Old Spice AS vs knockoffs

I've liked OS aftershave for years, and have several containers about 500 miles away that I haven't picked up yet, but will next trip to the folks. On a whim, decided to pickup a knockoff from Family Dollar. I was pleasantly surprised with the smell, as some replicas are not as close to originals. Slapped some on the other day after a shave, and the wife protested saying that it didn't smell like OS. I guess the question is, has anyone else noticed a difference between these two products or not?

 

I have one of the knock offs from the local supermarket that I think is the same as the one they're selling in the dollar store. It's definitely not the same as the original old spice. It's similar, but not close enough for my liking. There's a certain chemical smell to it. It's not bad, but not really that good. When I finish my bottle, I'm not buying any more of it.

I really liked the original old spice.

 

I have compared several Aftershaves, that are supposed to be similar to Shulton Old Spice. . A very close one is, the Indian made Old Spice, made in Rubicon.
If you like the Shulton Old Spice, then try vintage Avon Spicy. The Avon Spicy is very close, easier to find, and less expensive.

 

My Grandfathers and my Father used Old Spice. I still love the smell.

 

My Grandfathers and my Father used Old Spice. I love the smell, but I am an English Leather Man.

 

My Grandpa and Dad also used Old Spice and I still love it. In the 7th grade I had a big crush on an 8th grader who wore English Leather. Still like that one too... (the scent, not the boy)

 

Being an Old Spice junky, I have tried a few imitations, and I agree that the Indian made Old spice is close. My favorite is the Shulton Old Spice Lime AS and the Cologne. I tried the Indian version of that one and sneezed for an hour. I tossed it. I have enough vintage Shulton Old Spice to,last me a long time, so I will stay away from the new versions.

 

Now if you want to get into the weeds on my beloved Old Spice, I have accumulated the following;

Original formulation (Schulton): From 1938-1990.

Early P&G: (1990-1992): Essentially the same as Schulton, but with the removal of saccharine as one of the ingredients. Less "tart" than Schulton.

First major P&G reformulation: (1992-2007): Added alcohol, less fragrance.

P&G Plastic Bottle re-formulation (2008-present): Same amount of alcohol, substitution of genuine floral extracts for synthetic knock offs.

There's also the Indian version that's floating around. Contrary to popular belief, this is not the original Schulton formula. It is closer to Schulton than the current P&G formulation, however.

If you have a bottle of vintage Schulton that smells just like the current P&G, one of three things have happened- the fragrance has "turned", the bottle has been refilled with modern Old Spice, or your sense of smell is not discerning enough to pick up the difference.

Abstract: Four spice aftershaves (three Old Spice variations and Vijon Spice) were analyzed via headspace-gas chromatography. These aftershaves were compared for similarities across the entire chromatogram. Based on overall similarity, it is concluded that currently produced Shulton Old Spice (a product of India) and vintage Shulton Old Spice are essentially identical. Currently produced P & G Old Spice and Vijon Spice are very similar to each other but differ from the other two.

Introduction: There has been a controversy surrounding the P & G version of Old Spice for some time now. Some users of the Old Spice when it was produced by Shulton in the US believe that the P & G product is different. P & G, it has been claimed, denies any changes in the formulation. Fortunately, Shulton still manufactures Old Spice in India. The author is not aware of any claims that this Shulton product differs in any significant way from how the US Shulton product smelled. Of course, remembering a particular smell from many years ago can be challenging. And so the controversy has remained unresolved. It seems a scientific approach to settle this is required.

The original author took delivery of a headspace analyzer. It seemed that an aftershave (or four) would be an ideal test sample. So after obtaining two samples of Shulton Old Spice and raiding his den for P & G Old Spice and Vijon Spice, he set out to answer the eternal question: Is P & G Old Spice the same as it ever was?
Results: The chromatograms are reproduced below. In all print-outs, Indian Shulton OS is on top, followed by vintage Shulton OS, current P & G OS, and finally the Vijon Spice. Not shown are the regions where the ethanol and propylene glycol (PG) eluted. All four AS have the same amount of alcohol. The three OS samples also all had the same amount of the glycol. The Vijon sample contained roughly one half the amount of PG relative to the other three samples.

In the first section of the chromatograms, we see the early eluters. These are relatively volatile components and would probably be part of the top notes. As you can see,between 7 and 8 minutes, the two Shulton samples have three small peaks that are almost entirely absent from the P & G and Vijon samples. In addition, the peaks at 8.5 minutes have dramatically different shapes. The P & G and Vijon samples tail badly in this region, whereas the Shulton products do not. These are probably different molecules that happen to co-elute. Likewise at 9 minutes, again the peak shapes are different. This time, the P & G sample stands out by itself.

Between 10 and 14 minutes we find differences across all four samples. The peak at 11.3 minutes is missing in the vintage OS, but present in the other three. And then at 12.9 and 13.8 minutes, the P & G product is missing peaks present in the other OS samples. Overall, though, it appears that the vintage and current Shulton products are more similar in this region relative to the other two samples.

Between 14 and 18 minutes we have some high boilers. These would probably represent the base notes. In this region, the P & G and Vijon samples have significant peaks that are mostly or wholly absent from the two Shulton samples.

And finally, between 18 and 20 minutes, the P & G and Vijon samples show a small peak that is absent from the Shulton samples/

Conclusions: The current Shulton and vintage Shulton products, overall, are very similar. What small differences exist between them may possibly be attributed to the age of the sample or point to a natural variation in components in some essential oil. It is the author's opinion that Shulton is using the same recipe in India that was used to manufacture the vintage sample. The P & G Old Spice appears to be significantly different from the other two Old Spice samples.

I believe that there may be some evidence here for a change in recipe sometime between when the vintage Old Spice was produced and the current recipe. Whether that supposed change occurred before or after P & G obtained the product line is impossible to say. Finally, it appears that the Vijon flavors and fragrances chemists have done an admirable job at reproducing the current P & G product.

Any cologne is going to suffer do to degradation of volatiles over a 20 year time period even if the cap is left on. It could be possible that a 20 year old volatile product stored in a non controlled environment has the exact same comp and concentrations, even the alcohol, as a product just off the line.

I have used Old Spice for awhile and never liked the scent of the Indian version or the Dollar store version.

It seems that no one was throwing conspiracies out there when American Cyanamid bought Shulton in the 70's, but with the internet P&G has become the new Illuminati. Maybe our forefathers didn't care that much and just rolled with the punches better.

All formulations are refined and changed over time to decrease cost, increase shelf life etc. This includes P&G, American Cyanamid and, yes, even Shulton.

P&G only outsourced the shaving lines to United Razor. The fragrance, cleanser and deodorant line were kept in-house. If anything it is probably made by the same partners (Symrise, Givaudan or one of the other big 6) who make the other P&G Prestige Products fragrances. (Gucci, Dulce & Gabbana, Hugo, Dunhill etc. )

Interesting fact is it is still bottled under contract by KiKCorp. They bottled the original product under Shulton before they were purchased by P&G.

The Spice Is NICE!!!!!!​

 

Dang! That is one heck of a write up. Thank you for clearing up the whole vintage/ modern OS conundrum.

 

Yep... what he said .

 

Your welcome! Like I said I'm an Old Spice junky. You can find some more cool facts at this site, but be careful if you fall down the Old Spice rabbit hole it can cost.
http://www.oldspicecollectibles.com/

 

Now, to confuse you more. Does this Proctor & Gamble Shulton Old Spice, have the same great smell? Or, has it been changed, even though it says Shulton, and was manufactured in 1993?
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/jMEAAOSwmmxW5c-S/$_3.JPG

 

You guys are awesome! @ObiDon thanks a bunch for the research. Looks like I'll be ordering some Shulton at some point.

"The spice extends life, the spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital for space travel." -Dune

(Youtube link to a trance track following the theme of this post)

 

can pics be added to thedetailed report, just to be able to post and identify the old spices?

 

Have you tried the Avon spicy and the Avon brisk spicy and what do you think

 

Sorry no graphs! It was a couple of years ago, and I can't find the report now.

 

According to the report;
Early P&G: (1990-1992): Essentially the same as Schulton, but with the removal of saccharine as one of the ingredients. Less "tart" than Schulton.

First major P&G reformulation: (1992-2007): Added alcohol, less fragrance.

 

No I haven't, but my quest is over, having found enough vintage Shulton Old Spice on the bay to satisfy my cravings.

 

I've yet to try the Old Spice lime but the Rubicon formulation of Old Spice Musk from India has become a personal favorite. You might find the story of how I got my hands on it very interesting:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...inal-Old-Spice-amp-Old-Spice-Musk-Aftershaves!

I'm almost ready to order a few new bottles off of Ebay. I'm beginning to find the USA Classic OS Aftershave vs. India Original OS debate wearing thin because, in my opinion, the USA Classic Old Spice Cologne smells spicier than both and has more longevity. I would also like to try the Old Spice Original aftershave and EdT that's made in the UK and the EU as well. The Original EdT isn't produced in the USA or India, and that must be even stronger than the Classic cologne.

 

Hi All,
Just reading through comments and wanted to add that we can get original Old Spice over here in UK as "cheap as chips"
150ml bottle of original is £5.50 ( that's $7.97 US )
I would be interested to know what you guys are paying for an iconic US scent in the USA?
www.wilko.com, have a butchers