Is it worth buying shower gels from perfume companies?

[Scent Detective]

I have bought Amouage washes before-so now I'm curious about Jub XXV...

It's one of my favorites!

 

[UESNYC]

Dr Bronner’s bars and liquid soap do it for me. I have peppermint and eucalyptus and they are all natural, gentle and a great value. I can get a year out of the large bottle because you can dilute it.

 

[Shycat]

My morning mind is too fragile for anything but the smell of coffee.

 

[Redneck Perfumisto]

I love scented body products, but I only buy them for certain fragrances:

• my favorite fragrances
• subtle frags that can use a boost
• simple scents that match many others in my wardrobe
• gift set was a great deal

I have lots of TdH and BdC products, and many where I got great deals on gift sets.

Body products are a great way to enjoy your favorite scents in low-fragrance situations, where you don't want to wear an EdT or EdP. Dentist, doctor, etc. It's funny, but I've gotten compliments on body products like shampoos, deodorants, and shaving creams.

I like that body products are not exactly the same fragrance!

 

[freewheelingvagabond]

A nice shower gel can transform the showering experience. Today I bought one from Aesop. It's nice, though maybe I was expecting more. L'Occitane has nice ones. I have the Bleu de Chanel gel, which is just awesome, better than any of the fragrances. Having said that, one doesn't need to always spend a bomb. One of my most favourite ones ever was quite cheap, too bad I can't find it here in Canada -

 

[cheapimitation]

I am a bit of a sucker for shower gels and the like (I am probably one of the few users of MFK laundry detergents).

But I think you have the key points down correctly. Ancillary products are typically not a substitute for the perfume. They give a great in shower experience, but they don't last nor are they supposed to. They are also consumed at a faster pace than perfumes. Whether the short in shower experience is worth the price depends on preferences and budget. I find it hard to justify the purchase of a shower gel if that means buying one fewer actual perfume. But if one has the budget and likes it, why not?

I don't think that there are ways to replicate the scent experience with cheaper products. The one exception I can think of is Youth Dew oil. It's superpowerful and a few drops added to an unscented bath products produce the desired effect for that particular perfume. A few perfumes may have occasions on ebay (for some reason, Piguet must have produced many, because one can find Bandit and Fracas ancillary products inexpensively on ebay). But this is not the case for the likes of Chanel, Dior, or Le Labo.

cacio

I'm in this camp and also use the MFK laundry detergents. 😂

Of course in terms of effectiveness probably more or less all soaps and body washes are going to get the job done the same. One reason brands make these is they also offer a lower price entry point so they can sell more than a super expensive perfume, but that doesn't necessarily make them a rip off. Just depends on your budged and where you like to spend your money.

For me I buy them partly because I really have enough fragrance so I don't mind spending a little bit to also have a nice experience with bath and body products. I use Frederic Malle, Lutens, Le Labo and Hermes body products. I adore Le Labo soap bar but I find their body lotion too strongly scented. Frederic Malle is just perfect, not overly strong but smells just like the perfumes and doesn't overstay its welcome. It often reminds me how much I like the perfume and makes me want to wear it, but I wouldn't really believe any hocus pocus that using the body range massively enhances the perfume's performance.

Call me a snob but I also can't stand the overly powerful and harsh smell of a lot of cheaper body washes, so I often feel like I'm paying more for what's not there. If I was going to go cheap, I'd go with something fragrance free or as close to it as I could find. You can also find nice bath products on discounters, I love the Serge Lutens and Hermes body wash I got from fragrancenet for about $30.

We already know the profit margins on fragrance are huge so it's really about where you draw the line and what you consider frivolous.

This might be seen as thin justification BUT I'd also argue the case that often higher quality bath products last much longer. My Le Labo soap slab because it is very densely milled and huge lasts me about a year, whereas Dr. Bronners melt away within a few weeks. My significant other recently bought a super cheap humongous bottle of body wash at TJ Maxx and it actually smells decent but it is so runny it's almost entirely water, so despite the low price and huge size it won't last very long.

So I do think you often get something of higher quality that will last longer with higher priced products, but of course that difference isn't exactly commensurate with the markup.

 

[Scentologist]

No. They are very expensive and your money is literally going down the drain. I like something lightly scented but my sinuses don't to be bombarded in the shower first thing. By the time I apply lotion, the scent is all but gone and the scent from the lotion quickly proceeds. Right now one of my fav shower gels happens to be Method Glacier and Granite. Lathers and cleans very well and has a very good light fresh scent. Won't hang around and clash with my SOTD. Lotion I tend to use Nivea Intense Healing and as of late I use Native Sea Salt and Cedar deodorant. There you have it, my routine. Nothing fancy, but gets the job well done.

 

[StylinLA]

I have bought Amouage washes before-so now I'm curious about Jub XXV...

The XXV shower gel is one I popped for a few years back when the full employment dollars were rolling in. I recall it was horribly pricey and I think I had to buy it direct from Amouage.

But it is top notch and really good. If you want to indulge yourself, it's awesome. Logic and thrift have no place in a discussion of these matched to scent shower gels but don't sell a kidney for it. Makes for a very rich and posh shower. The the XXV EdP is the cherry on the sundae after you dry off.

I still have some. Need to use it this week...

 

[chypre]

I've used perfumed ancillary products from gift sets before, and they were all extremely enjoyable experiences, almost as enjoyable as the perfumes themselves, but unfortunately the experience is way too fleeting for me to justify buying any. And ultimately I just would not buy these products anyway, luxurious as they may be, because my dry skin needs ultra-moisturising products, like heavier body lotions and shower creams.

 

[Scent Detective]

The XXV shower gel is one I popped for a few years back when the full employment dollars were rolling in. I recall it was horribly pricey and I think I had to buy it direct from Amouage.

But it is top notch and really good. If you want to indulge yourself, it's awesome. Logic and thrift have no place in a discussion of these matched to scent shower gels but don't sell a kidney for it. Makes for a very rich and posh shower. The the XXV EdP is the cherry on the sundae after you dry off.

I still have some. Need to use it this week...

FragranceNet has it sometimes for a better price…definitely worth checking out IMHO.

 

[gunmetal24]

I do buy shower gel scents if I really like the scent. Examples include Chanel's Edimbourg and Hermes Eau de Neroli Dore. I love the bathroom experience and am into highly scented washes. Saying that, I am also fully conscious that shower gels are the most overpriced of all of them just by it being a rinse off product. I loathe myself sometimes 😆

 

[donna255]

I say no. Actually the body crèmes or lotions are better as they actually hold on to the fragrance for hours.

 

[woodnotes55]

Soap gal here. To me nothing can replace the enjoyment of a bar of soap for washing. While I can appreciate objectively how shower gel could provide a refreshing and luxurious bathing experience, to me using shower gel would be similar to washing in dish detergent—which I don’t use either. (Apologies to the many who prefer shower gel.)

That said, I seem to remember reading someplace that perfuming soap and shower gel is not just a matter of throwing in the desired scent. The chemicals in the cleansing products can apparently distort scent aromachemicals and considerable adjustment and reformulation may be required to duplicate a perfume correctly.

To the second point of matching scents, from experience with gift sets a solid amount of shower gels are not that close to the original scent. Admitted these experiences are not new fragrances much but more from years past where gift sets tended to be hugely discounted items in stores.

To your first point, I agree. It seems like it takes a lot longer to use shower gel and half of it goes down the drain so I also prefer soap. But I also have a lot of shower gels... huh?? Well when I am done I put a little on chest or if it's weak maybe on arms too and give a quick scrub and a rinse. Does it really boost the matching scent..... as others said... .maybe. But it is pleasant, and it makes a tube last a LONG time offsetting some of the high price/value factor.

 

[baklavaRuzh]

Not for me, with a few exceptions. Sometimes they are given away practically for free as a part of gift sets. Other than that, there is such a variety available at many different price points, I don't feel like I need to get them from perfume brands to be happy. I wouldn't mind thogh depending on the fragrance. I guess I do use products from brands that also release fragrances such as l'occitane, but not specifically products that are scented with the fragrances they release....

 

[PrinceRF]

I haven't tried it because they seem too expensive, but they might be nice if you can coordinate your perfume with your shower gel.

 

[Renato]

Designer shower gels are NOT for use when washing one's self - that is an absolute waste of money.

Designer shower gels are used for layering the scent into the skin's pores.
When showering, first wash as one regularly does and then the last steps are,
a. Apply shower gel to sponge or loofa and get it frothy.
b. Stand out of the shower stream or turn it off.
c. Apply the frothy shower gel all over.
d. Turn down the hot water to luke warm, jump under the stream and rinse the froth off quickly.

The scent is now absorbed into the skin, and gives off a light scent for the next four hours or so - with bigger output if one does something active like dancing.

I don't know if it's still written there now, but the above was all written up in Basenotes FAQ when I first joined two decades back - but I knew it already, as sales ladies had told me the same thing in department stores, and most women seemed to know it way back then.

Those little 50ml or 100ml bottles of shower gel that come in gift sets last a very long time when used for layering, but get used up very quickly if used like typical shower gels for body washing.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Ken_Russell]

From a personal viewpoint alone, depends very much on the shower gel as well as on the main fragrance/scent brand they match.
The few scents featured in the current lineup do also currently own or have owned and used shower gels were so far Lapidus PH, several Yves Rocher ones like Ambre Noir or Cuir Vetiver and Roberto Capucci PH, while honestly having enjoyed the scent as well as cleaning and skin friendly capacity of either.
Plus that they were highly inexpensive almost to the point of being for free (if compared to the price of the single bottle alone, rather than having decided to only buy the standalone fragrance bottles of each).

 

[cheapimitation]

Designer shower gels are NOT for use when washing one's self - that is an absolute waste of money.

Designer shower gels are used for layering the scent into the skin's pores.
When showering, first wash as one regularly does and then the last steps are,
a. Apply shower gel to sponge or loofa and get it frothy.
b. Stand out of the shower stream or turn it off.
c. Apply the frothy shower gel all over.
d. Turn down the hot water to luke warm, jump under the stream and rinse the froth off quickly.

The scent is now absorbed into the skin, and gives off a light scent for the next four hours or so - with bigger output if one does something active like dancing.

I don't know if it's still written there now, but the above was all written up in Basenotes FAQ when I first joined two decades back - but I knew it already, as sales ladies had told me the same thing in department stores, and most women seemed to know it way back then.

Those little 50ml or 100ml bottles of shower gel that come in gift sets last a very long time when used for layering, but get used up very quickly if used like typical shower gels for body washing.
Regards,
Renato

Maybe it works but this is insane.

 

[Salumbre]

Not really. Body lotions, sure.

 

[dealt7faux]

The only time shower gels were worth the money is when. Armani used to do Acqua di Gio and Code liter size shower gels for 10 or 15 bucks around the holidays.
Usually its homemade shower gels with Dr Bronnners peppermint or baby Castile soap.