Pinaud-Clubman Virgin Island Bay Rum After-Shave – Authentic scent
Lately I have become more and more interested in scents and fragrances of the middle 20th century. Sandalwood and Bay Rum are some of the recurring fragrance to surface from that time. As part of my fascination with this period and how things use to be, it was really just a question of time before I got to the Pinaud-Clubman Bay Rum after-shave.
It is a fragrance that can be found in countless after-shaves but I actually had no idea or recollection of what Bay Rum smelt like. Yes, I know what rum smells like, but not what it would be as a fragrance.
In trying to describe what Bay Rum smells like, I came across this description on “Natures Garden Candle” for a Bay Rum oil that feels very accurate.
Top Notes: orange, apple
Mid Notes: cinnamon, clove, cool mint
Base Notes: pine, cedarwood, vanilla, musk, patchouli
In short, sweet, spicy, earthy.
OBSCO, my “Go-To” shop for authentic barber supplies, carries a number of Pinaud-Clubman products and specifically these original after-shaves. I had noticed in a past visit that they had the Bay Rum after shave, so I picked up a bottle for $9.25.
Perhaps a few notes on the bottle itself, as you can see in the picture it has a little nipple to help in the dispensing of the liquid so you don’t make a mess. The bottle also has some nice features which must find their roots in the original “glass” bottle. Regardless, it’s a nice touch.
After-shave formulation has come a long way and has benefited from the various leaps in skin care over the last 50 years. This after-shave is no such product. The 3 main ingredients are: Alcohol, water and fragrance. This is not going to hydrate or moisturize or do any magical wonders for your skin. We are in a different space with this type of after-shave. Splashing alcohol on your freshly shaved mug is going to be a bit of shock, or how they use to say: refreshing! This is a man’s after-shave.
The rational for using an alcohol based after-shave comes from the “disinfecting” objective. The understanding used to be that alcohol was to be used to prevent infection. Shaving often results in nicks or cuts so preventing infection with such a product was the logical response.
TEST STAGE:
- State: Out of the shower
- Razor: Merkur 180
- Blade: Treet
- Pre-Shave: None
- Shaving Cream: Lucky Tiger Shaving Cream
- After-Shave: Pinaud-Clubman Virgin Island Bay Rum
I had a pretty decent shave with no visible nicks. So I went ahead a pored a bit of the after-shave in my hand and then gently applied that to my mug. It was only at that point that I realized that I had a few nicks. A bit of a shock, quickly followed by a cooling sensation.
The Bay Rum also kicked in. I actually enjoyed it very much and it was strong enough to stay with me the better part of the day. Since the main reason I purchased this bottle was for the fragrance, I was happy with it. My skin on the other hand wasn’t impressed with the treatment and felt irritated for a number of hours thereafter. I should add that after splashing the Bay Rum after shave I also applied a cream after-shave in hopes of soothing the skin. That only partly worked and I am not clear if the alcohol reacted with the cream making things worse. Another test where only the Bay Rum after shave is used will be required to confirm that. The reason why I followed the alcohol based after-shave by a cream one was because during one of my straight razor shaves at the barber, this approach was done quite successfully.
Overall, these are somewhat mixed results; an awesome old-school scent and a bit of shock to your freshly shaved mug.
PS – When shopping at OBSCO, don’t forget to mention or use the STYLE4MEN discount code at check out.
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