Saponificio Varesino shave soap formulas and scents

I only have Felce and what a killer scent it is. If you like a cologny sort of green scent, then get the Felce. Pretty strongly scented as well, at least to my nose.

I have the Dolomiti and I like it a lot. Scent and performance are both very good. I don't think you'd be disappointed. I don't have experience with the other formulas though so I couldn't tell you much about those...

How would you describe the scent on Dolomiti?

Very pleasant all around scent. It's got light citrus with lavender/floral notes and amber/woodsy notes too. It's kind of one of those smorgasbord type scents that are a little hard to describe. I like it it more now than when I first had a sniff. I already PMed you all of this though. I just thought I'd answer here for purposes of the thread.

Thanks Jeff. It sounds like a scent I would like.

I only have Felce and what a killer scent it is. If you like a cologny sort of green scent, then get the Felce. Pretty strongly scented as well, at least to my nose.

Thanks!

The Manna performs better than any other offering but Cosmo may be right there in performance. I use the Dolomiti the most as it is the best for my acne. These 3 seem to have the thickest, most dense, protective, long lasting lather.

The 70th, Tundra and Colonia all have a great slickness and great post shave as well. My skin is so soft after using Colonia but the lather isn't quite as thick or cushiony.

Are you a straight razor or DE user? Tell me outside of scent if you are looking for something in particular performance wise.

Thanks for sharing. I updated my original post to show that I have owned and used Manna. Thus, I know what performacne the Beta 4.0  provides, which includes Fern, Dolomiti, and Manna. My concern was if the newer formulas are a lot better, although I don't see how you can get much better than 4.0 to be honest. I've been pleasantly surprised before with new formulas though so I had to ask.

I am a DE shaver, and prefer my soaps to have plenty of cushion and slickness, as well as a nice post shave. 4.0 has all of that so I will just stick with it until Shaving.ie has Cosmo back in stock.

If I am understanding right, you have only used Manna out of the whole line. But even the soap you listed that are Beta 4.0, they still perform differently on my face. But since you have what I would consider the best, if you got Cosmo, I think you would be happy. The formula is quite a bit different and if I had to describe the differences, the Cosmo lather may take a bit more whipping and water inclusion, but the lather will have about the same slickness but with more cushion/density. The post shave feel on your face is likely to be a bit more supple feeling. I don't dislike the scent on Cosmo but it is a strong scent and is stronger than the others to my nose. But I remember someone from Europe said they almost thought it was an unscented puck put in the Cosmo tin.

I am hoping sometime over summer to give my full review of the SV soap line minus Felce. Had it and loved the performance but the scent was offensive to my nose.

The Manna performs better than any other offering but Cosmo may be right there in performance. I use the Dolomiti the most as it is the best for my acne. These 3 seem to have the thickest, most dense, protective, long lasting lather.

The 70th, Tundra and Colonia all have a great slickness and great post shave as well. My skin is so soft after using Colonia but the lather isn't quite as thick or cushiony.

Are you a straight razor or DE user? Tell me outside of scent if you are looking for something in particular performance wise.

Thanks for sharing. I updated my original post to show that I have owned and used Manna. Thus, I know what performacne the Beta 4.0  provides, which includes Fern, Dolomiti, and Manna. My concern was if the newer formulas are a lot better, although I don't see how you can get much better than 4.0 to be honest. I've been pleasantly surprised before with new formulas though so I had to ask.

I am a DE shaver, and prefer my soaps to have plenty of cushion and slickness, as well as a nice post shave. 4.0 has all of that so I will just stick with it until Shaving.ie has Cosmo back in stock.

If I am understanding right, you have only used Manna out of the whole line. But even the soap you listed that are Beta 4.0, they still perform differently on my face. But since you have what I would consider the best, if you got Cosmo, I think you would be happy. The formula is quite a bit different and if I had to describe the differences, the Cosmo lather may take a bit more whipping and water inclusion, but the lather will have about the same slickness but with more cushion/density. The post shave feel on your face is likely to be a bit more supple feeling. I don't dislike the scent on Cosmo but it is a strong scent and is stronger than the others to my nose. But I remember someone from Europe said they almost thought it was an unscented puck put in the Cosmo tin.

I am hoping sometime over summer to give my full review of the SV soap line minus Felce. Had it and loved the performance but the scent was offensive to my nose.

Thanks for sharing. You are correct, Manna is the only scent I have tried. I had Tundra but didn't care for the scent so I sold it.

I wonder if the manna ingredient actually makes a difference, because I think that is the only difference in the 4.0 scents, and I notice it is also used in some of the newer formulas. I had sold Manna because I felt the scent was nearly nonexistent during the shave. It's been several months but that's what I recall, but it was moderately strong on the puck. Now I'm interested in Fern and Dolomiti but only want to purchase one first, which I think will be Fern. Most say it's a great scent, and I tend to like green scents so maybe I will feel different than you. Of course Dolomiti sounds really nice too. I was going to buy Cosmo the other day but it sold out right before I made up my mind. I sent an email to Shaving.ie to find out if and when it will be available again, and I'll be sure to get it when it does.

Thanks for sharing. You are correct, Manna is the only scent I have tried. I had Tundra but didn't care for the scent so I sold it.

I wonder if the manna ingredient actually makes a difference, because I think that is the only difference in the 4.0 scents, and I notice it is also used in some of the newer formulas. I had sold Manna because I felt the scent was nearly nonexistent during the shave. It's been several months but that's what I recall, but it was moderately strong on the puck. Now I'm interested in Fern and Dolomiti but only want to purchase one first, which I think will be Fern. Most say it's a great scent, and I tend to like green scents so maybe I will feel different than you. Of course Dolomiti sounds really nice too. I was going to buy Cosmo the other day but it sold out right before I made up my mind. I sent an email to Shaving.ie to find out if and when it will be available again, and I'll be sure to get it when it does.

I do think that the Manna makes a difference. But both the Tundra and Colonia contain the Manna, and from what I remember it is higher on the proportions. But both of those also have other oils that change the overall feel of the lather.

I would highly recommend the Felce. Not many have made the same complaint as me but in the Felce and Manna scent, I think what I pick up is the raw smell of the Rapeseed oil in the base formula and the fragrance doesn't hide it to me. Some people say that raw rapeseed is cabbage like in it's odor. Another description is it smells dusty. But other than that note being so prominent, I did like the Felce scent triangle. But I like sweeter fougeres like TFS and B&M.

Dolomiti is about the same scent strength now as Manna. Manna is not super strong but I guess I can see how you mentioned that the scent off the puck didn't translate to the lather. Dolomite is pretty light and now the Black Dolomiti, most recent batch, has stronger fragrance. But the performance was noticeably better when I ditched the Felce and started using Dolomiti. I would recommend it to anyone that needs a protective soap and might be dealing with skin issues like acne or dry, flakey skin.

Thanks for sharing. You are correct, Manna is the only scent I have tried. I had Tundra but didn't care for the scent so I sold it.

I wonder if the manna ingredient actually makes a difference, because I think that is the only difference in the 4.0 scents, and I notice it is also used in some of the newer formulas. I had sold Manna because I felt the scent was nearly nonexistent during the shave. It's been several months but that's what I recall, but it was moderately strong on the puck. Now I'm interested in Fern and Dolomiti but only want to purchase one first, which I think will be Fern. Most say it's a great scent, and I tend to like green scents so maybe I will feel different than you. Of course Dolomiti sounds really nice too. I was going to buy Cosmo the other day but it sold out right before I made up my mind. I sent an email to Shaving.ie to find out if and when it will be available again, and I'll be sure to get it when it does.

I do think that the Manna makes a difference. But both the Tundra and Colonia contain the Manna, and from what I remember it is higher on the proportions. But both of those also have other oils that change the overall feel of the lather.

I would highly recommend the Felce. Not many have made the same complaint as me but in the Felce and Manna scent, I think what I pick up is the raw smell of the Rapeseed oil in the base formula and the fragrance doesn't hide it to me. Some people say that raw rapeseed is cabbage like in it's odor. Another description is it smells dusty. But other than that note being so prominent, I did like the Felce scent triangle. But I like sweeter fougeres like TFS and B&M.

Dolomiti is about the same scent strength now as Manna. Manna is not super strong but I guess I can see how you mentioned that the scent off the puck didn't translate to the lather. Dolomite is pretty light and now the Black Dolomiti, most recent batch, has stronger fragrance. But the performance was noticeably better when I ditched the Felce and started using Dolomiti. I would recommend it to anyone that needs a protective soap and might be dealing with skin issues like acne or dry, flakey skin.

Manna and Tundra were both very strong in the box. My wife liked Tundra so well she wanted me to keep it for her to put in her closet
in the bedroom. Lol.

I would think Fern and Dolomiti would perform the same since they are both 4.0. I'm gonna go with Dolomiti regardless and see how I like the scent.

Manna and Tundra were both very strong in the box. My wife liked Tundra so well she wanted me to keep it for her to put in her closet
in the bedroom. Lol.

I would think Fern and Dolomiti would perform the same since they are both 4.0. I'm gonna go with Dolomiti regardless and see how I like the scent.

I can tell you that I never did a single test lather on a puck of Dolomiti I have and it is almost out. The times it was used during my shaves resulted my face feeling comfortable and enjoyable after the shave. Have you looked into purchasing any of the other software products by SV? The one I could recommend to you is the Tundra Artica aftershave balsam.

The scent differs slightly from the soap and to my nose is more fragrant in the base of the aftershave. It also has the most nourishing effects on my face as well as my scalp. It will get slapped on if I chop up myself to bits after head shaving.

Looking forward to seeing how the soap performs for you under your conditions. Let me know how it works out for you or if you have any q's.

Cheers

SV produces six different shaving soap scents using three different formulas, but not all scents are offered in each formula. I don't understand why they don't offer all scents in the new formula 4.2, or at the very least 4.1. Instead, customers have to buy the older 4.0 formula if they desire Fern, Dolomiti, or Manna, and the 4.1 formula for Tundra and the 70th Anniversary soap. So here I am wanting to buy Fern or Dolomiti which is 4.0, but I would prefer to have the newest 4.2 formula since SV claims each formula is better than the previous.

Technically speaking, each soap has its own unique formulation. Without considering the additional differences due to the fragrance components, even within each formulation there are some differences among the soaps. My understanding is the following:

• Beta 4.0
  • Aromatic Fern uses the original Beta 4.0 formula
    
  • Dolomiti adds silt to the base formula used for Aromatic Fern. Silt can increase the tension of the skin, allowing for a closer shave
    
  • Manna adds manna ash to the base formula used for Aromatic Fern. Manna ash increases the softness of the skin after shaving.
    
• Beta 4.1
  • 70th Anniversary is a revision of the 4.0 formula used in Manna (hence, with manna ash), which adds illipe butter and macadamia seed oil
    
  • Tundra is a revision of the 4.0 formula used in Manna (hence, with manna ash), which adds Icelandic lichen extract and cramberry extract.
    
• Beta 4.2
  • Cosmo is a revision of the 4.0/4.1 formulations, with the addition of larch extract, castor oil, illipe butter and macadamia oil (inherited from the 4.1 formulation used in the 70th soap), carnauba wax, cera alba
    

Manna and Tundra were both very strong in the box. My wife liked Tundra so well she wanted me to keep it for her to put in her closet
in the bedroom. Lol.

I would think Fern and Dolomiti would perform the same since they are both 4.0. I'm gonna go with Dolomiti regardless and see how I like the scent.

I can tell you that I never did a single test lather on a puck of Dolomiti I have and it is almost out. The times it was used during my shaves resulted my face feeling comfortable and enjoyable after the shave. Have you looked into purchasing any of the other software products by SV? The one I could recommend to you is the Tundra Artica aftershave balsam.

The scent differs slightly from the soap and to my nose is more fragrant in the base of the aftershave. It also has the most nourishing effects on my face as well as my scalp. It will get slapped on if I chop up myself to bits after head shaving.

Looking forward to seeing how the soap performs for you under your conditions. Let me know how it works out for you or if you have any q's.

Cheers

I had the matching aftershaves for Manna and Tundra but only used Manna. The AS was pretty good but I passed on it this time. I have plenty of others that I enjoy more.