PAA - Planet Vetiver.....different batches and different scent strength?

Discussion in 'Preshave and Aftershave' started by Tim Spencer, Nov 6, 2020.

  1. Tim Spencer

    Tim Spencer Well-Known Member

    Hey all,

    I recently bought an aftershave and soap combo of Vetiver Planet from PAA during their clearance/discontinuation of Planet Vetiver. Turns out I 'love' the scent of the aftershave bigtime. But PAA had no more bottles to buy by the time I figured out I wanted to buy more. So, I looked online and found a shop selling Planet Vetiver and order a bottle. I received what looked like watered down juice and no safety seal. So, I wrote an email and they sent out another bottle and the next bottle was only a little darker in color than the first weak looking one and the scent, while smokey, is missing that resinous, slightly sweet tone that is in the clearance bottle I bought.

    Can anyone tell me if they got different bottles of Planet Vetiver with different strengths of scent? I have to tell you that my clearance juice is virtually brown and the stuff I bought from the 3rd party is yellowish. I'm either thinking that the shop watered it down......or maybe PAA have different batches with dramatically different scent power on the resin note. I'm bummed out a little because I REALLY want a backup splash of this amazing aftershave scent. And I'm also looking for a second hand EDP of the scent if someone is willing to sell it.

    Here's a side-by-side of the confirmed PAA-shipped juice on the left and the 3rd party weak sauce on the right:
    [​IMG]

    And here's a pic of all 3. From left the PAA-legit, then the 2nd shipment (a little less faded) and far right it's the totally faded one:
    [​IMG]

    Can anyone else confirm if PAA made different batches with different potency??
     
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2020
    Ijustmissedthe50s and BigD like this.
  2. Weasel640

    Weasel640 Well-Known Member

    I would message them directly and ask. They are normally quick to respond on the chat feature on the site, and facebook.
     
  3. Tim Spencer

    Tim Spencer Well-Known Member

    I sent an email. I'm curious what they will say. Maybe I got some watered down juice? Or maybe PAA made some batches with more resin/stronger?
     
    Ijustmissedthe50s likes this.
  4. Tim Spencer

    Tim Spencer Well-Known Member

    Hello all,

    I had a small email coversation with PAA. See below.

    -------------------------------------------------------
    I wrote:
    I liked Planet Vetiver so much that I searched online and found a 3rd party who was selling PV aftershave, but I received two bottles that look lighter in color than the one I received from PAA on clearance. The scent of the juice I got from PAA directly is strong, resin-dense and the 3rd party shipped juice is only grassy/smoky with almost no resin. Did I get bad juice? Did PAA maybe make different batches with different strengths? I much prefer the dark colored, resinous juice. I attached the picture in this thread to my email.

    Reply from PAA:
    The Vetiver Planet is 100% natural and will vary batch to batch due to this. We're a small artisan handcrafter so we don't buy huge supplies and natural ingredients commonly vary. This is true for Vetiver planet but it is all 100% Vetiver

    I replied:
    Interesting. I want to express if you do a batch in the future, and if you can remember the process/mix you brewed the batch that was recently discontinued (with the darker color), please do it this way the next time. It’s astounding. The resin that leans it a bit more dense and slightly sweet. It’s on par with some of the best fragrances I’ve smelled and if I stuck that juice into a $250 niche bottle with the name brand YSL or Dior or Creed, I have no doubt the fragrance enthusiasts would lose their minds over it. You hit a home run on that batch with me anyway.

    I’m a fan of what you make and appreciate that you put so much work into what you sell. It comes through on our end in enjoyment. I am kind of a picky odd-duck when it comes to fragrances, so when I run into something that’s great, I will go out of my way and even pay hundreds of dollars if necessary to make sure I have enough to last years or more. There is a lot of legitimate talent PAA has in their fragrances from an artistic perspective.

    Reply from PAA:
    Gotcha. I know that late in the game with that scent we found a new supplier that had good quality material who had not been selling previously. So, we're always on the lookout for the best material we can find while keeping the pricing where it needs to be. That doesn't mean that previous batches were “bad” but since we got some new ingredients it changed the color a bit and the material was a bit more unctuous. If we make it again we will use the best we can get, we always do.
    ------------------------------------------------------------------

    I will say this. The older Vetiver Planet aftershave is 'okay', but it is weak sauce compared to the most recent batch. The most recent batch is hearty, smoky, grassy, resinous and slightly sweet. The old batches are more light and grassy with smokey nuances. They smell like different fragrances to me except the grassy notes smell the same and the smoky tones are much lower in the old batches and the slightly sweet resin is nearly completely missing from the old batches and is, IMO, the 'key' to what stole my nose on this one. The old batches smell like a 4 out of 10 fragrance......the most recent batch sold as 'discontinued' is an absolute stunner 10 out of 10 fragrance. So, if PAA releases Planet Vetiver again I will buy a bottle and make sure it's up to the best standard and then I will sing its praises. I think PAA may have given up on this scent because of how it was selling PRIOR to this excellent batch. That old sauce I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't sell the best. The batch I got, jebus krist! That's masculine man grass smell. Puts hair on your chest.
     
  5. Paul Turner

    Paul Turner outside the quote(s) now

    They said they're SMALL???? I'd like to find out how many staffers work there.
     
  6. Weasel640

    Weasel640 Well-Known Member

    Douglas, Fran, and four employees work there total. Employees full time during the work week. When they are super busy Douglas and Fran will work weekends... I think you could consider six total people a small business...
     
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  7. Weasel640

    Weasel640 Well-Known Member

    Also it occurred to me that these newer rectangular bottles should have seals now. Were they all sealed when you got them?
     
    Tim Spencer likes this.
  8. Tim Spencer

    Tim Spencer Well-Known Member

    Actually, they do. My most recent bottles I received from PAA "direct" have a seal on the spout. I think the very earliest version of these bottles didn't have a seal. So, to be fair, I 'have' received multiple bottles in the last couple of years have a seal.
     
  9. Ijustmissedthe50s

    Ijustmissedthe50s The Warnee

    I was really looking forward to the outcome of this thread! Great response to you, from them, Tim. Interesting insight into their processes and vey interesting thread indeed.
     
  10. NTR

    NTR Well-Known Member

    I know PAA has a very dubious history with pretty poor past (early) behaviors. But damn if they don’t make some outstanding AS products. Their scents and performance are among the best I’ve found.

    Soaps are fine, but they have a rubbery ingredient that can gum up my razor, and there are other soaps I prefer more (B&M, WSP, Grooming Dept.).

    Cube works well too.

    Have to admit I like their marketing too. But still don’t condone the early BS.
     

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