Old Spice (1937)
by Procter & Gamble (orig. by Shulton)

Does Old Spice need further introduction? Cheap can smell great. Apart from providing me a positive sense of nostalgia, Old Spice is actually a very well-made scent. Would I wear this? Probably not so much now, but I have to give credit, when it is due.

Fragrances come and go but Old Spice has stood the test of time. A good barber shop scent that is better than a lot of the expensive frag's on the market.

Old Spice will still be here when the Le Males and Aqu De Gio's of this world are just a distant memory.

My best friend kept ribbing me that he got more female compliments with this than with any other cologne. He figured it had to do with their wanting to sit on daddy's lap. (Daddy? Try grandpa.) I figured how wrong could I go for a couple of bucks? Besides I probably owned it 30 years ago along with Chaps and Aramis.

(Sorry doctor, I have no recollection of Brut or Acqua Velva)

Well, now I know why I haven't bought it in 30 years, I'll give it to him as a present.

No disrespect intended against your fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, Confucius and all your honorable ancestors, but I can't stand this juice.

I find it overbearing, gross and powdery.
Masculine?
Well, only in the sense of 'pertaining to men.'
If one were to make a fragrance of the scent of Gillette's cheapest shaving cream and bottle it, it too, would be 'masculine' by that definition.

Longing for the virile good old days? Give me Bay Rum over this anytime.

Incidentally, this reputedly came out as a WOMAN'S fragrance in 1937, bombed and was re packaged for men the next year. I did not know this tidbit before trying it, but it's part of the interesting trivia one finds here at Basenotes.

Good Lord!
Imagine 30 years from now the hot babes going for the " masculine" A*Men or Le Male because it reminds them of dear old grandpa! The mind boggles. . .

For me, one of the best colognes ever. On paper, I shouldn't like it: It's sweet. It's got a lot of powdery vanilla in it. It's quite feminine. It's got an odd sugary-floral thing going on and it just seems "too much." All of which are things I don't like, and yet I think Old Spice smells amazing.
The reason is because after about 10 minutes, there's this incredible boozy Cola Cube (if you remember the sweets) note which just tempers out the whole thing. It waters down the vanilla stopping it from becoming too rich, it stops the powder becoming too stuffy, it makes the flowers smell as if they're in a vase of rum and not in a vase of sugar. Sweetness tamed by a different type of sweetness. Genius.

Fantastic price, lovely iconic bottle, decent longevity (6 hours or so) and great projection. It's a warm, soft, clear and clean classic. It *is* feminine and it *is* sweet, but it's also a masterpiece. The Proctor and Gamble version isn't as clear and boozy as the Shulton original, and I also feel the reformulation has a little too much powdery vanilla in it, but it's still the best sweet scent available for men. On a cold autumn or winter day, nothing prepares me better in the morning than a good shave, some Old Spice Aftershave and a dash of Old Spice cologne.

I first came upon the scent of Old Spice in a deodorant, I loved it from the first sniff clean masculine and quite refined sitting there amongst the various axes and tags. I then decided to purchase the cologne. I was very disappointed, it seems as though the subtle slightly powdery deodorant was a reflection of the drydown. I was stuck wearing a very loud obnoxious old man scent for quite some time before it came into its own. I adore that nice subtle, sweet, and powdery mix that the drydown is but I cannot stand the first 2 hours.

I don't know how you can give this a thumbs down...

The classic, All-American scent, the scent that defines old school masculinity as best as can be; none of these femmy scents that the top brands keep pushing..

A great buy, great value for money - You can feel confident you're putting your best foot forward when splashing this on in the morning.. Good on ya Old Spice