Thread: Ralon: A Cold War Classic?

So I picked up some local shaving products on holiday and am rather impressed with the Ralon aftershave. Unverified information online suggests this is an old formula and the original recipe of Swiss/German Pitralon which was made under license in the GDR and other communist eastern bloc countries prior to the fall of the Iron Curtain. While Pitralon changed, this stayed the same and remains available in the countries of former Yugoslavia. I paid the equivalent of $3 for the shaving cream and aftershave. The cream is an adequate performer that smells of Dentyne chewing gum. The aftershave smells on application like Pine toilet cleaner, changes almost instantly to Camphor and rose and then after a minute or two settles into a pleasant smoky/woody cinnamon spice. here’s what the maker says about it:

“The original Ralon contains the classic scent of Smoky Leather – the oldest and most well-known perfume smell, at large. Its distinctly male scent of smoky leather, with a note of cinnamon, and floral nuances of rose, jasmine, lilac and palisander wood, topped with a dominant tone of thyme, puts the legendary scent of Ralon Original in line with many other classic perfumes”

Thanks for the info. There are some interesting shaving creams and aftershaves from the former iron curtain countries. Unfortunately nobody seems to import any this side of the pond.

Bob