What's new

What is closest to Shulton OS?

Legion

Staff member
I'm sure this has been asked a hundred times before. I'm sorry.

I have a half bottle of vintage Old Spice after shave that I don't like to use because I cant get any more.

If I was to buy an empty vintage bottle off ebay or somewhere, and top it up with something I can still buy, what is the closest match to the Shulton stuff?

P&G original, Indian ebay original, something else? Thanks guys.
 
Now that's something no one seems to agree on. Some claims P&G never changed anything.
But the general opinion seems to be that the Indian OS is very close, and the P&G OS Cologne too, but supposedly the P&G AS is different.
I have a couple bottles of the Indian version and like it a lot, and it dosn't smell much different from the P&G Cologne I have as well.
When I bougth the Indian AS I got a few tubes of the shaving cream as well, so I can do a full Old Spice shave, which is pretty awesome :smile:
 
And still others claim that the Vijon version called "Spice" (available at Family Dollar stores in the US) is close to the original.
 
What I'd like to know is this:

If the Indian version, that comes in a red plastic bottle and smells similar to the vintage Shultons OS (US version),
Why did the scent change when P&G start placing their product in plastic from glass?

Also, (and please correct me if I am wrong) When I was a kid, I faintly remember the OS after shave as sort of an amber liquid color.
Where today's version is ever so slight and almost no color...

Again, that was when I was a kid ... I could be wrong.
 
If the Indian version, that comes in a red plastic bottle and smells similar to the vintage Shultons OS (US version),
Why did the scent change when P&G start placing their product in plastic from glass?

Also, (and please correct me if I am wrong) When I was a kid, I faintly remember the OS after shave as sort of an amber liquid color. Where today's version is ever so slight and almost no color...

I have been using Old Spice since the 1970's, and I still possess some of the vintage goods. From what I understand, the old Shulton formula is still made in India because Shulton still owns the factory there--meaning that P&G never bought them. It comes in a painted white glass bottle and is the original scent. You can get it through vendors like West Coast Shaving rather cheaply. They also make Old Spice Fresh Lime, and Old Spice Musk in India. The Indian Old Spice shave creams are also spot on. Sadly, they only make the aftershaves, and not the colognes.

The only amber colored Old Spice was the old musk cologne. It used to come in a clear bottle with a hammered finish. The original stuff has always been clear, and the Fresh Lime is a slightly milky green.

$GarageSale_02516_1311739789.jpg
 
What I'd like to know is this:

If the Indian version, that comes in a red plastic bottle and smells similar to the vintage Shultons OS (US version),
Why did the scent change when P&G start placing their product in plastic from glass?

Also, (and please correct me if I am wrong) When I was a kid, I faintly remember the OS after shave as sort of an amber liquid color.
Where today's version is ever so slight and almost no color...

Again, that was when I was a kid ... I could be wrong.


Old Spice aftershave has been made under the Shulton brand in India since at least the 60's. It is currently made in both glass (50ml and 150ml spray) and plastic traveller bottles.

Current Indian Plastic Traveller Aftershave Bottle:
$DSCN0794.JPG


In USA, plastic traveller aftershave bottles were introduced in 1964.


1960's Plastic Traveller Aftershave Bottle:
$Old+Spice+original+1960s+gift+set+-+www.ShopCurious.com.jpg
U.K. 1990's Glass Aftershave Spray:
$after_shave_spray02.jpg



Indian Glass 150ml Aftershave Spray:
 

Attachments

  • $as-old-005.jpg
    $as-old-005.jpg
    91.9 KB · Views: 188
Last edited:
Avon Spicy is a Old Spice clone from the Schulton era. Granted Avon Spicy is another vintage product, but it is also pretty readily available. I've found TONS of it at antique stores and thrift shops for $1-$2 a bottle (bottles range from 2-8oz). It has a good scent and good staying power as well.

The Vi-Jon stuff has a good scent, but it fades too quickly.
 
Your question is based upon the assumption that the current Old Spice as produced by P&G is different from the Old Spice produced by Shulton prior to the P&G buyout. It has been repeated so many times on here that it has become accepted as a matter of fact (as evidenced by your post). The fact is, we don't know. It may or may not be different. Believing it with all of one's heart, and/or repeating it ad nauseam does not make it so. In the end, of course, we should respect each other's opinions, and each of us should wear what we like. See my post in this earlier thread: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...ut-old-spice?p=3699736&highlight=#post3699736
 
An Excellent Post MrMojoe! ... I guess overall just glad they still make OS ... It could have been discontinued like other products that once were.
 
Here's an informative and exceptionally well-referenced post about the history of Old Spice.

The upshot is that current India Old Spice AS is manufactured by MCPL (formerly CMM), the same company that teamed up with Shulton to launch OS in India in 1968. OTOH, the manufacture and development of Old Spice products for western markets was transferred by P&G to URI in 2001. The Indian product, which still carries the Shulton name, would seem to own the firmest lineage to the product of yore, and I personally like it best among the current offerings (YMMV). It's also a great value if you can find it in a local Indo-Pak shop, and comes in Original, Musk, and Fresh Lime variants.

I'll also second KJ's suggestion that vintage Avon Spicy is a worthy contender for REFILLING your glass bottle when it's empty, but I don't think I'd mix it with the vintage Shulton juice as a "top up." I'd probably use the India Shulton product if I wanted to do that.

P.S. I can't help but agree that it's still a good thing that P&G still makes Old Spice AS, whether they've changed the formula or not. It doesn't suck, after all. :001_smile
 
Last edited:

Legion

Staff member
I might get some p&g, since I can get it locally. That way I can put it next to the old stuff and see if I can pick the difference. If not then it is all good. If so I can order from India and give that a try.
 
Another idea would be to mix Vi-Jon OS clone AS with a small amount of P&G OS Cologne to improve staying power. I've never tried it, but I like the P&G cologne quite a bit.
 
Avon Spicy is a Old Spice clone from the Schulton era. Granted Avon Spicy is another vintage product, but it is also pretty readily available. I've found TONS of it at antique stores and thrift shops for $1-$2 a bottle (bottles range from 2-8oz). It has a good scent and good staying power as well.

The Vi-Jon stuff has a good scent, but it fades too quickly.


I mix 1/2 VI-Jn with 1/2 Avon Spicy into a vintage glass Old Spice bottle.
 
I might get some p&g, since I can get it locally. That way I can put it next to the old stuff and see if I can pick the difference. If not then it is all good. If so I can order from India and give that a try.

Keep in mind that fragrances change over time. Some of the lighter top-notes will deteriorate after only a few years, some natural ingredients in only a few months... So what you are smelling in the vintage bottle is NOT what it smelled like when it was new. Even if either of the two OS's mentioned ARE using exactly the original recipe, they will NOT smell like your vintage bottle today... If either ARE the exact original recipe, it will be much closer to what you are smelling in your vintage bottle today, 10 years from now. :)
 

Legion

Staff member
Keep in mind that fragrances change over time. Some of the lighter top-notes will deteriorate after only a few years, some natural ingredients in only a few months... So what you are smelling in the vintage bottle is NOT what it smelled like when it was new. Even if either of the two OS's mentioned ARE using exactly the original recipe, they will NOT smell like your vintage bottle today... If either ARE the exact original recipe, it will be much closer to what you are smelling in your vintage bottle today, 10 years from now. :)

True, although having said that, when I found this bottle in a thrift store and took a sniff it took me right back to about 1979, so it can't be too changed. :wink2:

It will be interesting to see.
 
Also, (and please correct me if I am wrong) When I was a kid, I faintly remember the OS after shave as sort of an amber liquid color.

I must change what I originally said. Inspired by this post, and several other recent ones on the subject of Old Spice, I busted out some of my original stock and made a discovery. While the original aftershave was perfectly clear, the original cologne was amber colored.
 
Top Bottom