Barrister and Mann Le Grand Chypre Shaving Soap

Barrister and Mann Le Grand Chypre Shaving Soap (OMNIBUS BASE)

Scent: Citrus, Oakmoss, Labdanum, Rose, Frankincense 

Scent description by Barrister and Mann:

In 1917, François Coty, lunatic genius of French perfume, released a radical new fragrance, Chypre de Coty. Constructed around the concept of encompassing the smells indigenous to the island nation of Cyprus, the core of the fragrance was an elegant accord of bergamot, labdanum (a resin derived from the rock rose), oakmoss, and patchouli. So strikingly original was the creation that it almost immediately spawned a host of variations. Perhaps the most famous of all was the legendary Guerlain Mitsouko, in which Jacques Guerlain perfected the concept with the addition of the peach molecule Persicol, imparting a rich, fruity element to the central structure.

Chypres (pronounced "SHEEP-RUHs") have had a long and varied history since and many of the greatest fragrances in history have been members of this diverse family. But, strangely, very few chypres ever became part of the shaving market, which generally stuck to fougères and “fresh” fragrances instead (with a couple of exceptions). Never ones to shy away from a challenge, we at Barrister & Mann concluded it was high time for a proper chypre in the world of shaving.

We began with a base that the world hasn’t seen for nearly 50 years: Mousse de Chyprée, one of the legendary creations of the House of DeLaire, whose formula we found buried in a rare perfume treatise. We built our very own chypre accord around it, weaving in notes of bergamot, lime, labdanum, and a touch of patchouli to produce an elegant, citrusy heart for our masterpiece. From there, we experimented with different materials, eventually deciding to follow in the footsteps of Jacques Guerlain by incorporating a fraction of peachy Persicol, blended with notes of rose, frankincense, cedar, and various musks and other perfume compounds to construct an elegant, slightly fruity, freshly floral design perfectly suited to the refined shaver.

It soon became apparent that our regular soap base was not really right for something into which we had put some much consideration. Instead, we went back into the lab and designed a new soap, something more befitting the project before us. Engineered for slickness and ease of latherability, we christened the new soap "Glissant," and re-considered every inch of our original formula to make sure that we had gotten it just right. Those who tested the new base were delighted by its tremendous creaminess and lubricity, and, after 16 separate iterations, we completed the formula just in time to finish the soap on schedule.

Thus, we at Barrister & Mann proudly present what we consider to be our greatest masterpiece, a fragrance and soap unlike anything else in the grooming world: Le Grand Chypre. We think you’ll love it every bit as much as we do.

Size: 4oz Net Wt.

Made in USA