Let’s talk about ladies wet shaving. With that first sentence alone, statistics would show me that about 80% of people have checked out at this point. When you consider that, it’s easy to see why information on this subject is so sparse. 

As a seasoned wet shaver with over a decade of experience, I’ve come to understand what, I think, makes a great shaving soap for men. However, when it comes to recommending shaving soap for women, I’ve found myself at a loss. Sure, I could name a few traditionally “feminine-scented” soaps off the top of my head, but did I truly understand what women look for in a shaving soap? That's where my little marketing research project came into play.

Living with a group of ladies provided the perfect opportunity to gain a little better insight into women's shaving preferences. Armed with an array of shaving soaps from my own collection, I embarked on a scent-centric experiment to uncover what resonated most with the ladies in my family. 

Now, before we dive in, it's important to acknowledge a couple of limitations. Firstly, this experiment focused solely on scent, not the quality of the shave itself. With a collection of premium shave soaps at my disposal, I could confidently assume that the shave performance was top-tier across the board. Secondly, my soap collection leans towards traditional masculine scents.That being said, my collection is quite… ahem… extensive, and I feel just about all scent areas were represented. 

I lined up my collection of shaving soaps, ranging from modern cologne dupes to old school classics and invited the ladies to partake in a good ol' fashioned sniff test.

I was surprised by the results. When one typically thinks of women's soaps, scents like lavender and rose often come to mind. While those sent notes are present in this list, most of the soaps here are far from what you might typically consider. Here are the five favorite soaps, as chosen by the women in my life, listed in no particular order:

1. Ariana and Evans- Vida After Dark: a sophisticated blend of dark vanilla, amber, and oud, with hints of black pepper and tobacco.
2. Macduff’s Soap Company- Wild Rose Country: a vibrant bouquet of fresh, blooming roses, underscored by subtle hints of greenery and earthiness.
3. Phoenix Shaving- Danaid Foil 50: A scent inspired by Tom Ford’s Ombre Leather (a near perfect dupe in my opinion) 
4. Declaration Grooming- Massacre of the Innoscents: A spicy, dark, mysterious scent that is inspired by Parfums De Marly Herod
5. Phoenix Shaving- La Tierra Mojada: A scent that, to me, smells like I’ve taken cover under some lilac bushes during a summer rainstorm (listen, I know it’s a weird description, but smell it and, I promise, I won’t sound so crazy)

So, while this experiment has its flaws, I think I can identify one major trend… scents are just scents. While some may lean to what we would typically call “masculine” or “feminine” they can be enjoyed by all. Scent is entirely subjective, so trying to assign a specific scent to a specific demographic is a fool's errand.

I have Three recommendations for women who don’t know where to start:

1. Find what you have- Look at fragrances you already have, there’s a pretty decent chance that some shaving soap maker out there has made a dupe. 
2. Dive into scent notes- Understanding what scent notes do to a fragrance can often tell you if there is a soap you’ll enjoy or not. For example, vetiver is a common scent note in many fragrances. I love it, but it can be a little polarizing. If you know the smell of vetiver, that could influence your decision without the need to ever smell the soap (however, these scent notes are like ingredients. Nobody loves raw flour, yeast, sugar, and oil, but when combined, they can make a donut and who doesn’t love a good donut?!) 
3. Don’t limit yourself- Variety is the spice of life. Don’t limit yourself to just “feminine” scents. Mrs. Teton has just about any fragrance available to her and do you know what she uses… whatever she feels like that day! Leather, smoke, lavender, tobacco, chocolate, vanilla, sandalwood, there are too many wonderful scents to limit oneself to just the ones that, for some unknown reason, have been labeled “feminine.”

In conclusion, while the quest for the perfect shaving soap for women may not have yielded a one-size-fits-all solution, it certainly highlighted just how subjective scents can be. Whether you prefer the earthy warmth of sandalwood or the floral elegance of rose petals, there's a shaving soap out there to suit every taste and mood. So, here's to embracing the scented journey and discovering the world of wet shaving fragrances!