# Barbershop smell **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 27, 2019, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbershop-smell/842533 "2019-10-27T02:00:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2019, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbershop-smell/842533/1 "2019-10-27T02:00:58Z")
Ever notice barbershops have a distinctive smell? My dad used to take me and my brother to the barber when we were kids and even though I haven’t been to a barbershop in decades I still remember and recognize that distinctive smell. What is the source of that smell? Hair? Shaving cream? Hair “product”? Talcum powder? Ozone? That blue stuff they dip everything in? All of the above? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2019, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbershop-smell/842533/2 "2019-10-27T04:17:50Z")
The barbers aftershave. They all wear it. Old Spice. I think. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2019, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbershop-smell/842533/3 "2019-10-27T04:54:07Z")
Not after shave, it’s [Barbicide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbicide). The blue stuff in the containers with combs. Still made and sold today. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2019, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbershop-smell/842533/4 "2019-10-27T05:03:29Z")
I go to a barbershop where the staff is all Asian women; they burn incense. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2019, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbershop-smell/842533/5 "2019-10-27T14:47:11Z")
The classic barber shop scent is Clubman Pinaud or the very similar jeris; it’s the stuff the barber sprinkles on the long wispy brush to remove the loose hairs from your neck. You can find the powder (used to be labeled “Talc” but is now labeled “Powder”) in many barber shops or places like Sally Beauty. You can also find the stronger scent in Clubman Pinaud After Shave; look for it in CVS on the bottom shelf of the after shave section. It’s a very pleasant scent that’s been around for a hundred years or more. [http://www.clubman.com/Products/filter\_91.html](http://www.clubman.com/Products/filter_91.html) ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2019, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbershop-smell/842533/6 "2019-10-28T00:37:37Z")
Clubman is indeed that scent. Robert B. Parker’s hero, Spenser, used it, but his significant other Susan opined that it smelled like the landlord had painted the radiators. I love it, but I am not as tough as Spenser and my significant other is a lot tougher than Susan, so I don’t use it ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2019, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbershop-smell/842533/7 "2019-10-28T10:17:16Z")
The place where I get my hair cut usually smells like the hair cair products they also provide–they use the same products they sell for washing or styling the hair. I don’t believe it is a traditional “barbershop,” though. I’m not even sure if they provide shaving services. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2019, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbershop-smell/842533/8 "2019-10-28T12:21:59Z")
I got a strong whiff of Barbicide this weekend and concluded it’s the quintessential barbershop smell in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2019, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/barbershop-smell/842533/9 "2019-10-28T13:20:42Z")
> **[What Does A Barbershop Scent Smell Like? - Sharpologist](https://sharpologist.com/what-is-a-barbershop-scent/)** > > “What does a barbershop smell like?” It’s a question I’ve been asking myself-and others-for a while now. So I decided to apply some data to the question.