A number of reviews have been written about the Pinaud Clubman Lilac Vegetal. Many of these echo the same thing: it is a popular aftershave fragrance but people seem to either love it or hate it. A while ago I tried it one time, didn’t like it, and put it away. I fell into the “hate it” camp. After some time, I decided to give it a try again. This time I would give it a chance. I would power through that initial unpleasantness, try it for a week, and see if the scent grows on me. I figured this is popular for a reason. Unfortunately, I didn’t change my mind.
Lilac Vegetal 6 oz bottle. Also available in a 1.7 oz bottle and 12.5 oz bottle. |
I remember Lilac Vegetal being mentioned in the 1979 movie
The Jerk. So, I knew it had to be
around since the late 1970s. After a
little Googling and Bing-ing, I discovered that Vegetal Lilac has been around
since the late 1870s. It was initially
made with ingredients such as ambergris and lilac; but is now being produced
from artificial ingredients due to difficulties in procuring these natural
ingredients[1].
Lilac Vegetal Makes an appearance in "The Jerk" |
I really like the regular Clubman aftershave as well as their Bay Rum splash. Despite its popularity, Lilac Vegetal was one that I couldn’t get used to. On paper, I found that (for me at least) there are more positives than negatives with this aftershave.
My Positives:
- Scent doesn’t linger and is not extremely powerful: My wife says she has to be very close to smell it.
- The bracing sting feeling of an aftershave splash was satisfying.
- Doesn’t leave my face feeling oily or that there’s some sort of residue coating me.
- Fairly inexpensive.
- Available from many places. Can find it in many grocery stores and on Amazon.
My Negatives:
- Did not find scent appealing: Some say it smells like cat pee. For me, it immediately reminded me of some sort of public restroom disinfectant.
- Smells different in the bottle than after applied: This is likely due to body chemistry but this was a downside for me. Even though wife isn’t a fan of this scent, she actually liked the smell better from the bottle than on me.
- Scent came back when exercising: As I started to sweat, that distinct Lilac Vegetal aroma started to appear. Same thing happens when I wear the traditional Clubman. But with Lilac Vegetal, it wasn’t appealing.
One of my Shaves of the Day with Lilac Vegetal |
At the end of the day, the weight of negatives supersedes the positives. I could see why someone would like this, especially if their body chemistry mixes well with it. For me, I can’t say that I’m in the Fan-of-Lilac-Vegetal camp.
References:
[1] Schneider, Daniel B. (1997, Feb 16) "F.Y.I." nytimes.com. Accessed Dec 18, 2021
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