Story goes as follows: if your granddad hadn't worn it, you wouldn't exist. The Shulton company's product has hit the shelves as early as 1937, which makes it the predecessor of Ford Mustang, rock and roll and disposable razors. You can't get any more fashionably vintage than that.
Probably the most famous affordable cologne and after shave, Old Spice is actually a very complex mix: the top notes consist of Orange, Lemon, Spices, Clary Sage and Aldehydes. The middle notes are made of Cinnamon, Carnation, Geranium, Jasmine, Heliotrope and Pimento Berry. And lastly, everything rests on a base of Vanilla, Musk, Cedarwood, Frankincense, Benzoin, Tonka and Ambergris. So as you can see, Albert Hauck, the perfume maker of Old Spice, has gone through more than a bit of trouble in creating this fragrance.
At the moment there are two versions to be found: the Classic made and sold by Procter & Gamble and the Original made by Shulton of India. According to long time users, the Original made in India is identical with the vintage formula, whereas the P&G one is a bit more soapy and powdery. Nevertheless, they both stick to the same formula, it's the quality of the ingredients that make the difference. How and why such a thing is possible in a corporate world beats me. Apparently – and the story is NOT straightforward – when Shulton sold the OS rights to Procter & Gamble they somehow managed to retain some rights over making and selling the product themselves. Hence the two different products. They are different, with Shulton having the edge in the eyes of old Old Spice users who still recall the old fragrance before it got sold. However, due to Procter & Gamble's better distribution, their product is widespread, whereas Shulton's product has to be bought from very few online distributors in the US, none that I know of in the EU, and a large online net of grooming products in India .
On July 14 2010, Old Spice launched the fastest growing online viral video campaign ever, garnering 6.7 million views after 24 hours, ballooning over 23 million views after 36 hours. That is a fair estimate of the popularity the brand has gathered for over 7 decades, and a statement as to where the product is heading.
Old Spice is one of the brands out there, really. Unless you're a snob who really needs to smell 'different' and use some obscure grand designer limited edition perfume that almost no one else has access to, you can't go wrong with it.