never even shaved with it. Smelled like moldy cigars on a hot day. jim

This is a great thread! Such different views from everyone. Jim, Vetyver is sure a love it or hate it fragrance. It's grown on me and I like it now but my son won't stick around if I'm working with it, he thinks it's disgusting. :eek: LOL
Sue

[redbike]

This is a great thread! Such different views from everyone. Jim, Vetyver is sure a love it or hate it fragrance. It's grown on me and I like it now but my son won't stick around if I'm working with it, he thinks it's disgusting. :eek: LOL
Sue

Sue,

It was one of the first creams I bought from SCS. I was able to trade it off to another B&B member, so it was not wasted. It just had too much of a smokey scent for me at the time. On the other hand, your Cranberry Crush is one of my all time favorites. Will you have it available again? I only have 2 of the 2oz. containers left.

[Sue]

Jim, PM me and I can make some for you. Sue

[iron maiden]

Trumper's almond.....:bored:

[blantyre]

Taylors avocado smells like burning rubber thinly veiled with cheap air freshner. It gives such a great lather that I still use though.

[Rusty]

Trumper's Sandalwood smells bad to me.

+1

[TomH]

Trumper's almond.....:bored:
+1
And Taylors Almond too..., puuuhhh, nothing for me...:thumbdown :wacko:

[michaelskar]

You guys are all crazy...well, not really...

I'm not a huge fan of proraso green scent, but it has actually grown on me (the red proraso smells much better, IMHO).

I actually like taylor's avocado (and shaving shop and st. james)...but the taylor's line doesn't agree with my face for some reason

I like the L'Occitane CADE scent, and I think it works really well (Timmy)



As for the scent I dislike the most:
T&H Luxury Shave Soap. To me it smells exactly like Lysol. The stuff works amazingly well, though...works well enough I still use it quite a bit. I should also mention that I used to LOVE the C&E Sweet Almond Oil scent, but the last few times I used it I started imagining that it smelled like perfumed toilet paper...

I am with others in not being crazy about the C&E Nomad scent...but I don't actively hate it enough to not use it every now and again.

[Thomas]

Pollena Lider, either color (blue or green). May have been old tubes, but I just couldn't get over the color/scent combination. Lime green shave cream with a similarly cloying lime sherbet scent. No thank you.

[1969Fatboy]

GRT violet is awful

[Aevum]

nancy boy, i hate that cucumber smell,

btw, Taylors almond smells like martzepan, you dislike it at first, too sweet, but then, you grow to like it,

[john.crissman]

My nominee is Derby Lemon. I like the performance but am very thankful there are other scents.

[Evbo]

nancy boy, i hate that cucumber smell,

+1. Couldn't stand it. Like shaving with a salad on your face.

I love NB's Signature scent, tho.

[greendyk]

IMO Salter's Vetiver stinks to the highest heaven. It, and skunk are in a class by themselves.

John

[TorzJohnson]

I'd like to retract my earlier vote for Arlington. The more I use it the less I hate it. It's in the "not bad" category for now.

I will instead cast my vote for one of the most highly regarded cream scents on any of the shaving forums: T&H Trafalgar. It actively smells bad to me, there's a very slight hint of dirty ashtray in there somewhere.

I'm also underwhelmed (but not actively against) 1805. It just smells so ordinary, nothing special. I don't understand the attraction, but beauty is in the nose of the beholder I suppose.

BTW the Trafalgar and 1805 were in samples, so don't bother offering to take 'em off my hands. Sorry. :tongue:

[mds2004]

If any of you guys want to get rid of it, a newbie such as myself is willing to take them off of your hands to try them myself. If I do not like them then I too will pass them along :001_smile Out of all these smilies non of them have crossing fingers :frown:

[iron maiden]

Palmolive Red.


==Tom

+1 on that...but I still use it from time to time because the smell isn't absolutely horrible, and it still works pretty good.

[johnniegold]

eshave cucumber.

[infotech]

Floris Elite is probably the worse scent I've smelled so far.

Coming in a close second is Tabac shave cream. The only reason it's second is because it delivers such a good shave that I use it anyway.

[Lil'Shaver]

Palmolive Red cream.

Several months ago, a poster said, "Palmolive smells like butt." Everytime I use that cream, I chuckle and remember that!

However, Palmolive red cream does give a very good shave when superlathered with plain Van Hagen's glycerin soap (from Walgreens).

And no, Palmolive does not smell like butt - just comes pretty close, tho! :lol:

[AustinC9]

Mama Bear's Patchouli

(I love all 5 of her other soaps I have, sooooo many amazing flavors)

[rafikz]

Florena

[texcattlerancher]

salters french vetiver:9898:

Scrolling through this thread and finally someone got it right. The test ought to be when your wife can smell the horrid aroma (down the hall I might add) of wet dog, burned bacon grease, and fire ash all rolled into one, and then requests that you quit using said product because of the stench.

[Silb3r]

Anything rose-scented is a contender in my book. CAN NOT STAND ROSE!

[Mottern Man]

The worst I've ever used by far was Trumper's Violet.

I have to agree, Devils Whore House.


To add...

C&E (any)

And the worst would be Derby Lemon (dollar store Pine Sol)

[lowhawk]

Body Shop cream and Lucky Tiger molle are two hideous scents that popped into my mind right off the bat. To me, both smell like they came out of a chemical plant.

[theperfectstorm]

Floris Elite is probably the worse scent I've smelled so far.



Right on. Dig the cologne, but the cream has a burnt element to it that I found pretty awful.

[tester]

From the worst I've tried to awful...

TOBS Sandalwood - just very very acrid, not even like real Sandalwood, sickly sweet high notes. Hated it so much I tossed it.

Florena - nothing manly about this scent, but good for grandma:eek:

Proraso - I just don't get it...It's not that special. It would make a great toothpaste and leave your breath super minty!

C & E Nomad - Very very earthy smell to it. I'm expecting potatoes to sprout from the tube at any moment.

Tabac - Wow... strong and nasty to me, though a great great shave. Just recently traded it off here.

[OldSaw]

Body Shop cream and Lucky Tiger molle are two hideous scents that popped into my mind right off the bat. To me, both smell like they came out of a chemical plant.

I think the Body Shop cream smells like the incense my mother used to light at Christmas time. It is not my favorite scent but I can tolerate it, especially because of the memories it invokes.

[thevelvet]

TOBS Mr Taylor, the stuff smelled like a truck stop bathroom in New Mexico near a chili shop. Terrible, I wish id known about B&B back then I wouldve sold the stuff instead I tossed it.

[stymph]

Mennen Shave Stick. Still use it every now and then though.

[latherup]

The worst scent in the history of the World? TOBS "SHAVING SHOP".

Second worst? Cyril Salter "FRENCH VETIVER"!

Both of these products smell like a fart in an elevator!

[Aevum]

AdP shaving cream, when its lathered up, it smells like the cologne, so nice and smooth,
when its in the tub, smells like dog training liquid,

[urr-lord]

platinum for him.non-lathering and smelled of ditch/swamp algae or moss.not even worth the buck at the clearance store.

[TorzJohnson]

Both of these products smell like a fart in an elevator!

+1 - Shaving Shop in an elevator, the worst yet.

[daveyp]

+1 on Taylor's Shave shop. Smells really weird on me.

Dave

[Lucius]

Yep!

All the Taylor 'cologne' scents are awful and Shave Shop is at the top of this stack.
It smells to me that Taylor is imitating commercial creams with their scents here. Trouble is, every single 'shelf brand' of shaving cream smells terrible - especially the gels. I have no earthly idea how or why the major manufactures can think these scents are good and consequently why Taylor wants to copy them.

Probably because Shave Shop smells like heaven.

[bahbah2e]

At my job, we have a table where people leave things they want to give away. I picked up a nice small bowl that I thought would be great for lathering up my creams and soaps.
The first time I used it was with a sample of Floris Elite I had just received. After lathering it up, I was convinced that my new bowl had once been an ashtray. Then I lathered up another bowl of elite in my usual dish and realized the horrible smell was the cream not the bowl.

[Broogiedad]

[QUOTE=infotech;587349]Floris Elite is probably the worse scent I've smelled so far.

That Sir, is heresy!:001_smile YMMV, I happen to love Elite as well as JF.

[JDE]

I don't like the scent of TOBS Avocado or Lemon & Lime, or virtually any of the GFT floral scents. The Violet is especially off-putting to me. I also don't like the scent of the Body Shop cream. Or Tabac cream. Do they smell bad? I dunno, if someone likes them, i suspect not. I'm just not a fan.

However, any opinions i have with scents should be taken with a pinch of salt, as i'm a bit muddled in my head with them:
- I like the scent of GFT Almond, but it's not the kind of scent i like to shave with often for some reason, even though i think it shaves really well.
- I don't "like" the scent of Proraso green, despite being a regular user of it. I just find it less offensive than a lot of others and, probably by mental/sensory association, it smells like something that i would shave with, rather than put on a cake.
- I could probably eat a tub of GFT Lime based on its scent, and love shaving with it.

Irrationality wins all, in my case.

[1969Fatboy]

Mama bears Diogenes club smells terrible...I own 12 others and absolutely love...Diogenes was....rough

[masonjarjar]

Right on. Dig the cologne, but the cream has a burnt element to it that I found pretty awful.

That's funny, I like Floris Elite cologne, but I love the smell of the shave cream even more.

:001_rolle

[camelman0075]

I cannot bare Trumper's Violet. I actually smelled it at the store and was somewhat (albeit accidently) vocally about my displeasure with the scent. Thank god it was my buddy helping me and not another salesperson who might have been offended.


yaa so +1 of Trumper's violet

[CanaDEan Shaver]

I haven't tried a whole lot of SCs, but the least pleasing to my olfactory sense is Florena SC.

[alabamalawyer]

It's funny how scent is such a personal thing. I can't stand the smell of C&E Sweet Almond Oil cream. But there is a reason. I have two young daughers (15 months apart in age). As such, I have been changing diapers for a total of 4 years now. The smell of the C&E SWO is directly linked in me to the smell of wet diapers. Smells the same and I can't stand to lather up with a wet diaper no matter how good the shave may be.

[Mr Mockett]

Arko anything.
+1. I know this says creams, but I have to vote for Arko on this one.

[RoyalKooparillo]

these products smell like a fart in an elevator!

Hahaha what a great thread. This nearly had me on the floor. :biggrin:

My vote for Derby Lemon. God it's awful. And it won't come off! It stains your skin.

[1969Fatboy]

For being unscented this stuff is nasty. I guess thats why they dumped so many on Costco for $40 a pop. There aftershave smells worse.

[gunner6477]

Derby Lemon was not pleasant for me.

Derby Lemon...Smells like a urinal cake to me

Also, Burt's Bees Shave cream...smells ok until you get it out of the tube.

[cwiscarolina]

Cyril Salter French Vetiver is the absolute worst smelling concoction ever conceived.

[Private Pwnage]

i just got my TOBS almond in the mail today, and i have to say the smell is a bit off-putting to me, but i'll still give it a lather to see if it is worth it.

i love my tabac, and my proraso.
and i wished i had ordered another TOBS rose instead of the almond now, but as i said...

gotta try it

[Stanley]

The worst for me is TOBS Lavender. I hate that smell. I can't bring myself to use this cream. I gave it to the wife. This is a good thread, I absolutely love the smell of Proraso green though!

[Private Pwnage]

i found out that my sister liked the scent of the TOBS almond, so i showed her how to use a brush, and now she says she'll use it to shave her legs. one more converted, even if it is a woman.

[Opus McBlenheim]

Troll banned

[Sue]

Polite 'Not a Fan' and 'Displeasure' melts down to 'Wet Diapers' ; then to 'Urinal Cakes' and 'Farts in elevators'. This thread is too Funny!!
Sue

[GarageBoy]

DR harris Almond when used with my proraso boar brush..
Smells like someone forgot to wipe

[jeffb]

Proraso smells awful! I love their asb though.

[Dave-itt]

trumpers sandalwood - nothing like their shaving soap, cologne, or skin food.

it smells like a pungent, nauseating mixture of baby/handwipes and a cigarette bowl.

Or Osama's i'll ventilated, bummy cave: :osama:

[matt_curran]

Derby Lemon is the worst for me in addition to being such a poor lather the smell reminds me of laundry detergent.

[geordie]

I'm not buying another soap / shaving cream without consulting this thread. Very nice.

[soapbox]

I bought a Williams Shave Stick tin tube to use for travel, but there was an old Williams Stick in there, mostly untouched. That was putrid. What, 70 years old or so with a little rancid oil and eau de "hot attic"?

But for modern shave creams, it's gotta be Derby Lemon -- too much like bathroom cleaner.

[MarSellus Wallace]

From a post in october 2007:

"French Vetyver. I baptised this cream "French Vomit" because of its nauseating smell, or rather stench. The olfactory sensation is similar to GFT's Sandalwood, which I described as "a mixture of stale cheese (roquefort, four years past its expiry date), rotten eggs and lizzard's piss", although I think GFT possibly mislabeled their sample. The Cyril Salter "Indian Sandalwood" smells lovely, one of the best Sandalwood scents right out of the bowl... All other scents smell lovely and natural (the almond of course rather strong). But the French Vetyver is a definite no-no to me. I will quickly seal the bowl with a blowtorch, put it in a hazmat bag, attach a stone to it and drop it in the river.":lol::lol: I was in a lyrical mood...

[cactusbrush]

Anything vetiver. Smells like a cross between burning chicken feathers and cheap cigars.

[ScottS]

Anything vetiver. Smells like a cross between burning chicken feathers and cheap cigars.

From http://www.vetiver.org/THA_gloss.htm :

Vetiver Scent:

Vetiverim's definition: n. a pleasant aroma released from the vetiver root dug from the soil and hanged in the shade, believed to have a therapeutic effect in healing stroke, headaches, and delaying senile decay.

Explanation: Indian poets referred to vetiver scent as “the smell of the first monsoon shower on parched soil”, and “the perfume of a rejuvenated earth”.

I guess nobody remembers good ol fashioned US Palmolive!

[NeckShaver]

GFT Rose, smells like a bouquet of :9898:

[1969Fatboy]

Cremo(old version) my god this $#@! smells horid!

[NeckShaver]

Cremo(old version) my god this $#@! smells horid!

+1 on that one too, smells like a coconut crayon dipped in bleu cheese.

[saxifrage]

My experience with the aroma of C&E Sienna was very tragic and unfortunate.

[flipperz]

gotta b Salters's French Vetiver!

[blary54]

I dont know why everyone is dissing Proraso...it smells like eucalyptus and a little mentol. I dont think its the greatest smelling but its definitely not bad.

Plus great for this hot weather.

[TstebinsB]

Anything Vetiver is terrible. Charles Barkley terrrible! I have to say, TOBS Avocado has a terrible scent as well. I don't understand how someone reached the conclusion that an avocado scent was appropriate for fine shaving.

[blary54]

Anything Vetiver is terrible. Charles Barkley terrrible! I have to say, TOBS Avocado has a terrible scent as well. I don't understand how someone reached the conclusion that an avocado scent was appropriate for fine shaving.

Avocados dont really have a scent. It is called avocado because it has avocado oil in it.(which is great) I think it smells pretty good and would describe it as a cucumber/melon smell.

To each their own...but there are alot worse smells than TOBS avocado.

[paydepst]

I don't really have a vote for the worst smelling.

Proraso smells all right to me.

All of the EUROPEAN Palmolives are great as far as I am concerned. I think some clarification is called for on the Palmolive Red smelling like axle grease and having the visual appeal of industrial waste as that is the US version of the cream you are referring too--now thankfully discontinued. :smile:

[mankini]

A lot of helpful data within this thread. Some the smells I really like, others folks can not stand. Definatly a YMMV thing.

[professorchaos]

Salter's Vetiver. Its pungent like shrimp paste and smells equally bad.

[RoyalKooparillo]

Hmph...I quite enjoy the smell of Green Proraso. I was initially turned off by all the negatives, but I got some and I really like it! It's not my favorite by any means, but it's not bad--all I smell is soapy eucalyptus and menthol.

Smells clean, fresh, green to me. Great for this Texas heat!

[tjaa67]

no doubt : TOBS for sensitive skin. Do not know what they put inside....

[Vogateer]

This thread just reminds me that one man's junk is another man's treasure. I think Taylor's Avocado has a great scent, and I love their rose and lavender scents as well.

Proraso has a medicinal menthol smell, so it rates low on my own subjective scale only because the Taylor of Old Bond Street, Floris JF, and Nancy Boy creams smell so good to me. I don't find the Proraso smell off-putting, it's merely less appealing than the scents of my other creams and soaps.

[daddylongstroke]

Musgo Real, IMHO, is definitely the worst smelling cream ever.

[scottydoint]

The worst that I have smelled so far is GFT's Lime. The cream itself is good, but the scent is not. Smells like a liquid hand soap from a public bathroom.

[wtruitt]

LOL.. I have to agree that this is such a personal thing.. everyone seems to LOVE the scent of Ogallala Bay Rum Soap.. well, a member was kind enough to send me a sample of soaps, so I heated up the Bay Rum 1st (only 10 seconds) and my wife and daughter thought it smelled horrible.. I tried to convince them that they were mislabeling, and horrible was actually a wonderful, rustic scent, and then after a few minutes had to agree that the pungence is one that I was also not fond of either..

It's interesting though... that I have never smelled any of my lotions or saps that smell like:
1) dog (wet or dry / long or short haired)
2) diapers (wet or dry / #1 or #2)
3) mints (of the urinal variety)
4) the Devil's Whorehouse (though admittedly, never been to a whorehouse at all, not to mention Devil's Whorehouse)..

I don't know what I really was hoping to find in a good cream / soap as far as scent is concerned.. but I now know what I "DON'T" want!

Wayne

[momo360]

Am not too fond of TOBS Avocado or eShave cucumber, but have to admit that both whip up a mean lather.

I really like eucalyptus, so that's that for Proraso.

Florena is a scent I could do without, great lather again, however.

GFT Violet; meh... wouldn't buy it.

[rodd]

Pollena Lider, either color (blue or green). May have been old tubes, but I just couldn't get over the color/scent combination. Lime green shave cream with a similarly cloying lime sherbet scent. No thank you.

wow, I just searched for lider trying to get an idea of what it smelled like, and you totally just sold me on it. Lime sherbet!!! :drool:

[Confuzius]

Of my limited experience I'm going to have to go with Florena (nivea to some)
It smells like dirt, but some how in a good way. It's the worst smelling cream I have, but oddly comforting.
I'm conflicted about it.

[guitarslinger]

Musgo Real, IMHO, is definitely the worst smelling cream ever.


The worst scent in the history of the World? TOBS "SHAVING SHOP".
smells like a fart in an elevator!


+1 on Taylor's Shave shop. Smells really weird on me.

Dave


Taylor's Shaving Shop.

Putrescent.

agree with all of these:biggrin:

[ColbyPants]

Musgo Real, IMHO, is definitely the worst smelling cream ever.


Again Proof of the YMMV factor here. I think Musgo is the definition of a greqat, manly smell. . .

:confused:

[Gabriel]

I must agree with ColbyPants: I love the smell of Musgo. And the lather is nice and slick.

[kevtex]

Derby Lemon (trash) and C&E Sandalwood (sold)

[Sudo]

I got several samples from Trumper and loved them all except for the Sandalwood. It smelled so awful I had to throw it away.

+1

[Mad Prophet]

This smells like someone cleaned up a nutmeg spill with baby wipes. :a36:

[thunderball]

Tabac.

[kingfisher]

C&E Sandalwood smell is repulsive. Seriously awful.


I like Proraso, though. I think it has a hint of lavender in it, along with the obvious menthol/eucalyptus.

[Moose]

L'Occitane Cade reminds me of diaper rash cream. I want to be baby-butt smooth, not baby-butt smelling.

My tub of TOBS shave shop doesn't have a strong scent. I thought T&H Ultimate Comfort was supposed to be unscented, but it's like getting beaten with a tea tree.

I finally realized why I thought the new Cremo scent was familiar. Fast Orange hand cleaner. I do like it though.

[FLTiger]

Again Proof of the YMMV factor here. I think Musgo is the definition of a greqat, manly smell. . .

:confused:

+1, I like Musgo Real.

I'm voting for Proraso, but not for the cream. The scent of Proraso Aloe and Green Tea shaving soap is not pleasing (but shaves wonderfully).

[StGeorge]

Another vote for TOBS Mr Taylor. Smelt synthetic and horrible and couldn't bring myself to use it so I threw the whole tub. (It was lumpy as well).
The absolute worst smell in the whole of shavedom though, has to be Coral skinfood, truly vile and so bad my dog wouldn't p*** on it and he p****** on everything.

[brg]

Rilanja.

However, it works very well...

[behrendprof]

I am a huge fan of veitver scents (have 4 colognes that are vetiver based or related) but Salters Vetiver was pitched. Just couldn't take it. I don't know what the scent was but it was always a stale version of it.

On the other hand, I think GFT Rose and Sandalwood are great.

[RILEY]

The worst smelling cream to me is Body Shop. :thumbdown

[sfbobus]

I'm nominating Gillette canned goos; everything else was an improvement.
I am 100% with Rabidpotatochip on this one.
+ 1 at least for Gillette. I grew up on the razors and blades but the creams= yuk!

[MikeLip]

Acqua de Parma. I could not WAIT to get that stuff off my face. And it LINGERED. Ew. Sold it after one shave.

Tabac. Not as bad as AdP. But bad enough.

On the other hand, I loved Gillette Edge lime gel.

[thatguy1807]

Acqua de Parma. I could not WAIT to get that stuff off my face. And it LINGERED. Ew. Sold it after one shave.

Tabac. Not as bad as AdP. But bad enough.

On the other hand, I loved Gillette Edge lime gel.

I was just about to say AdP, once its lathered it smells ok but unlathered it smells like fish.

[BarryR]

Well, this thread may be the ultimate YMMV although Proraso may have won the prize.

I got a sample of Castle Forbes cedarwood and thought it was pretty bad (stale peanut butter?). Though I could still use it, it's probably the worst smelling cream I've had.

On the other hand I think Elite (soap, don't have the cream) is pretty good.

The big surprises for me on this thread:
1) Nancy Boy: I like it (not love, but like) and find it hard to imagine someone hating it. Sure it smells like a cucumber salad, but it's a nice fresh cucumber salad.

2) TOBS Shaving Shop: My wife and I like this one. It's a little unusual but has a nice freshness and spicyness.

[rafikz]

Florena :9898:

Thanks God they replaced it with Nivea :thumbup1:

[ChrisS86]

C and E nomad, in soap or cream form. putrid.

[RichGem]

Anything with vetevere (sp), pachouli (sp), or cucumber.

[Dink]

T&H Trafalgar, aquatic scent alright, smelled fishy at least to my nose.

Cheers,
David

[Etalex]

The American Palmolive cream (I believe it's now discontinued) smelled repulsive to me. I may not be a fan of many scents, but I wouldn't say they smelled repulsive. For example, the people who do not appreciate TOBS Avocado can hardly claim the smell is repulsive (it happens to be one of my favourites).

[BullGoose]

I'm not crazy about Taylor's Avocado.

Hmmm...YMMV. I love Taylor's Avocado

Worst smelling cream for me? Cremo...it smelled like baby aspirin (fake orange)

[BullGoose]

The worst smelling cream to me is Body Shop. :thumbdown

Old or new formula?

[dixee6]

Castle Forbes Cedarwood and Sandalwood. It smelled like dirt to me.:mad3:

[Mike R]

Crabtree & Evelyn Nomad. Lots of people love it, but it just rubs me the wrong way. I couldn't even use it. 2nd place is T&H Trafalgar. It seems like it's got 2 or 3 scents trying to battle out who will be the strongest.

Florena gets honorable mention. To me it has a weird medicinal / industrial cleaner scent but it strikes me as functional. It's grown on me and the performance is really good.

Mike

[kingfisher]

Oh, if you allow "canned goo" I would nominate the King of Shaves Sensitive Skin gel.

It smells exactly like used motor oil.

[BYUTexan]

Palmolive Red.


==Tom

do they still make that?

[auee1977]

C&E Nomad SC I recently tried and could not get the smell off me. A very strong, spicy, lingering smell that I do not care for. But it still wasn't enough to knock Taylor's Avocado off the top of my list of worst smelling creams.

V..

I agree that C&E Nomad SC is a strong smelling cream in the tube, but the smell does not linger on the skin and the cream is really a good one.

[bokaba]

Trumpers Sandalwood

[bokaba]

I must also say that I thought QED Rose Geranium was quite foul. Traded it before using it. If you like cayenne pepper and dirt, then you should consider buying it. Please note QED makes super-quality soaps. Charles probably loses money making his soaps so well.

[BullGoose]

I think anything Vetiver qualifies as worst smelling. To me Vetiver smells like a combination of peanut butter and vomit.

[WarpedBishop]

I am not particularly fond of provence sante. I don't know what it is about it but I just wanted to make the smell go away the moment I lathered it on my face.

[TLetums]

Proraso Red

[RILEY]

Old or new formula?

Old, just not a fan. I havent smelled the new formula so I cant say
Oh well, just leaves more for the next guy :biggrin:

[joscobo]

TOBS Lemon/ Lime. It smells like lemon scented disinfectant.

[mretzloff]

Any rose cream. I would rather shave without cream or soap than use rose.

[Shadowatfive]

Trumpers Violet. I dont really care for Col. Conks Amoretto either. Kind of smells like that pink soap in the bathrooms at my old elementary school.

[Cains Boy]

I got several samples from Trumper and loved them all except for the Sandalwood. It smelled so awful I had to throw it away.

Agreed. For that matter, I'm not keen on any sandalwood.

Also, anything that smells edible, especially like something baking, is out for me (almond creams come to mind).

I guess I stick with florals and cologne-type scents.

[brothers]

I hate to admit it, because Cella is such an excellent product, but the raw dry almond fragrance was just too much for me to continue to deal with, so I gave it away. I sure do miss the lather, but I don't miss having to smell of it to use it. OK, I suppose it is defined as a soap, but it's as soft as a few creams.

[RILEY]

OK, I suppose it is defined as a soap, but it's as soft as a few creams.

Castle Forbes is borderline soap too

[jones2289]

Not technically a cream I guess, but the Proraso Pre Shaving cream is absolutely putrid. I expected the medicinal smell, but not nearly that strong! I haven't heard many other complaints about it, so maybe they changed the formulation when it went from Pre/Post to Pre. It seems to work well though.

[TorzJohnson]

Worst-smelling shaving cream? Easy:

http://www.jerzeedevil.com/gallery/files/2/0/2/arise_16.jpg

[MikeLip]

Arise! I'd buy that just to have it on my shelf! :)

[Greyfox]

Anything Tabac

[Gogo]

Musgo Real, IMHO, is definitely the worst smelling cream ever.

I'm not much on Musgo either. Reminds me of Desitin. So maybe it's good on rashes!

[OldSaw]

Worst-smelling shaving cream? Easy:

http://www.jerzeedevil.com/gallery/files/2/0/2/arise_16.jpg

I miss your sig pic of Old Spit.

[Mad Prophet]

Agreed. For that matter, I'm not keen on any sandalwood.

Also, anything that smells edible, especially like something baking, is out for me (almond creams come to mind).

I guess I stick with florals and cologne-type scents.

I don't despise Sandalwood, I just don't think it smells as good as other scents. To me, the OBR AS smells an order of magnitude better than the OBR Sandalwood AS.

[Teiste]

The New Body Shop shaving cream...performs really well but smells like scented bleach....

[Nancy Boy]

Pro Green. Don't hate me.

[FiXXXer]

I hate floral scents. I don't even like them on women, they just smell wretched to me. A rose by any other name would still smell putrid.

[Luxem]

the Derby Lemon cream is pretty horrible ... it's like lemon pledge that is all old and clumpy, YUCK

[kingfisher]

I hate floral scents. I don't even like them on women, they just smell wretched to me. A rose by any other name would still smell putrid.

You couldn't hate AoS lavender, could you? How is that even possible? :confused:

[blackfoot]

the Derby Lemon cream is pretty horrible ... it's like lemon pledge that is all old and clumpy, YUCK

I can see that. It isn't an overly pleasant smell.

[Rutgers Football]

Wars . . . yuck!

[BarryR]

You couldn't hate AoS lavender, could you? How is that even possible? :confused:I agree. I like some floral scents (like a good rose shaving product), but I really like lavender. I guess it's classified as floral, but to me it's somewhere between floral and herbal. It's a very clean, fresh scent. I also think it's less feminine than most florals to the point that it's fairly unisex.

[joelmole]

Not technically a cream I guess, but the Proraso Pre Shaving cream is absolutely putrid. I expected the medicinal smell, but not nearly that strong! I haven't heard many other complaints about it, so maybe they changed the formulation when it went from Pre/Post to Pre. It seems to work well though.

I can deal with the scent of Proraso pre/post if I use it as a preshave treatment, but only in combination with certain soaps/creams other than Proraso itself. I found out today it works ok with Pre de Provence. It made AoS Sandalwood smell like vomit. In retrospect though, the smell of AoS Sandalwood itself has soured on me. I still like the lavender and lemon a lot though.

I do not like to use pre/post as a post shave because the scent lingers too much.

Overall I'm ok with some medicinal smelling products. It's not my favorite scent, but I have QED Patchouli/Tea tree/Peppermint, and it's rather medicinal.

[FiXXXer]

You couldn't hate AoS lavender, could you? How is that even possible? :confused:

I haven't tried AoS lavender, but I have smelled TOBS lavender and didn't care for it. It's not as bad as lilac or rose scents, but it's not something I would use. I don't mind if a scent has some floral in the background, but if it's a major player I usually don't care for it.