Men's Cologne

KatieJ

I think I'm back....
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 28, 2011
Messages
547
Reaction score
75
Location
Bay of Fundy, Downeast Maine
I need some help finding out what men's colognes were available in the late Forties and the Fifties in the US.

I know about Old Spice and Bay Rum. Were there any others? I remember my Dad had some cologne called Nine Flags - nine separate little bottles of fragrances named after different countries. I remember him having that in the Sixties, though. His International Man of Mystery phase :tongue

Any thoughts would be great, it's not a big plot point, but different scents are important in my stories for some reason....
 

mirandashell

Banned
Joined
Feb 7, 2010
Messages
16,197
Reaction score
1,889
Location
England
Err no....

It's because where I'm from they didn't! Most working class men couldn't afford perfume!
 

alleycat

Still around
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
72,873
Reaction score
12,224
Location
Tennessee
A lot of men back then didn't use cologne, but did slap on aftershave.

I'm not sure why. I later discovered that aftershave stung like hell. It was about 80% alcohol.
 

alleycat

Still around
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
72,873
Reaction score
12,224
Location
Tennessee
My father (who is from that generation) used Old Spice aftershave or something called Aqua Velva (this was in the sixties, I don't know whether it was available in the fifties).

He was a machinist--who are not exactly "dandies".
 

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 9, 2005
Messages
16,768
Reaction score
4,663
Location
Scotland
Brut - that was more of a perfume than an aftershave.

If I recall correctly 'Splash it all over' was the marketing slogan in the UK.

Think it was around in the fifties.
 

KatieJ

I think I'm back....
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 28, 2011
Messages
547
Reaction score
75
Location
Bay of Fundy, Downeast Maine
Err no....

It's because where I'm from they didn't! Most working class men couldn't afford perfume!

No offense intended. My father was a sailor, not exactly ritzy. My grandfathers were a machinist and a fireman and they had their bottles of bay rum and Old Spice.
 

Jamiekswriter

USA Today Bestselling Author
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 13, 2010
Messages
1,227
Reaction score
152
Website
www.jkschmidt.com
My Dad wore Old Spice and English Leather. I also remember him telling me he slicked up his hair into a duck's ass (?) with pomade. It was pink, but I didn't think it had a scent.

Oh and he was a machinist too, later a plumber.

My Grandfather (a farmer) washed up with LAVA soap and some foul smelling orange thing. If I remember the name I'll post it.
 
Last edited:

ironmikezero

practical experience, FTW
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jun 8, 2011
Messages
1,737
Reaction score
426
Location
Haunted Louisiana
FWIW, Bay Rum and Old Spice were staples in barber shops in the US since before WWII; not much changed since then. Those scents were the hallmarks of having a shave with a straight razor - a culturally acceptable symbol of masculinity.

It was the advent and pervasive spread of television in the post -war era that spurred advertisers into a frenzy for products the public didn't even know they needed; cologne of various new scents for the common man represented a bold new market. It really gained strength in the '60s. Today the fragrance industry (antiperspirant, deodorant, perfume, cologne, etc.) is colossal on a world wide scale.
 

mirandashell

Banned
Joined
Feb 7, 2010
Messages
16,197
Reaction score
1,889
Location
England
No offense intended. My father was a sailor, not exactly ritzy. My grandfathers were a machinist and a fireman and they had their bottles of bay rum and Old Spice.


None taken, Katie. I'm just not used to being called a whippersnapper any more! LOL!

I'm sure some blokes did wear it back in the fifties but I wouldn't think it would be many. Fifties is my dad's generation and he put quite a few things on his hair to get a DA. But perfume not so much.

It could also be a cultural thing. It might have been more widespread in America.
 

KatieJ

I think I'm back....
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 28, 2011
Messages
547
Reaction score
75
Location
Bay of Fundy, Downeast Maine
Yeah - I was thinking it might have been more of an American thing that a British one, too.

Thanks, ironmikezero, I was thinking about those barbershop bottles. In our hometown, the barber was "Fuzzy" Frizzell, and he kept personal bottles of bay rum and Old Spice for regular customers ;)
 

Steve Collins

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 20, 2008
Messages
227
Reaction score
32
Location
Florida
I know Acqua Di Parma was a strong favorite with David Niven, Bogart and Cary Grant back in the day. Beautiful fragrance but expensive.