Aftershave Development Question

[Elecid]

Hello B&Bers!

I'm beginning testing on an aftershave splash formula for friends/family/me, and maybe eventually to market. I would like to pose the question to you:

What do you want from an aftershave splash?

Besides the obvious, of course. Moisturizing, astringent properties, and a good fragrance.

Do you like the menthol kick, or prefer a bay-rummish sting? An aftershave with staying power in the fragrance (to function as a cologne as well), or do you prefer to apply your fragrance later?

Also, do you prefer pirates, ninjas, old-west gunslingers, or robots ?

[LinuxMintyFresh]

This one is hard for me because it often changes on a daily basis. If the scent is good I want it to last and last (eg Speick), if it is just okay then I can live with it dissipating. Some days I want a ton of menthol, others I really don't.

Personally, I think you be best off shooting for the mid-line. I'd say, go with something that smells great, but fades after a couple hours; has a good bite, but not something like Ever-clear; has a light cooling sensation, but not something necessarily of Osage Rub intensity.

My biggest determiner of use though is how well it heals me up. Shoot for something like Speick with a tiny bit more menthol and you'll be all set!

That's a tall order--good luck mate!

[Wingnut]

This one is hard for me because it often changes on a daily basis. If the scent is good I want it to last and last (eg Speick), if it is just okay then I can live with it dissipating. Some days I want a ton of menthol, others I really don't.

Personally, I think you be best off shooting for the mid-line. I'd say, go with something that smells great, but fades after a couple hours; has a good bite, but not something like Ever-clear; has a light cooling sensation, but not something necessarily of Osage Rub intensity.

My biggest determiner of use though is how well it heals me up. Shoot for something like Speick with a tiny bit more menthol and you'll be all set!

That's a tall order--good luck mate!

I agree with all of the above. Boiling it down to a single quality is very hard for me as well. In the heat of summer, menthol is a definite requirement, but come winter I'm a bay rum kind of guy. Some days I want a long lasting scent and will forgo cologne, other days I want an unobtrusive AS that won't clash with my cologne. If you can concoct something to please my ever-shanging tastes, though, I'd be sure to buy a barrel of it!

Oh, and how about NINJA ROBOTS?! Now THAT would be cool!!

[Elecid]

I agree with all of the above. Boiling it down to a single quality is very hard for me as well. In the heat of summer, menthol is a definite requirement, but come winter I'm a bay rum kind of guy. Some days I want a long lasting scent and will forgo cologne, other days I want an unobtrusive AS that won't clash with my cologne. If you can concoct something to please my ever-shanging tastes, though, I'd be sure to buy a barrel of it!

Oh, and how about NINJA ROBOTS?! Now THAT would be cool!!

Thanks for the input! In my view, the A/S market is under-represented on the artisan level. There are some good offerings from small vendor mainstays, but it seems the SS/SC gets most of the attention, and the A/S scents extend from the soaps/creams. We'll see. I will have to go through a few formulations before it's ready to do anything with I'm sure. I've got a plan, but who knows if it will work.

I definitely plan to make A/S for different purposes. There's not much information out there on formulations, so I'm cobbling together a bit of perfumery knowledge with what I know of moisturizers. I'm just hoping that the multiple check-box thing will let me know what elements I need to prioritize, because I can't start formulating everything at once!

Or maybe I can...

[kingfisher]

I agree with the others. Mostly I like something that feels good and smells good, but I don't want the scent to last longer than a few minutes. I want my AS to have skin goodies, not just alcohol and a scent. In other words, I want witch hazel, glycerin, aloe, shea butter, and/or other ingredients that actually help the skin in some way.

By the way, good luck making an artisan aftershave that is better than the Saint Charles Shave offerings!

[Monkeydad]

Staying power in fragrance...probably the reason that Clubman is my favorite AS.

[scottb]

yeah, it's a tough call....I hoard Cade for scent, Speick for the healing and how it makes you feel, Alt-Innsbruck for a little of both.

p.s.--outside of Cade I've had a hard time finding a good, Cedar-dominant woods AS....might be a vacuum there.

[Elecid]

By the way, good luck making an artisan aftershave that is better than the Saint Charles Shave offerings!

I use her sandalwood aftershave cream myself. All the stuff that Sue makes is great. I don't think it's possible to make something objectively "better." I am just shooting for "different." Once you load up an A/S with skin goodies, there's not much else to improve on except the ratios and the fragrance. I suppose I could put precious gems on the packaging... (i think I'm actually going to do that now).

I may have the first test batch by next weekend, so I'll ask for people to test maybe starting the next week.