"Why Some Aftershaves Cost More Than Others" w/ Douglas Smythe of Phoenix Shaving
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.ย. 2024
- phoenixshaving.com
[Originally Recorded Live For Facebook]
A clunky little video I threw together in an effort to demystify what really goes into creating my aftershave/colognes.
This video should add a little more insight into the process of why certain artisan products cost more than others.
For more entertaining/educational Wet Shaving Media also check out:
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douglassmythe.com
I've spent about a year looking for old school colognes and a really good Bay Rum. Long story short I was about to give up and came across a TH-cam video describing your products. The fact that you can buy everything you need in a single scent can't be replicated anywhere else. Im new to your products but im a life long customer for sure! Keep doing what you do man. You have die hard customers that aren't going anywhere.
Shucks, thanks man! (And thank you very much for your support!)
Douglas, I always knew the quality of your product came from a more elaborate process than other products. Thanks for highlighting some of it for us. Stay inspired..... Everyone benefits 👍
Very interesting and enlightening. I have to try some now
Doug this was one of the coolest videos I've ever seen. the labor and passion you put into your products is inspiring, hope you make more vids like this !
thanks Herman! As you can tell this was really just thrown together, in fact ripped from a live facebook feed...so i'm sorry for the quality! :)
Cool video, thank you for sharing your process with us.
Thanks for sharing your aftershave manufacturing process. It's clearly a labor intensive endeavour that's done with passion. It was interesting and educational to see how your aftershaves are scented. I'm glad you don't replace ingredients with fragrance oils or pre-made mixes, as it's what makes your products unique. Keep up the good work!
Just imagine how long it takes to make Eau De Parfum compared to the aftershave process.
Thanks for taking the time to post this. glad to see there are people out there with this kind of passion for their craft.
NickMach007 thank you sir, that means a lot!
Glad you choose to make your stuff with care I've loved everything I've gotten from PAA
Thanks for putting so much work into your products. It's really obvious in my rotation your stuff is the best. Reviewers out there with agendas be damned. We got your back.
I am glad you posted this to show all the work you put in. Your droid black and atomic bay rum are in my regular rotation as are boomtown and meta nectar shampoo. Honestly I have found that the bar soap is the best way to try out a scent. Love your products and the ck6 soaps.
you sir are a true artian and craftsman. I wish we could get it shipped to the UK at a reasonable price.
very cool. I will buy your products with confidence now.
Thanks for watching my man!
Great review! It's totally awesome to see how your aftershaves are made. Before seeing this video I had no idea how much work you put into making an aftershave. I'm totally impressed. Keep up the great work my friend. I love your aftershaves. They are the BEST!
👍AWSOME VIDEO Douglas👍I admire you, and I Appreciate your time , hard work , effort, your passion and what you do to put in all your top notch products. Your the man brother!!!
Great video. I had no idea about this process. I think your product is great and worth every penny. My very first shave soap and aftershave cologne was Gondolier. It was also my first time using a safety razor and entering the world of traditional wet shaving. I've since used many of your products. Thanks very much.
Wow, really interesting... Thanks for sharing, Dale 🇬🇧
np brother!
Thanks for sharing this video. Any plans on sharing any more videos like this?
Malcolm Maxwell i’m not sure. This vid was done in reaction to customer confusion. I don’t really see much of that in any other product. But thank you so much for watching and commenting my friend!
I don’t care why your aftershaves cost a little more I’m def paying the extra! I LOVE PAA aftershaves!!!! Soooooo good. I do have around 6000 loyalty points I need to use :)
Atomic pumpkin FTW!!!!
I want a damn sample pack of every aftershave you make!! You would be surprised how much joy your aftershaves have added to my life. Wish I could say it’s added to my wife’s life but sadly she lost her sense of smell in a coma 😩 many years ago. But she still likes the fact that she KNOWS I smell amazing when I’m wearing PAA!
I love the artistry you do! It’s truly an art!
b H hey thanks man, we appreciate that!
Can't imagine how much I enjoyed watching this video. Twenty years ago I was doing the same thing as an amateur. I was working in a botanical garden and had made myself a still (I hope this is the correct word in English). It was for the medicinal virtues not for the perfumes. For house perfumes I used a perfume burner with candle and resins (Olibanum, Benzoin, etc....). I loved drying the skin of clementines after removing the white skin with a knife. I mixed the Copal resin with the dry skin in the perfume burner, so simple and so good. OK I'll stop there, I'm French, I'm waiting for an order from you, it's in the air and I already have several of your products at home. I didn't need to be convinced to like your products but now I congratulate myself on having such good taste. Je vous souhaite longue vie.
Ahh once a perfumer always a perfumer! Thanks for your support Olish and kind words!
Amazing! I love seeing how it’s done. Great video bro. Blessed be
Very nice, Douglas. Thanks for the inside peek into perfumery.
thanks for watching my man!
Thanks for sharing, Douglas. it's videos like this that assist of us and future consumers or aspiring Artisans the work it takes to put together products. Great video, I have reshared it via Social Media.
very cool glimpse behind the scenes. lots of work but so worth it, keep it up!
New customer here. Just got your Autumn Factory and Blue Shamain in the mail today. Both smell great. Fun to see the process of how stuffs made.
RICHARD Clark thanks for your support sir and i wish u many a close shave!
Really cool to see stuff behind the scenes. The Heisenberg of shaving supplies :)
i'm uncertain of that. :)
This was so cool to see the inner workings of the matrix. Wearing Al Fin is like wearing a fine work of art. The price is more than justified. Your selections are works like that of Bach, Mozart or Sonic Youth Daydream Nation. It's not a flippin' $5 splash, it's an experience.
zkbutler ha! I knew Thurston when I lived in Amherst! You are too kind my friend!!!
Very cool video Douglas! I kept watching the walls looking for your huge manual power switch, I'm sure you have one in there somewhere!
I remember a video you did quite a while ago (podcast maybe) on how to make your own bay rum aftershave at home with almost no equipment - watching this makes me want to look that up and give it a try. I still think your bay rum recipe is the best. Shave on!
Oh yes, that's a classic vid! Thanks for watching +neighbortim, you rock!
Doug sangre de drago is becoming one of my favorite scents from a bunch of samples I purchased from your fine company. That scent is dark, luxurious, masculine, and mysterious, i should be wearing a 1k suit while wearing it and smoking a fine cigar with a fine whiskey.
Thanks for the insight Douglas, I'm sure few people had any idea (including me) of what's involved in making a quality aftershave 😌👏
Douglas, this is amazing. I can't wait to try your products. First shipment should arrive next week. Keep up the great work!
OMrRapture thank u sir and thanks for the support! You rock!
Thanks for this “in the shop” behind the scenes, and for the effort/work you put into your products!
Perhaps there’s already one for the aging process for those aged offerings, if not that would be a cool in depth look at that part of the process. Thanks again!
Aaron Stone i can hand over all the keys! But i appreciate your interest my friend!
😂 you possess knowledge and creativity that I do not my friend, but I appreciate them greatly and have a thirst to understand the products I use.
I’ll just watch, like at the restaurants where they create the food in front of you.
Wow!!! This is incredible! 😍
I know this video is old, but I'm still commenting. My grandfather blew glass at Vanderbilt for the chemistry department. This reminds me off his shop. True chemistry going on here
Thank you so much for that behind the scenes look. Amazing stuff!
Love this video. Kinda says it all.
I appreciate that brother! (My lowest budget flick to date!) lol
It's great to see the respect you have for the craft! It is a time intensive process.... Stay true to the process & Thanks for sharing:-)
I completely see how your efforts add to the cost of the aftershaves. I would still like to see a lower price overall, and would understand a higher price on those that are more labor intensive.
Keith Bertrand my aftershaves range from 15- 29 depending upon what’s involved. I think that’s more than fair.
Douglas Smythe I guess I haven't seen anything less then 25. I thought they were all priced the same.
Keith Bertrand no sir...now go directly to my site and spend an hour checking stuff out! :) All kidding aside, as I mention in my vid, I make perfume...and a typical cologne, edt, edc, etc go for double the price typically. I could easily remove half the ingredients, offer it in smaller bottles, think 2 oz, call it an edt and charge much more...but I don’t. Soooo in the end, you are already getting a HUGE deal. We have always offered high quality and value at more than a fair price, across the board; from our razors, soaps to scuttles, etc...my aftershave/cologne are no different. Hope this makes more sense (scents) brother! Shave on!
Douglas.... Thank you for this up close and personal look at what you do... The creative process involved in your aftershaves! I don't think there's any debate that your AS's are clearly worth the $25 price. Now with that said (and please keep in mind I own well over 20 PAA/CK AS's) some people just don't want to or can't afford to pay $25 for an AS. For me, I'm one that discontinued the purchase of AS's over $20. While I no doubt respect the process of what you do (and your passion more than anything) but what my face feels for a $15-20 AS (with alcohol, witch hazel, aloe Vera, essential/frag oil, menthol) is very little difference in the face feel that I recieve from any other AS despite the creative process. But again, I appreciate the video and what you do... Thanks!
no harm, no foul my man! Whatever gives you what you're going for! Life's to short, shave and let shave! :)
This is one of the neatest videos I’ve seen you do sir!
I really enjoyed it. I did not know that the formula changes 😮
I don’t understand how certain products lock in the scents?
Adventures with Conrad i’m not certain what you are referring too exactly but I will assume you are talking about fixative action? A fixative is used to equalize the vapor pressures, and thus the volatilities, of the raw materials in a perfume oil, as well as to increase the tenacity. If I misunderstood feel free to DM brother!
Doug I love your products , could you lead me in the direction of how you make your products at home like you do ?
That's insane! Thanks for putting out this video! I love watching this process 💙
Looks like quite an amazing process! Would a vacuum filter speed things up? You have your hands full bro.
I have been Fluting my filter lately after someone recommended it here and it's made a huge difference already. But thanks for the tip, I will look into it! Happy New Year!
+Douglas Smythe sounds great! You have a Happy New Year as well. Stay safe.
It's Young Dr Frankenstein!! Ha Ha. Keep up the good work Douglas. Love your aftershaves.
Really excellent, your lab looks like it is scientific! I would like to visit it to see how you are making the soaps too! But I am on the other side of Atlantic!
I just bought Malboge soap. Now I don''t really know which is better for me! Cavendish or Malboge!???
Ahh you like the Pipe Tobacco scents I spy! No need to pick favorites brother, love 'em all without limitation! lol --- Let me know when you're in Arizona bud and we will make that happen! :)
And I want you to know that I don't even smoke!
Thanks! But when I come there, no soap will be left to sell! :)
Your soaps last and last! I do 4 passes and still there is great amount in the puck! I load really hard but no prob!
I worked in a lab when I was young and we have to sieve dirt. So I started with a 1" sieve and worked my way down to 200 sieve which is 200 openings per inch, esentally baby powder type material. maybe you should try and filter that way and I bet it would be faster.
I see your process here, but how long does it take to come up with the scents themselves, and how do you finally arrive at the specific ratios that go into the ingredients of the scents? Have you done a video on that? Knowing you, I can only imagine all of the trial and error that goes into it, and being an artist at some point you need Fran to tell you to "put down the brush, it's done!"
James Judy 3 lol, i did do a live vid QnA type thing yesterday. Its part 2 on my fbook wall!
Interesting video! Have you ever tried fluting (folding) your filter paper to get the filtration to speed up? I do that in the lab when I have that problem.
armuci that is the best advice ever! Thank you so much for that armuci! I will get back to you soon on my results! You rock!!!!
Well.... did it help???? Seems like more surface area would aid in the speed!
Really cool! I have always wanted to learn to make fragrances. Did you go to school to learn this or self taught?
Amazing.
this video is great. thx
You get what you pay for and PAA are putting out a quality product. I own several
i will wear Sangre de Draco with even more pride..
Coffee Drinker amen!
Haha, deflowered. 😅
Pretty amazing. I've been wanting to get into purfuming as a hobby. What would a basic setup for someone just starting cost? I would assume it's very expensive.
no idea, I built mine from the ground up and the one in the vid is a bit downsized.
I figured it was pieced together from random places. That was really cool, thanks for showing. Ever done an enfleurage?
I did in a class years ago! Excellent, potent results and a lot of fun. I smelled like lavender for a week!
Haha, right on! Thanks for your time, man. 😀
Very cool! A bit Off Topic but which aftershave of yours do you consider to be the longest lasting (scent)?
oh geesh....honestly, they are all designed to be long lasting. This might be a better question for the forums? Thanks for watching sir!
A little plug for their aftershaves. I own five of them and I will put any of them against your mass marketed EDT's on the market and they use a lot of synthetic crap.
I too would love to know. That’s a big reason I love your aftershaves. The longevity of the scent! If the EDP wasn’t so high I’d buy a ton of them but I just put your aftershave in an atomizer and bring it with me!! I’m not too sure how much longer the EDP lasts than your aftershave though. That I would be interested in finding out. Although.... could use loyalty points and get 25$ off 😍
Never for one moment have I resented paying for your unique scents. After seeing that you are doing your own distilling, that is very impressive. By the way, you can thank the other half of my heritage, the Arabs for being the first to distill for perfumes and to be specific, rose scents. Excellent, excellent video.
Tony Marinelli i love me some classic Attar!
Douglas Smythe Oh yes!!!
Can you post up a recipe for that cheaper AS? 😀👍🏻
vio0633 ahhh, someone wants to push the easy button! :)
Douglas Smythe I got a bunch of your stuff here at the house and love it! You atomic bay rum is nice! That grapefruit menthol splash sounded nice so I had to ask 😀
lol, just raz'n ya brother!
This is a great video as it is very interesting to see the behind the scenes, but truthfully it is sad that you need to make a 12 minute video to explain to brain-dead people who complain about price as though it is all about revenue. If it were all about profit, why don't people raise prices by 100% and just get more revenue? Do people not realize there is a lot to a price other than profit? Do people think profit margins are infinite? If price is too high, people won't buy it and the seller will suffer just as he/she would if price is set too low. What would bother someone more, if a seller sells an AS for $50 that cost $48 to make or sells an AS for $10 that cost $1 to make? In that example, the profit margin on the cheap aftershave is so much greater than the expensive aftershave? So in that case, isn't the seller of the cheap aftershave "taking advantage" of customers? People should never complain about price. In a competitive market, price is mostly determined by DEMAND and not by SUPPLY.
Beautiful W😲W
Hopefully this silences the ill-informed, negativity you've been experiencing regarding the more than fair pricing of your aftershave/colognes. No other artisan post shave last as long. Which should be enough proof for the sensible. But there are those who let ignorance play a huge part of their lives. Cheers, Douglas, you shouldn't have to justify your pricing- but I hope it parlays into increased sales, and popularity. Thank you for generously posting.
The Walter White of Perfuming.. Yah SCIENCE!
Mad scientist 👨🏼🔬
Wow. I have a much better idea of what you get up to when making your aftershaves. You're not just a marketing cyborg, here's the proof! ^_^
James Judy 3 lol, no sir i work my tail off!