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Why is that Stuff in your After Shave?

dangerousdon

dangerousdon

"I am Udderly Insufferable”
Veteran
Concierge Emeritus
We splash it on, we glob it on, we smear it, we slather it, and some of us "GLUG" it. We love our post shave products. But do we really know what is in that aftershave. And more importantly...at least I think it's important...why is it in there?

Post Shave Products have a wide array of ingredients. Some of them I know what they are. Others I can at least read them. Many I need a lab manual to figure out what covalent bond is shared between what two electrons (not a science guy so I know I got this wrong...but you get the idea). Either way...each ingredient has a reason to be there...right?

Well, I figured what better way to learn than to get a thread going. I am not the expert on these matters, but hopefully I can enlist the help of those who know (paging Doctors @CBLSoap.com @LNHC @Dragonsbeard @Joe Hackett @Victory~Dale @Mystic Water soap and @Marco SV ...and any others that might have knowledge of why specific ingredients are used in post shave products).

General audience please feel free to ask questions or post responses and hopefully with the collective knowledge of The Cadre...we can figure this out!
 
Recently I have been gifted a few bottles of @CBLSoap.com After Shave Tonic. Honestly I had no idea what to think of it...that is until I tried it. This stuff is seriously one of the best...if not the best...post shave product I have tried. It can turn an irritated razor burned face into skin that feels like he just had the best shave of his life. So I looked at what was in this great tonic. I wasn't shocked at all to find some really good products...but I was shocked to find so many really good products for the skin:

Kosher Ethanol, Aloe Vera, Witch Hazel, Apricot Kernel Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Oleyl Alcohol, Fragrance, Jojoba Oil, Abyssinian Oil, Argan Oil, Meadow foam Seed Oil, Red Raspberry Seed Oil, Rosehip Oil, Neossance™ Squalane, Hyaluronic Acid, Alantoin, Aristoflex, PolyMulse, WS-5

Now...some of these things I know of...others I may not. But all seem to be good nourishing ingredients for the skin. So...just wondering what The Cadre thinks of this?
 
Okay...let's start with Meadow Foam Seed Oil. The little bit I gleamed from the Inter Webz it seems like this particular oil can absorb rather quickly and lock moisture in. It's also made up of a lot of long chain fatty acids so that makes it a really stable oil.
 
SteveChuckFrank said:
Great topic @dangerousdon! I don’t know anything about most of the ingredients in my aftershaves/balms (or soaps for that matter!) I just assume that if I can pronounce it, it can’t be that bad right?!? 🤪
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To be honest...I think most of us are in that boat. When you look at the laundry list of ingredients that you can't pronounce in the commercially available products...it stands to reason that when you kind of know what something is and can pronounce it...then it has to be better for you...right?

I'm just at the point where I kind of want to know WHY something is in there.
 
Great topic. I just had to look up Neossance™ Squalane

“Occurring naturally in the skin's lipid layers, it prevents transepidermal water loss while restoring the skin's suppleness and flexibility.

this GMO-free, sugar-based, ecologically green product could only previously be sourced from controversial shark liver 🤔 ... (or olive oil)”
 
witches_brew_by_ka7-d39fv62.jpg
 
Great topic! I always wondered - are certain ingredients added to address a specific task? Like x oil promotes healing....y ingredient is focused to soften skin
 
For ours

1. Aloe -- soothes skin irritation and aids in repair (among other things, but these are the two main benefits)
2. Witch hazel -- soothes irritation. It's a vasoconstrictor, so it reduces inflammation and tightens skin. Also has astringent properties (and works great as a standalone toner). Has a pungent characteristic odor that fades quickly once applied.
3. Glycerin -- humectant. Draws moisture to your skin and helps counteract the drying nature of ethanol.
4. Hydrovance (INCI NAME: hydroxyethyl urea) -- a more powerful humectant that helps keep skin from drying out. Also aids in cell turnover (gently sloughing off dead cells). In proper quantities, can help skin retain supple nature.

The ethanol is there to keep the fragrance in suspension and work as an antiseptic. There's an argument to be had there about whether you should slap alcohol on your skin, but I leave that to others to talk about. I enjoy the sting of alcohol - both on my face and down the back of my throat. Helps remind me I'm alive.

Fragrance and essential oils are there just for you and your olfactory pleasure (and the pleasure of your significant other when they get right up in your jaw area). Some aftershaves will project further than that, but it's not meant to be nor should it be considered a cheap alternative to a cologne, EdT, or EdP. If you want something that will project and last more than a short time, pony up and get a bottle of something designed for sending the smell to the noses of others. Don't buy a $13 dollar bottle of Executive Man aftershave and then complain that it doesn't have the depth, sillage or longevity of your Aventus A4210G01C whatever batch that you have been hanging onto for a decade. (excuse the rant. I literally just dealt with that in an email and deal with it far more often than I would have ever thought possible).
 
Joe Hackett said:
If you want something that will project and last more than a short time, pony up and get a bottle of something designed for sending the smell to the noses of others. Don't
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Maybe I’m using too much (I like to “glug” like @dangerousdon) but your aftershaves will usually hang around for almost an entire day. Maybe they don’t project like a cologne, EdT, or EdP would, but I feel like I get more than my money’s worth with your splashes. That’s why I have so many of them! 😂😂😂
 
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