SOTD by u/cowzilla3

Jun. 4, 2024 - When Does a Scent Become a Note?

• Prep: Shower, Baxter Shave Tonic
• Brush: Unknown Boar
• Razor: Blackland Blackbird OC
• Blade: Personna Platinum (1)
• Lather: Ginger's Garden - Old Spice Type
• Post Shave: Old Spice Classic (US)

I have espoused on this subject before when discussing OLd Spice and will leave it up to the judges (wise and correct may they always be) to decide but a day like today once again begs the question: Can a scent be a note? If one were to make the argument that it could, I can think of no other scent better suited to do so than Old Spice. I would argue that there are three factors that could turn a scent (a compilation of notes merged into one thing) into a note (a singular smell) and that Old Spice easily checks all three of these.

1. Ubiquity - For a scent to become a note it needs to be so universal that it is recognized instantly as that scent. You smell a note of Lemon, you know its Lemon. You smell a note of Cinnamon, you know its cinnamon. Etc. (All assuming, of course, you've smelled the smell before). In order for a scent to accomplish that feat and turn into a note it must then be as ubiquitous as a note itself. Old Spice is such a scent. It may, in fact, be the only such scent given the lack of agreement around what a Barbershop or even Bay Rum smells like. Old Spice, though, is Old Spice.
2. Use - A note must be used! One may argue that something such as the scent of Tabac could be a note, given its distinct scent profile and the inability by any human to understand what collection of scents could possibly create its unique perfume, but Tabac is very rarely used as a note outside of Tabac. Scent makers must use a note to build scents, not just as a duplication. Yes, you could have a Lemon shave soap but Lemon is also used to build more scents. Notes are used in the construction of more robust scents, not just as scents themselves. Old Spice is used as such on a regular basis (Nearly 1 out of every 4 soaps with Old Spice in them use it as a note with other scents).
3. Description - A note must be escribed as such. To continue our Lemon and Cinnamon example from above, when those are notes in a soap they are just listed as such, without further explanation of what the scent is or a breakdown. One may even chuckle at the idea of trying to break down Lemon scent (there a notes of... lemon in here with some... lemon... and lemon). Ho ho! What fun! Now, I will be the first to admit that there are multiple soap makers out there who break down Old Spice into its "notes" when listing their dupes. However, there are just as many who do not, simply stating Old Spice as the only note with no explanation of its components or using it alongside other notes that they have combined (Ginger's Garden, which I've used today, does the former only describing the scent as Old Spice on its select a scent page. Something like Chiseled Face Trade Winds does the latter). We can clearly see here that these soapers consider Old Spice as a note, not a scent for the list it alongside other notes.
4. u/OnionMiasma Is the worst. He does not wear Old Spice. I think that should have been my first sign that his friendship was fake and that he would turn on me the moment I forgot to send one tiny smush in the mail. This has nothing to do with my argument but I felt it should be noted. He'll probably show up in the comments trying to argue against this. Just ignore him.

Now that I've laid out these facts, I think we can all agree that Old Spice is a note, not a scent and that OnionMiasma is terrible. Thank for coming to my TED Talk.

**Jun. 4, 2024 - When Does a Scent Become a Note?**

* **Prep:** Shower, Baxter Shave Tonic
* **Brush:** Unknown Boar
* **Razor:** Blackland Blackbird OC
* **Blade:** Personna Platinum (1)
* **Lather:** Ginger's Garden - Old Spice Type
* **Post Shave:** Old Spice Classic (US)

I have espoused on [this subject before](https://www.reddit.com/r/Wetshaving/comments/1b6clpn/the_great_spice_off_phoenix_artisan_accouterments/) when discussing OLd Spice and will leave it up to the judges (wise and correct may they always be) to decide but a day like today once again begs the question: Can a scent be a note? If one were to make the argument that it could, I can think of no other scent better suited to do so than Old Spice. I would argue that there are three factors that could turn a scent (a compilation of notes merged into one thing) into a note (a singular smell) and that Old Spice easily checks all three of these.

1. Ubiquity - For a scent to become a note it needs to be so universal that it is recognized instantly as that scent. You smell a note of Lemon, you know its Lemon. You smell a note of Cinnamon, you know its cinnamon. Etc. (All assuming, of course, you've smelled the smell before). In order for a scent to accomplish that feat and turn into a note it must then be as ubiquitous as a note itself. Old Spice is such a scent. It may, in fact, be the only such scent given the lack of agreement around what a Barbershop or even Bay Rum smells like. Old Spice, though, is Old Spice.
2. Use - A note must be used! One may argue that something such as the scent of Tabac could be a note, given its distinct scent profile and the inability by any human to understand what collection of scents could possibly create its unique perfume, but Tabac is very rarely used as a note outside of Tabac. Scent makers must use a note to build scents, not just as a duplication. Yes, you could have a Lemon shave soap but Lemon is also used to build more scents. Notes are used in the construction of more robust scents, not just as scents themselves. Old Spice is used as such on a regular basis (Nearly 1 out of every 4 soaps with Old Spice in them use it as a note with other scents).
3. Description - A note must be escribed as such. To continue our Lemon and Cinnamon example from above, when those are notes in a soap they are just listed as such, without further explanation of what the scent is or a breakdown. One may even chuckle at the idea of trying to break down Lemon scent (there a notes of... lemon in here with some... lemon... and lemon). Ho ho! What fun! Now, I will be the first to admit that there are multiple soap makers out there who break down Old Spice into its "notes" when listing their dupes. However, there are just as many who do not, simply stating Old Spice as the only note with no explanation of its components or using it alongside other notes that they have combined (Ginger's Garden, which I've used today, does the former only describing the scent as Old Spice on its select a scent page. Something like Chiseled Face Trade Winds does the latter). We can clearly see here that these soapers consider Old Spice as a note, not a scent for the list it alongside other notes.
4. u/OnionMiasma Is the worst. He does not wear Old Spice. I think that should have been my first sign that his friendship was fake and that he would turn on me the moment I forgot to send one tiny smush in the mail. This has nothing to do with my argument but I felt it should be noted. He'll probably show up in the comments trying to argue against this. Just ignore him.

Now that I've laid out these facts, I think we can all agree that Old Spice is a note, not a scent and that OnionMiasma is terrible. Thank for coming to my TED Talk.