Shannon Logan on Success, Expansion, and the Magic of Elysian Soap Shop
- Teutonblade
- 1 day ago
- 8 min read
Over the last few years, Shannon Logan has built Elysian Soap Shop from a small artisan operation into one of the most distinctive brands in wet shaving. What began as a homegrown soapmaking venture has steadily evolved into a luxury men’s grooming company with a clear point of view, a growing international footprint, and a fragrance aesthetic that feels increasingly confident and self-defined.
When I spoke with Shannon last year, she was already thinking beyond the boundaries of the traditional artisan shave market. This time around, our conversation focused on how Elysian has evolved since then: the success of the Atlantis line, the introduction of the new Cashmere soap base, what recent launches like Augustus and Calliope reveal about the brand’s direction, her experience exhibiting at Cosmoprof Bologna, and what lies ahead in 2026. Along the way, Shannon also shared new details about Elysian’s expansion into Asia, her long-term ambitions for the brand, and several upcoming releases that should have wet shavers paying close attention, including today’s release of the exciting new Atlantis Frost. Here’s Shannon….
Since we last spoke, Elysian has had several notable releases, including Atlantis Blue, Augustus, and Calliope. Of those, was there one that especially resonated with the community?
Atlantis Blue, probably. Anytime I do a flanker in the Atlantis line, it does very well. I think we’ve become known for our aquatics.
At this point, we’ve really developed a full spectrum within the Atlantis family. We have the original Atlantis, Atlantis Deep, Atlantis Blue, and now Atlantis Frost, which will be available on April 10th on the website. Frost is essentially a mentholated aquatic. So between the light aquatic, the dark aquatic, the classic aquatic, and now the frost version, we’ve covered a lot of ground, and that’s become a real signature area for us.
How do you think about the differences between Atlantis, Atlantis Deep, and Atlantis Blue? What’s unique about each of their formulations?
They all share the same general DNA in the sense that the aquatic accord runs through all of them, but they differ quite a bit in their top notes and base notes.
With the original Atlantis, I think of it as the classic version. To me, it opens with sweet orange, and underneath that there’s a deeper base built around dry, grassy vetiver and some tobacco notes. It has that classic fresh citrus feeling, but with marine notes added in. I’ve described it almost as if Acqua di Parma made an aquatic version of Colonia. It’s versatile, polished, and very much a daytime scent.
Atlantis Deep came from the idea of creating something that could move into the evening space. It’s our dark aquatic, and it’s also by far our most complex formula. There are a lot of materials in there. Rose, cassis, patchouli, marine notes, heavier musks. It’s layered in a way that really gives the sense of moving through the scent. By the time you get to the base, it feels like you’ve been on a journey. That complexity is what gives it its depth.
Atlantis Blue goes in the opposite direction. It’s lighter, smoother, and more uplifting. It has pear and pink grapefruit, and overall it’s much more fluid and seamless. The original Atlantis has more of a push and pull between the top and base, which gives it a very distinctive character. Atlantis Blue is more about lift, freshness, and polish. It still has beautiful woods underneath, but it wears as a brighter, softer, more luminous aquatic.
Atlantis Deep has become something of a cult favorite. What gives it that darker, deeper effect?
Part of it is the way we handled the marine accord. It’s still aquatic, but it’s more intense and more immersive. In the original Atlantis, it feels like a current. In Atlantis Deep, it feels like you’re being pulled through something deeper.
Then you add in the oakmoss, the cassis, the rose, the heavier musks, and some of those more inky, textured materials, and it starts to feel much more dimensional. It’s not dark in a heavy or oppressive way, but it has depth, complexity, and a kind of powdery richness that people seem to really love.
It’s our best seller, period. I can barely keep it in stock.
You also introduced the new Cashmere soap base last year. What changed in the formula, and what were you trying to achieve?
We launched the Cashmere base with Atlantis Blue, and going forward that’s going to be the direction we move in when we launch new scents.
The old base and the new base are similar in some ways, but we added specific butters and oils to create that tighter, denser, wetter yogurt-like texture that a lot of people really love in premium soap bases. We wanted something that could take a lot of water, hold up under a lot of use, and still produce a dense, beautiful lather.
We also added hyaluronic acid and cashmere, which has a lanolin-like effect. The goal was to create a base that feels richer, more luxurious, and more resilient. I’m very happy with how it came out.
Augustus took things in a different direction, leaning into vanilla, spice, and woods. What was the inspiration there?
We wanted to do a straightforward vanilla scent, but a masculine one.
There are a lot of vanilla fragrances on the market, but many of them either smell synthetic and plasticky, or they drift into a more floral direction. We wanted to avoid both of those and create something warm, woody, spicy, and grounded. Something that really felt like a true vanilla, but with structure and masculinity.
Augustus definitely heads into amber and oriental territory, with the dark chocolate, black pepper, nutmeg, vanilla, and woods, but the idea was always to keep it controlled and elegant. It’s been doing very well for us too. Atlantis Deep is still the runaway leader, Atlantis Blue is right behind it, and Augustus has been getting snapped up quite a bit.
Calliope felt like a bit of a departure as well.
It was. Calliope was fragrance-only, and it definitely leans more unisex, maybe even a little feminine. It has pineapple, verbena, and sandalwood, and it’s quite pretty.
Every so often, I like to throw in something like that because I know a lot of customers are shopping not just for themselves, but also for their wives, daughters, or girlfriends. And that’s exactly what happened. People bought it for their wives and daughters.
I think it’s nice to have those little Easter egg fragrances in the box. You open your Elysian package and there’s something for you, but maybe there’s also something your wife will love.
I like the idea that the people around you get to enjoy the hobby too.
You also brought back Royal Milk Tea this spring. What inspired that rerelease?
I re-released Royal Milk Tea just because it’s such a beautiful scent.
It was inspired by my time in Japan. One of my favorite things there was Royal Milk Tea from the vending machines, basically a sweet Earl Grey tea with milk. I wanted to capture that feeling. So the fragrance has that Earl Grey bergamot character, some creamy facets, and beautiful spices. It came out really lovely.
Sometimes it’s just fun to bring back a seasonal scent because it deserves another moment. And honestly, it makes my whole house smell incredible when I’m making it.
Earlier this year you exhibited at Cosmoprof in Bologna. What was that experience like?
It was a really important experience for me.
Cosmoprof Bologna is an extremely prestigious and difficult show to get into. It’s also very expensive, but I was fortunate to receive a grant from the state of Pennsylvania that covered most of the cost. Even then, it came down to the last minute before they were able to place me in a booth.
I was in the USA Pavilion, which was really special. It felt meaningful to represent the United States there. I met a lot of buyers, made some promising contacts, and came away with leads I’m still following up on now.
More broadly, trade shows like that are incredibly valuable because you learn so much. You get a sense of where different markets are headed, how people in other countries do business, and where your brand might fit in internationally. That kind of information is hard to get any other way.
Elysian seems to be expanding well beyond its original footprint in the wet shaving world. How is the broader business evolving?
It’s going really well. Last year, we tripled in size, which was honestly surprising. A big part of that came from adding distribution in Hong Kong and China. This year we expanded further in those markets, and it’s going very well.
In fact, by April we had already done roughly a quarter’s worth of revenue in a single week, which was a pretty striking sign of momentum. The growth is exciting, though I’m also very conscious of not expanding so fast that production gets jammed up. That’s something I’m always watching.
I’ve also applied for grants and explored other funding opportunities. I don’t necessarily think I need investors, but I’m open to strategic support if it helps accelerate the right kind of growth.
You’ve always seemed to envision Elysian as something bigger than a niche artisan shave brand. What does that larger vision look like to you?
I think Elysian could eventually be much larger. In my mind, there’s room in the market for a men’s grooming brand of real scale and identity, something in the orbit of Kiehl’s, Aesop, or even Acqua di Parma in terms of how it’s perceived.
But I think it should stay focused on men. Women will absolutely shop a men’s brand, for themselves and for the men in their lives. But once you start mixing in overtly feminine products, men often stop feeling like the space is really for them. So I want men to feel that Elysian is their space.
If I ever do a more feminine line or something more specifically oriented toward women, I would probably launch that separately.
As the company grows, what does the next phase of operations look like?
Right now, the next step is equipment. We need to continue improving production capacity so we can keep up with demand.
I already have a little help in the lab, and I’ll definitely need additional support over time because I can’t do everything myself forever. But in terms of the larger roadmap, I want to continue expanding into markets where I know there’s already demand. Italy, for example, is one of the strongest countries for interest in the brand after the United States.
Longer term, I’d love to have a showroom here in the U.S., a place where people could visit, see how the soap is made, shop in person, maybe even attend release events. If that model works, then maybe you eventually replicate it in other markets as well. That’s the dream.
Looking at the rest of 2026, what are you most excited to roll out?
First, I really want to finally create sample sets. People ask me for them constantly, and I know they would be useful. The biggest delay has honestly just been packaging development. I want them to look a certain way.
Second, I would love to create a higher-tier version of some of our bestselling fragrances, starting perhaps with Atlantis Deep. I’m thinking in terms of an extrait version with a stronger concentration, upgraded sprayer, more naturals, more expensive materials, and more luxurious packaging. Something truly premium for customers who already love the scent and want the next level version of it.
As far as new releases go, Atlantis Frost launches tomorrow (April 10th). After that, in June, we have a new line coming called Valhalla, which is an aromatic fougère. I’m extremely excited about it. It smells zesty, fresh, bright, and luminous, and early reactions to samples have been very strong.
After that, we’re hoping to do Hadrian around late summer or early fall. And then for Halloween, we’re planning a special release called Caligula, which will go in a darker, sweeter direction. That one should be a lot of fun, both in scent and in packaging.
It sounds like Elysian is moving in a lot of directions at once, but with a very deliberate vision behind it.
That’s the goal. We’re still a very small team. It’s me, my fiancé, my assistant, my label artist, my perfume designer, and a few key industry connections. We do everything ourselves.
But I think that’s also part of the magic. The company is still very hands-on, very personal, and very intentional. We’re growing, but we’re growing with a clear idea of what the brand is and what it could become.
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