Thread: Old spice classic aftershave

But considering how few people other than us internet weenies care, in other words, a tiny fraction of OS buyers, why on earth would they flat out lie? I know it's popular to hate corporations but I don't believe they actually have an incentive to flat out lie to customers. There's not enough of the old stuff to compete, even a little, with their market. There's absolutely no doubt that perfume changes over time and the stuff you think is Shulton as it smelled in the 1960's (or 70's, etc.) is not. It's old, somewhat stale product as it smells now.

Look, I've got a bottle of the old stuff (1960's) and it smells different in the bottle than the new stuff. The new stuff has more of an alcohol smell until it's applied and evaporates. Then, they both smell so close (considering the age of the Shulton) it's not worth arguing about (but I do anyway because I think this whole subject is total myth and a misunderstanding that the old product has aged and is not any longer what it was when new).

So I believe my own nose and P&G over self-proclaimed internet posters, like the late Clubman Rob, who's disappeared or died. He made declarations without any evidence and a lot of people simply took it as fact. It wasn't.

If you take nothing but this away from the discussion, I'll feel at least like what I'm trying to say was heard and understood - the vintage Shulton you smell today is not how it smelled when it was brand new and the alcohol was more pronounced before it evaporated over the years. The fragrance oils have also aged and changed and are not like they were when the bottle was fresh. It's really no different than wine on most levels. Old, aged wine has mellowed compared to new wine. Old, aged Shulton has done the same thing. That's not something that P&G can do anything about. There was NO reason for them to change the formula to save a few cents a bottle when they could have simply raised the price a few cents. Would you not buy OS because it was $5.50 instead of $5.25?

Originally Posted by CSG

Why on earth would they flat out lie? I know it's popular to hate corporations but I don't believe they actually have an incentive to flat out lie to customers. There was NO reason for them to change the formula to save a few cents a bottle when they could have simply raised the price a few cents.

To preserve their bottom line, namely charging the same amount while skimping on ingredients, then telling customers it's exactly the same formula. If there was a series of reformulations (as Blix has outlined for us) I'd be willing to bet the reason was due to cost savings, nothing more. I would also think that if they didn't they would have to pass the increase on to the customer, likely more than a few cents. Old Spice is part of the "cheap aftershave/cologne" market, and if the price rose too dramatically people would simply abandon OS and instead buy Brut or Aqua Velva etc.

(I would still prefer a reformulated OS to the other cheapie brands, regardless )

Well, you can believe what you want. I don't buy your argument for a minute though.