SkinBracer

Skin Bracer has been out for nearly 100 years. This is the kind of stuff that your grandpa wore, it's very old school and I doubt that it would resonate well if your idea of a fragrance is something like a Paco Rabanne 1 Million, or Invictus, and those are the kinds of fragrances you gravitate towards. It's musky, it's a little bit powdery, it's a little bit spicy, and it's slightly sweet. There's even something about it to me that smells a bit medicinal, but I like that even. In the old advertisements, Mennen used to really play up the way that it feels on your face, the way that it heals your skin post shave, and the cooling effect, essentially relegating it's scent to playing backup. I think this was because Aqua Velva was the exact opposite, and it really focused on it's scent in advertisements, and to be fair I do think Aqua Velva has a much nicer and more handsome smell than Skin Bracer, so this isn't surprising. With that having been said, I do really enjoy the Skin Bracer scent, it's nice, and it hangs very close to the skin. Even in the vintage formula, it's not the strongest scent although it is considerably stronger than the current formula. Do I recommend this? Yeah, it's like $5 for a big 7 oz bottle, but it's for a very particular taste. You have to have that high level of love for the classics in order to fully enjoy this, and there are other fragrances that I'd recommend first if you're venturing into the more old school stuff. If you're only into stuff a recently as the 2010s, start by exploring the 2000s and the 90s, and then get into the 80s, maybe pick up some original Old Spice, some Aqua Velva, and this. If you like old school, you'll probably appreciate it.

My dad lost his sense of smell when he was a young man, and as a result, he was hyper vigilant about cleanliness. For over 50 years, I associated Mennen Skin Bracer with my dad. As a result, I find the fragrance of the aftershave comforting from the powder notes and very clean from the aromatics. I am obviously heavily biased, but I find the fragrance has aged very well and has a timeless aspect to it. My dad was notoriously hard to gift with anything, but Skin Bracer was always a part of his Christmas present. He passed away a few years ago. I took the bottle of Mennen he had been using and now keep it tucked safely away in a drawer and will periodically pull it out, remove the cap, and breathe in fond memories of my dad. I'm often drawn to clean, soapy and powdery scent profiles and no doubt part of that is due to Mennen Skin Bracer. A classic.

The State Department via British Airways gave tiny glass bottles of Skin Bracer away in the toiletries bags they handed out to UK - US travellers for a time in the 1990s. I am large and contain multitudes, so say without fear of contradiction that this generous act created an army of young British lads who had never owned a passport, and imagined that all Americans - the cast of Aliens, Harrison Ford, perhaps not Meat Loaf - smelled like this. Imagine the crushing disappointment when we actually went, and had our first meal in a Denny’s. Smells like optimism - fresh, green but not in the usual way, slight booze. Also a bit like dog shampoo, apparently, though I wouldn’t know, and fresh, unused sheep-dip, which I can verify, so potentially gets rid of parasites. Everyone should wear it.

Skin Bracer sometimes gets a "bad rap" as a "cheap aftershave", but actually it's a wonderful, inexpensive unisex fragrance, in the classic barbershop category. The mint adds a tad more freshness than some other barbershop colognes, which also makes Skin Bracer an excellent "first layer" for other scents (as another reviewer pointed out). To keep Skin Bracer from smelling "cheap", please apply to freshly washed skin. DO NOT use it as a "post-workout refresher" without bathing, as I have noticed that it reacts especially poorly on unwashed skin! I love Skin Bracer (I used to use it in very hot weather when all other scents were too much) and intend to purchase two bottles soon, one for myself and one for my love.

I freaking love this aftershave. That nice opening with a blast of menthol just feel incredible after a shave. After the menthol dies out (about 5 mins), you get a nice interplay of talcum powder, oakmoss and delicate florals. The drydown is somewhat sweet, but not in a vanilla or sugar sort of way. It's a softer sweetness that I think comes from the coumarin. Nothing else I've ever encountered smells like this. Given it comes at a reduce potency since its an aftershave, I would love for Mennen to make an EDT of this fragrance. It would be brilliant. But in its current form, skin bracer can easily be layered with something stronger since it only lasts about an hour on its own. Still love it though!

Epic Journey Into the Bottled Yonder, 067 ------------------------------------------------------- Purchased August 2017 Love this shit, amber mint and powdery oakmoss. Don't care to describe it fully because it's so powdery after the menthol wears off. I'm not a menthol fan so I've been using a South African market Gillette post shave gel/cream. To be honest Skin Bracer is musky which is what bolsters the powder. What's with the lack of space between the words in the title? Clearly there's a space in the photos, and since we commenters own a bottle each I mean duhh even look at the antique advert in the Fragram.

One of my favorite aftershaves. It’s crisp, it’s clean and it’s difficult to have a negative thought while wearing this. Its performance is what you’d expect from a cheap aftershave: lasts a couple of hours if you give yourself a very healthy splash of it. The bonus is that it reactivates when your skin is dampened by sweat or a gentle sprinkle later in the day. This scent is for the guy who wakes up with a smile on his face, kisses the wife goodbye as he heads off to work and backs out of his driveway in the cul-de-sac at the exact same time every workday. Not a bad life if you ask me.

This is the aftershave my wonderful father used to wear, and now I wear it as well. It's a timeless classic, and it smells so fresh, clean, and masculine. It has this complex scent that is hard to describe. Splashing it on your face after a nice shave is pure heaven. It has a wonderful cooling effect from menthol (don't worry, no Vick's vapo-rub scent here) and smells incredible - for about half an hour. I just adore this stuff.

"Classics" sometime become so by being known and loved by many but fully appreciated by few. This minty-fresh floral is a superb "manly men" fragrance that instantly says "clean/shower fresh". While it's a bit too "manly men" for me to wear, I do consider it a clean unisex fragrance. And I'm not alone! I remember and love the silly television commercials that said this is "for mennen, and womennen", which always made me giggle.

It's great that classic aftershaves are getting some recognition. This is the father of all the wet shaving classics ! Powdery, minty, musky, sweet.. it's not fancy at all but so comforting. Works great with any classic aromatic fougere (Brut, Paco Rabanne PH, Azzaro, Tsar, Kouros, etc.) as well as gourmands and chyprés (works great with Chanel pour monsieur too).. I must grab another bottle of this..

This is an amazing scent that lasts minutes. Then it is gone. Of course, I tried to spray abundantly, the result was bad - a cloying mess. The same thing happened to me with Agua Brava, "more is better" does not apply in these. I arrived to the conclusion that one must take blends for what they are. In this case, less is better. Enjoy your aftershave. And don't pretend it to be an EdP.

Quite a nice, pleasant, warm, cozy aftershave scent. I get lavender and vanilla primarily. similar in the style to Caron pour un Homme. Its a cheapy, but for use as a aftershave or even just a cheap cologne, it;s pretty good. I do wish that these cheap aftershaves like this and aqua velva came in glass bottles though.

FINALLY. Quite possibly the best aftershave splash and one of my favorite scents in general. The combo of bright mint and fresh talc is especially invigorating. Nothing groundbreaking, mind you, merely simplicity, but done exceedingly well. Warhol wanted to be buried with Beautiful by Lauder; bury me with Skin Bracer

Shower with some Irish Spring soap Wash hair with Pert Plus or Vo5 Throw on the Speed Stick 'regular' Shave with a fresh disposable and Noxema shave foam Finish with Skin bracer You smell, look & most importantly ARE clean. Smelled great in 1931, 1951, 1991, 2021....

This was the first fragrance I ever owned. I got a gift boxed version when I was nine years old as a Christmas present along with the matching green Speed Stick deodorant. Thirty years later, I still love splashing a little on every once in a while. Great stuff.

No.1 after shave lotion (together with Aqua Velva) of all after shaves I have ever use and all times for me. Unfortunately, hard to find too. Wet shavers sure know what I am talking about. A 1931 after shave lotion and still rocks!!

What is it about the 'luxury' status of personal fragrance that manages to tether together both aristocratic pretensions and working class nostalgia? And while my interest in fragrance seems to be informed in no small part by escapist fantasy, I love that I can pluck a $4 bottle of Skin Bracer off the dusty shelf of a rural corner store a short dog walk from my place. This is what I use as an aftershave, followed by a slap of lavender witch hazel and several spritzes of Pour Un Homme de Caron every morning before heading off to work. The note pyramid above rightly should include both lavender and vanilla, but in any case, it is indeed the menthol that makes this 'bracing', with coumarin providing the cushion and the surprisingly long-lasting touch of musk to give it guts. Even my wife (who seems to sense cheap things at 100 metres) is alright with it... On a side note: awhile back, I purchased a lovely old art-deco-looking glass aftershave bottle at an antique store. Made by Rawlins (a Canadian door-to-door company from the mid 20th century), it smelled remarkably like Skin Bracer, which suggests that the basic premise for this scent has gone unchanged for at least fifty years... And why not?

I'm not sure what I expected, probably something painfully dated and barbershoppy. Maybe the fragrance equivalent to plasticky bottled toothpaste... It really isn't, it's not at all reminiscent of any time period or era, and surprisingly I had no scent memories flood my mind when I smelled it, yet it doesn't necessarily smell current either. Other members definitely seem to so I don't want to invalidate whatever associations gentlemen have with this, but as a gal in her 30s I don't really feel transported to...anywhere. Maybe I simply haven't smelled enough for a frame of reference here...but in any case, I think this would be easy for most people to wear now without feeling odd. The fact that it sells well enough and continues to be stocked in mainstream stores might be telling. There's nothing "blue" or overly sweet in this, it's a little camphorous. It's certainly cooling, not simply owning to the bottle color. It's a white, powdery clean sort of scent, and not heavy whatsoever. It doesn't smell of anything particularly expensive, nor does it smell cheap or tacky. In the drydown there's a slight spicy sweetness that I cannot pinpoint. It, however, is my favorite element of this blend.

I came to this one by way of a post on the Badger and Blade forums about "Bootleggers Brand Aftershave," where forum members were taking and blending different aftershaves for fun and winding up with something fantastic smelling. Take one part Mennen Skin Bracer, and one part Osage Rub Aftershave, mix well, and you have Green Freeze. Mennen Skin Bracer has a healthy dose of menthol to it, and a strong enough fragrance that it covers up the Vick's Vaporub smell of Osage Rub (which has a LOT of menthol and eucalyptus oil in it), and you have a nice smelling aftershave that feels like sticking your face in Lake Michigan. In December. The fragrance doesn't last long, of course, but while it's there, it will make your teeth chatter. Since Osage Rub comes in 14 ounce bottles, and Mennen Skin Bracer comes in 7 ounce bottles, I usually wind up mixing up about a quart mason jar of this for aftershave, and it will last me the better part of a year. I like to add about a shot glass full (1.5 ounces) of vegetable glycerin to this mix to help counteract all the alcohol. It turns it into a nice aftershave balm at that point.

Clean, refreshing, barbershop like scent. It feels very good after shaving. The scent is not "out of date" or overally musky. my wife actually liked this one. For the price you can't beat it, however the scent does not last long maybe a hour. The Gents Score 9/10 (A Gentlemens Classic) The Gents All Time Aftershave Ranking: 1:Original Clubman 2:Vi-Jon Spice Scent 3:Old Spice 4: Mennen Skin Bracer 5:Clubman Bay Rum 6:Ogallala Bay Rum 7:Clubman Vanilla 8:Clubman Special Reserve 9:Aqua Velva Musk 10:Clubman Musk 11: Aqua Velva Ice Blue 12:Clubman Lime Sec 13:Clubman Lilac Vegetal

More menthol than mint, powdery and a touch of sweet. Wonderful in its simplicity, and can be purchased for under 5 bucks Canadian. Bought this today, it has been years since I used Skin Bracer. Pleasant scent and feels great on skin, really refreshing after a shave. This stuff is just fine, not long lasting and very mild, not going to get noticed much after application, but it feels great on skin. This is far less challenging than other classic aftershaves and easily worth trying.

old spice is no longer the oldest fragrance i have worn. this one came out 7 years prior to that one and this also a really good cheapie. it has a great smell. i don't pick up a whole like on the mint, but i do pick up a lot on the musky notes. i also get a kiwi juice kinda smell from it. not sure why. it doesn't project much, but the longevity isn't bad for an aftershave. lasts for a good 3 hours

I have a chunky 7 fl oz glass bottle of green aftershave sold by K-Mart under their old Private Club label. Circa 1980, I'm guessing. Anyway, it is the Mennen juice, no difference whatsoever, just bottled for Kresge. Scentwise it's also the same as today's version, except this vintage stuff has a more pronounced menthol slap. Honestly, I never really cared for regular Skin Bracer. As an a/s it does what it's supposed to do, and does it well, but the scent is not a favorite (though its 1970s flankers were all excellent and are looooong overdue for a comeback). This is stuff I'll slap on only because it's over 90° and I've gotta be outdoors.

It’s a great aftershave, nothing special, I used to use this on vacations, before standardized testing, it’s my travel aftershave. It kind of smells like powder, mint, and alcohol. Performance is really good.

Has a similar baby wipes note as Aqua Velva Ice Blue. Menthol and powdery.

So I'm staying at my Dad's house, he's 81, and I notice he's got some Mennen SKIN BRACER lotion in his bathroom cabinet. I am curious to sample it, never having used it in my life. I'm fully expecting it, frankly, to be a cheap and nasty-smelling, dated, stale-ish fougère; the emerald-green liquid encourages this supposition. To my surprise, it is not; it is a very intriguing and thoroughly pleasant smell that I would call an Aromatic-Spicy-Musqué. It is obvious that a qualified, sensitive "nose" prepared this scent... it has nothing to be ashamed of. It takes off on an aromatic note... The above pyramid calls it a "mint" component; I don't read it as mint necessarily, it's more of a medicinal note... suggesting a medicinal unguent or liniment...(?) But it's subtle and fleeting... Then unfolds the primary mood of the scent: a sweet-ish baby powder quality, with powdered, indistinct spicy-woody-vanillic connotations. Here I am reminded of numbers like Parera VARON DANDY, Dana CANOË or even Dana AMBUSH. It is not nearly as lavender-fougère inflected as, say Fabergé BRUT or Pinaud CLUBMAN. No, this scent is all about that tender, gently spicy baby powder quality. A subtle skin musk anchors it all. All-in-all, SKIN BRACER smells like a nostalgic, 1950's or 60's-tinged "collegiate" scent. Inexpensive, but quite pleasant. Sillage is intimate; tenacity is not long... it fades after an hour or so. In my mind's eye I visualize the smell as being that curious pink-tan "fleshtone" color of the American "Camelot" era-- about 1959--1963. Not the sort of scent I'd ever wear, even for "ironic" value-- I prefer other, usually more expensive things-- but it's quite nice for what it is. I suspect your modern bearded hipsters would really latch onto this stuff, both for its monetary value and quaint Midcentury masculine qualities.

My husband usually wears quality fragrances; Tom Ford, Acqua di Parma, Creed, or some bit of niche snobbery. He hates it when I wear my cheapies, no matter how well they work on me (Ciara, Armaf clones, celebrity scents, you get the idea). Yesterday while running a non-fragrance related errand, he picked up a bottle of Skin Bracer, maybe because I recently mentioned that my dad may have worn it because there was always a bottle of it in the house where I grew up. He has been wearing Skin Bracer all afternoon, and it is wonderful. The tonka and mint are delightful. It smells like some minty dessert, maybe mint sugar cookies, mixed with lavender powder. Excellent. Not just "good for $5," this is good period. Just when I think it has faded, it resurfaces, so it has a lot of longevity for an aftershave. Maybe Aqua Velva will become my second favorite aftershave. Skin Bracer is great stuff, not cheap smelling at all. Manly, clean, and respectable. But then again, I am a fan of the barbershop smell. Hope this genre becomes popular again soon. By......MENnen. That jingle is in my head now.

It's really amazing how something as innocuous as a bottle of Skin Bracer could bring back so many memories. This is one of the items that I remember my grandfather having in his bathroom, along with original flavor Listerine and Lava soap. This was the only fragrance I ever remember him wearing. He was a Midwestern farmer who wore overalls every single day except for specific occasions. Going to the bank, visiting a doctor, or a funeral were occasions for nice slacks and Skin Bracer. He was born in 1914 and had some strange thrifty habits that you would have acquired going through the Great Depression. So even this simple luxury meant a lot to him. What about the actual product itself? The menthol is the main attraction here. It feels really nice after shaving and has an intense cooling effect. When the menthol fades a powdery dry down remains. This doesn't smell musky or soapy to me at all. The only modern fragrance that I can think of parallels with is Le Male. If JPG were ever to offer a homeopathic concentration, this would be it.

A very nice, affordable aftershave. The scent reminds me of Pour un Homme de Caron, but with a cheap blue sweet-fresh aftershave aspect. As others have noted, it pairs well with Pour un Homme. As an aside, I find Skin Bracer to be a much better aftershave qua aftershave than other drug store offerings like Brut, Old Spice, Clubman, etc. The skin feel is very nice and refreshing. It does not feel "sticky" as some others do (Old Spice), and, while it is certainly bracing from the menthol, it is also soothing and does not feel overly alcoholic. In short, Skin Bracer is a pleasantly sweet lavender minty aftershave.

One of the earlier wet-shaver fougeres, this one is a surprisingly well made blend of perky menthol (mint) and powdery lavender, followed by a healthy slug of coumarin sweetened with a lick of dry vanilla in the base. It's been called a "proto-Brut," and is often considered too cheap for serious consideration as a personal fragrance, but I think it smells like the first and best in a long lineage of powdery semisweet ferns, and is entirely worthy of every bit of praise given.

If I had a nickel for every splash of Skin Bracer I've thrown on I could buy some of Creed's fragrances. It is probably one of the most refreshing and cooling aftershaves out there besides Osage Rub. Since I've had a beard for years now I mostly use it as an after shower splash in the spring and summer. Everyone should have a bottle.

The stuff reminds me of a truck stop diner...back when there was smoking or non-smoking...and I love it! But it's one of those scents I never wear outside the house. It's a true drug store cheapie. Very difficult scent to peg. Very "green". It smells great for a little while and it feels great after a shave.

It's the grandpappy of all the modern day barbershop fragrances/aromatic fougeres. Nothing pretentious or high brow here, just clean green powderyness, before the concept of "blue juice" was created. It costs about $7 and lasts 30 minutes. That 30 minutes is the cleanest you will feel all day. So worth it.

This is great stuff! The smell of the best dads, including the father of my children!

Lovely powdery aftershave. Davidoff Relax is/was basically an EdT version of this.

menthol coolness on initial period of application, but that fade in half hour