The Scent of a Williams

There has been a lot of questions and discussion about the scent of Williams Mug Soap. Is it Lemon? Citronella? Or something else?

So I thought I'd take a chance and email Combe Inc. to see if they would tell me what the scent was. I don't remember when I sent the request, but it has been a week or two and I just got a response from them. Here is what they said:

Combe Inc. said:

Dear Mr. Vezino:

Thank you for your email to Combe Incorporated. We sincerely apologize for the delay in responding to your request.

Top Note: Sharp Fresh Citrusy Lemon
Middle Note: blend of Spices and Herbs
Bottom Note: Warm Woody Cedar

Again, we apologize for the delay and want to thank you for taking the time to contact us and appreciate your patience.​

Sincerely,
Tamara
Tamara
Consumer Resources Consultant
​

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While they didn't give me the exact recipe, they did give me more than any of us knew before. And I was quite surprised at what they did send me. I've never had a particularly sensitive nose for notes, but I can't say that I have ever smelled spices or cedar in Williams. Perhaps, for those who have been asking, this will give you some better clues as to what they put in their soap.

To me it smells like citronella, which is not a bad thing.

Top notes, pledge.

Middle notes, garage sale-y

Bottom Notes, foam.

Ahhhh... the scent of the Williams, an American Classic!!

Williams is what my Dad used. I don't mind it one bit.

Great job Vez. This is what we have come to expect from the B&B's resident expert in all things Williams.

Lemon peppers.

Sound like a description of a good cigar! RE: Cigar Aficionado magazine.

Everything sounds fine until the cedar. Yeah, there's no cedar there. I've made probably fourty batches of soap with cedar EO in them. There's no damn cedar in Williams. It's Citronella and Eucalyptus.

mswofford said:

Sound like a description of a good cigar! RE: Cigar Aficionado magazine.

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Nice to see here cigar fan
Hi from Baku

I have been wondering what all the fuss is about, whether it be good or bad. So I bought a puck from Retro Grooming here in the UK. im intrigued to form an opinion of my own.
I wonder if I will pick up the garage sale middle note

wazza said:

I wonder if I will pick up the garage sale middle note

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Pay no attention to the detractors. Williams is a good soap with a loyal following. It doesn't work for all, but those who get it to work, get some great lather from it.

It used to have some Cedar notes back in the 1980's.

I don't get anything other than lemon/citronella and general soap smell.

Deltaboy said:

It used to have some Cedar notes back in the 1980's.

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Another thing Combe screwed up about it, no doubt.

That's funny!! Good one. I love Williams. It's what my dad always used.

J743 said:

Top notes, pledge.

Middle notes, garage sale-y

Bottom Notes, foam.

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BSAGuy said:

That's funny!! Good one. I love Williams. It's what my dad always used.

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I'm officially done complaining about it. Hasn't gotten me anywhere and doesn't do anybody good to have to read it.

I have a puck in my house--how can I lather it? I've never had luck.

J743 said:

I have a puck in my house--how can I lather it? I've never had luck.

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I've posted a couple videos at the beginning of this thread, and someone else recently posted one near the end.
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/398095-Williams-Institute-for-Shaving-Excellence-(WISE)

J743 said:

I'm officially done complaining about it. Hasn't gotten me anywhere and doesn't do anybody good to have to read it.

I have a puck in my house--how can I lather it? I've never had luck.

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You're not alone. Back in the late 90s I started using Williams. I love the smell of it but it never lathered worth a damn. I tried everything under the sun to make it work better, including soaking it with boiling water for 15+ minutes ... all I had there was nice-smelling yet unlatherable Williams slurry.

About 3 years ago I switched to DE shaving and started learning about the proper method to lather. Williams still wouldn't work so I switched to Proraso Green, KMF, etc. (yes, I used it for well over 10 years despite the crappy lather) I finally took the plunge and made my own shave soap, and learned that (at least for me) Williams will never work. I don't know how Williams is made but based on my limited soaping experience I would propose the recipe is high in coconut oil, low in tallow, and very very low in stearic.

I really enjoy the scent of Williams and would like to replicate it in my own shave soaps ... I think the likelihood of that is rather low, unfortunately.

With that said I recently deduced that I could mechanically mill some stearic-only soap with the Williams and probably get a decent frankensoap. Unfortunately all the places where I used to get it locally (CVS, Safeway) have stopped carrying it(!!).

In conclusion if you can't get it to work, but have been able to get others to work, it is likely that Williams will never work for you. Plus, if you don't like how it smells, why bother?

Cheers-
Dave

J743 said:

I'm officially done complaining about it. Hasn't gotten me anywhere and doesn't do anybody good to have to read it.

I have a puck in my house--how can I lather it? I've never had luck.

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Your post was hilarious!