The smooth beard oils by Henri et Victoria
The beard oils on the test bench this week are the ones by our friends over at “Henri et Victoria”. This is a brand that caught my interest in a big way a few years back. Obviously, the brand presentation is top notch and the healthy composition of their products seals the deal, but the fact that “Henri et Victoria” are from my home town of Gatineau just gave them a privilege spot in my grooming cabinet.
“Henri et Victoria” (H&V) has been invested in the classic wet shaving since 20xx, but they also produce beard oils. I recently was able to catch up with the folks of H&V and picked a couple of beard oils to explore and feature. The aromas we are working with are: Deuce and “Coeur de Vetiver”.
The bottles are dark blue which stays in line with their unmistakable blue and white branding/packaging.
As a side note, have you ever wondered why beard oils generally come in a dark tinted bottle? It is not because there is something to hide, but rather something to protect. Most natural oils will break down and age prematurely when exposed to light. The dark hue is simply to limit the amount of light reaching the contents.
The extremely short and healthy ingredient list is something my skin and beard loves. Click the ingredient links below to see for yourself what these oils are know for. The oils selected here are among the absolute best for skin/hair care and are also my favorites. 
- Jojoba oil
- Argan oil
- Coconut oil
- Grapeseed oil
- Tocopherol (vitamin E)
- Parfum
Aside from the healthy ingredient selection, H&V is also an impressive fragrances brand. The first scent of theirs I worked with was their cognac and Cuban cigar. I had bought their roll-on and was immediately mesmerized by the depth and quality of the experience. I felt like I was transported back to the Cuba of the 50’s and I was enjoying a cohiba at the bar. To this day, this fragrance is my measuring stick for a tobacco / rum / cognac fragrance. Check that review out here!
“Henri et Victoria” offers the following fragrances:
- Duc de santal
- Nautilus
- Cognac and Cuban Cigar
- Deuce
- Coeur de Vetiver
Deuce is one of their fragrances I had not smelt yet and Coeur de Vetiver is an entirely new fragrance to the H&V line.
It is important to mention that H&V markets these oils as a 3 in 1: pre-shave oil, shave oil and beard oil. For the purpose of this review, we are focusing on it’s “beard oil” mandate. From my experience a quality beard oil usually performs beautifully as a shave oil.
Performance
The main thing you want your beard oil to do is to moisturize your mug! Read that as alleviate that pesky beard itch. These beard oils have you fully covered in that department! A couple of drops of each cheek and I was feeling smooth all day long! Since H&V are working with high quality oils, they are absorbed quickly leaving no oily/greasy mess on your face or fingers. Then gets busy on bringing back some life to your beard hair and mug. Basically, I want my beard to be that silent hard working partner and this is what I got.
Rating
Here is the score card (on a scale of 5) for this beard oil:
- Composition: 5+
- Aroma: 4.5 (Delicious fragrances – I just want more of it)
- Performance: 5+
Fragrance
As mentioned above H&V hold a special place with us because of some of their fragrances, so it was great anticipation that I opened these bottles up. First off since we are working top quality oils and their scent is minimal. That said, enough fragrance still needs to be added to the concoction for it to completely take over and actually become a scented beard oil. Check! H&V is a proper scented oil.
Coeur de Vetiver
Obviously based on the name, the inspiration is vetiver. Vetiver is classic gentleman’s fragrance. The educated noses at fragrantica.com classify it in the woods and mosses group and provide the following description: The best features of vetiver are the aromatic verdancy, the fragrant rootiness, the subtle, refreshing citrusiness, the enjoyable earthiness, a wonderful hint of woodiness…
To my nose, Coeur de Vetiver is certainly green and woody, but is also very sweet and warm as well. In fact I might say that the sweetness is what comes out more. The green elements could be taken for lemon grass. The sweet element gives it an interesting twist and some uniqueness. It is very pleasing and soothing. Yes, as in a calming effect.
Deuce
As per H&V the inspiration for this fragrance was the need for distinguished athletes to say cool and alert. The scent profile is: notes of citrus lime, middle notes of lavender and aquatic floral, tomato leaf and cool aquatics highlight.
To my nose, I get the following: powdery, bitter, floral, fruity, and fresh. It is an uncomplicated and fresh fragrance that send positives vibes down your spine. This is certainly a scent profile that will appeal to the sporty types.
Longevity
I use beard oil for the moisturizing properties but also for its aromatic bonus. As I mentioned many times before, beard oil is the bearded man’s aftershave! Gauging the right amount of fragrance is a balancing act and you will not be able to please everyone. Either you will be putting too much fragrance or not enough. Sadly, I am in the second group with these ones. The fragrances are so pleasing that I feel jipped to not be getting a more intense kick. Actually, my comment here is two folds, the fragrances could be stronger and could also last longer. The fragrances lasted about an hour on me. I am not expecting my beard oil to replace my cologne, but I am greedy and would like more. J
Closing Remarks
Without a doubt H&V is bringing forward incredibly high quality beard oils to the table that are well presented and inviting. The performance is top notch and I wasn’t disappointed. The fragrances are original and well crafted. If anything I want more. Note to self, buy their roll-on fragrance!
