Martin de Candre - The best soap ever?

Tom Ford said:

IAnd based on the last comment it doesn't appear to be a distinct difference in the Fougere and original scent?

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They are definitely different. There are some common component scents but they are not the same. There's a bit of benzoin -- the "medicinal" smell you see references to -- in all of their shave soaps.

EDIT: Didn't see onethinline's post until I wrote that.


From the MDC site:
http://savonnerie-martin-de-candre.com/en/savon-a-raser/145-savon-a-raser-170-g.html

It is scented with lavender, rosemary and mint.

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Info on fougere isn't quite as specific
http://savonnerie-martin-de-candre.com/en/savon-a-raser/263-savon-a-raser-fougere-.html

In the past , many perfumes bore the name " fern" which, in the world of perfume, means a fresh Cologne with a green and woody fragrance. Martin de Candre's Fern consists of a nice blend of 12 Essential Oils, that has made the reputation of our soap since its creation in 1974. A fragrance for everyone, a rare delicate Cologne , exuding fresh scents and evoking sweet nostalgia

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Doodi1 said:

I get the strong Lavender scent out of it. It is a very natural scent (like real lavenders) not a synthetic additive.

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I think what confuses many is that real lavender (of course, there isn't just one type of lavender) is more of an herbal scent than floral.

Pepin said:

A stated by another B&B member in another soap thread:

"Definitely not the greatest soap on Earth. And YMMV has noting to do with it."

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...and as I indicated in that thread, YMMV has everything to do with it. "Greatest" is highly subjective. Every soap has its fans and detractors. No one soap is universally best. MDC is my go-to soap but there are plenty that do not find it to be their go-to soap.

takeshi said:

You also have to be careful with reviews on subjective stuff like soap. It's not just whether or not the reviewer gave the soap a positive review but whether or not you're specifically looking for the same things from a soap as the reviewer .

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This is about one of the truest statements around here. I find all these reviews across the internet mostly useless. People rate things like packaging equal to slickness. If one person doesn't care about scent, what does it matter what the reviewer said.

The worse are those review where everything is perfect. All attributes score a perfect 10. Really?

When was the last time ANYthing on this earth was perfect?

Thanks for the feedback guys, much appreciated.

I haven't smelled either DR Harris nor AoS Lanvender in a few years, but I would say it is different else I wouldn't have been so taken by it. The original and Fougere shaving soaps seem to have a similar base, and although the Fougere is clearly there I seem to pick up the original in the background. The Fougere body soap doesn't smell like the Fougere shaving soap. I actually like the body soap even more. The body soap is olive oil based and I swear to pick that up as well. The body soap Fougere is more like B&M Fougeres. Hope that helps. Of course YMMV.

Tom Ford said:

I'm really interested in the scent feedback. Having not tried MdC as yet, is the original Lavender comparable to a D.R Harris or AoS Lavender scent? And based on the last comment it doesn't appear to be a distinct difference in the Fougere and original scent? Love to your further thoughts and feedback?

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I just received my MdC original scent yesterday (excited to use it) as well as a small gift of body soap in the scent of Fougere. I have to say, the fougere scent is STRONG! However, I may be in the minority for saying this but, I find the scent extremely off-putting. I'm terrible at describing scents but the fougere scent reminded me some kind of menthol medicine. My wife found it to be "stinky" (as she put it). I used it in the shower this morning and the scent doesn't linger on my body, but it is very strong by itself.

Does the shaving soap smell the same as the bar soap? (I think the note written in french says "guest soap").

Thanks in advance

The shaving soap is similar to the bath soap, but I believe the base makes a difference. But if you do not like the bath soap, I would recommend against getting the fougere shaving soap. That said, if you buy it from France at current rates and don't like it, you can probably sell it on BST for at least what you paid for it.

Cheers, Steve

BladeSchool said:

I haven't smelled either DR Harris nor AoS Lanvender in a few years, but I would say it is different else I wouldn't have been so taken by it. The original and Fougere shaving soaps seem to have a similar base, and although the Fougere is clearly there I seem to pick up the original in the background. The Fougere body soap doesn't smell like the Fougere shaving soap. I actually like the body soap even more. The body soap is olive oil based and I swear to pick that up as well. The body soap Fougere is more like B&M Fougeres. Hope that helps. Of course YMMV.

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Thank you

Funkyspunk said:

Does the shaving soap smell the same as the bar soap? (I think the note written in french says "guest soap").

Thanks in advance

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It is different to my noose. The bath soap as a more woody sent like wood fire scent, the shavimg soap has a hreener scent to my nose.


I prefer the original but i love lavender ...

Funkyspunk said:

I just received my MdC original scent yesterday (excited to use it) as well as a small gift of body soap in the scent of Fougere. I have to say, the fougere scent is STRONG! However, I may be in the minority for saying this but, I find the scent extremely off-putting. I'm terrible at describing scents but the fougere scent reminded me some kind of menthol medicine. My wife found it to be "stinky" (as she put it). I used it in the shower this morning and the scent doesn't linger on my body, but it is very strong by itself.

Does the shaving soap smell the same as the bar soap? (I think the note written in french says "guest soap").

Thanks in advance

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Woah good thing I saw this first, I was mulling over getting MDC Fougere.

An update: Just shaved with MdC original scent and boy did it gave me one of the closest shave I've ever had! Note: I'm still a newbie so I had some weepers as well as some razor burn today but that's because I'm still working on my technique.

MdC is one of my favorite soaps for sure!

1Vader said:

Woah good thing I saw this first, I was mulling over getting MDC Fougere.

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This may be a YMMV thing.

I smelled the bath soap again this morning and it wasn't as strong after being used yesterday, but still has that medicinal scent. Compared to the original, it does have some similar notes (probably the base ingredients) but still not a huge fan of fougere from MdC. I usually love fougere scents (Stone Cottage is my other experience)

Hope that helps

1Vader said:

Woah good thing I saw this first, I was mulling over getting MDC Fougere.

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This is probably a YMMV issue. I've read plenty of discussions of MdC and the Fougere is considered to be one of the more appealing scents on the shaving market. I love it, personally.

The fougere accord, a classic in perfumery, is based on lavender (lavender and coumarin, to be more exact), so likely the common note you're smelling between MdC Original and Fougere is lavender.

I think its fascinating that this thread is asking if the $65 Martin de Candre is the best soap ever while at the same time just above this thread is another thread where people are positing that the $2 Arko stick is the best soap ever. Truly a remarkable discussion board, this.

Just had my first shave with my MdC unscented. Oh boy this stuff is good
Whipped up a beautiful shiney yogurt like lather in my new Aesop Stainless Steel Bowl. This soap can seriously take a good watering.
Picked out my Merkur HD and inserted a new Personna med prep blade. Lovely glide and cushioning and the face feel on the second pass lather is so yummy. And afterwards too of course. Very soft face.
Had probably my most irritation free shave yet. I consider myself a newbie still as only started DE shaving this year.
I'm loving the Med Preps too, seems to me to be incredibly forgiving whilst being very sharp.
So all I can say is first impressions very very good on the MdC. Deserves all the praise it gets!

It sounds a lot like hype. Similar to how they take a $50 pair of sneakers, have a basketball player endorse it and sell it for $150. MDC only has 6 ingredients and they're really cheap. Yes, there's an aging process and what not, they could honestly sell the soap for 1/3 it's price for a profit if they wanted to expand beyond being a niche.

It's probably a great soap, but there's lots of great soaps for 1/3 to 1/2 the price. I bet if someone took Mike's Natural Soap, put it in really fancy packaging, said it was made in France by a prestigious company that has existed for a century, people would be calling it the best soap of all time.

Best soap ever is always ymmv, of course. But MdC is my current favorite. My top three would be:
MdC
ABC
Haslinger

There is not a world of difference between the three, which is pretty impressive when you consider the price of the Haslinger.

I don't think you should underestimate the processing of MdC. That's half of what makes it as good as it is for me. Tonnes of soaps share similar ingredient lists but the end results can be quite different.

musicman1951 said:

Best soap ever is always ymmv, of course. But MdC is my current favorite. My top three would be:
MdC
ABC
Haslinger

There is not a world of difference between the three, which is pretty impressive when you consider the price of the Haslinger.

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Haven't tried ABC but love both too


Sent from Mars

Is it the best? I can't answer that. There are tons of great soaps out there. Based upon personal preferences and other factors (hard water etc.) some people may prefer certain soaps over others. Is it one of my favorites? Absolutely. I gave all three and use them regularly. I will never be without it.