Floris was a barber’s and comb-maker’s before it was a perfumer’s, and its first Royal Warrant, in 1820, was for combs, not scent. Shaving has never left the range. The house still makes shaving soap in wooden bowls, shaving cream, after shave and after shave balm in its three gentlemen’s fragrances — No. 89, Elite and Santal — and the ritual they belong to has hardly changed since Jermyn Street was new.
Soap in a Wooden Bowl, or Cream
The Floris shaving soap comes as a 100 g puck in a turned wooden bowl. Lathered with a damp badger or synthetic brush, it gives a dense, slick, long-lasting lather, and a bowl lasts for months; when it runs out, a refill puck drops into the same bowl. The shaving cream, in a 100 ml tube, lathers faster, needs less water and travels better. Both protect the skin in the same way; the choice is between the ceremony of the bowl and the speed of the tube. Many customers keep the bowl at home and the tube for the road.
The Ritual
Shave after a shower, or hold a hot, wet towel against the face for a minute: heat softens the beard and opens the pores. Soak the brush in warm water, shake it once, and work it over the soap in small circles until the lather is thick enough to hold its shape; add a little water if it is dry. Paint the lather on with the brush, lifting the hairs, and let it sit for half a minute. Shave with the grain first, in short strokes, rinsing the blade often. If you want a closer finish, re-lather and shave across the grain, never against it on the first pass. Rinse with cool water to close the pores and pat, rather than rub, the face dry.
After Shave or Balm
The after shave is a classic splash: alcohol-based, it cools, tightens and lightly disinfects, and it carries the fragrance strongly for the first hour. The after shave balm is alcohol-free, a light lotion that soothes and moisturises; it suits dry skin, winter and anyone who finds a splash too sharp. Either can be followed by the matching eau de toilette; Floris composes its grooming lines so that soap, balm and fragrance layer rather than compete.
The Rest of the Range
For the same fragrances Floris makes a bath and shower gel, a deodorant stick and a facial moisturiser, and for No. 89 and Elite a wrapped luxury soap, so that a complete morning can be built around one scent. The soaps are still hand-wrapped at the Floris workshop in Devon.
Which Fragrance for the Shave
No. 89 is the classic, citrus and woods, the one most men begin with. Elite is greener and more discreet. Santal is warmer, a sandalwood fougère, and has the widest grooming range of the three. If you already wear one of the Floris eaux de toilette, choose the same for the shave; if not, Santal is the one to try first in a bowl.
