Le Grand Chypre
Barrister & Mann
Founded in 2013 by self-taught perfumer Will Carius in his Boston apartment, Barrister & Mann has grown into one of wet shaving’s most respected artisan houses. Known for pushing the envelope on both scent design and soap chemistry, the brand pairs original, multi-layered fragrances—often anchored in classic fougère or chypre structure—with cutting-edge bases like Omnibus, prized for its dense, slick lather and post-shave feel. Signature releases such as Seville, Le Grand Chypre, Waves, and seasonal cult favorites like Hallows showcase Carius’s storytelling approach to perfumery. All products are formulated, poured, and packaged in small batches in upstate New York, using responsibly sourced ingredients and cruelty-free practices. Today the line spans shave soaps, bar soaps, aftershave splashes and balms, and extrait-strength colognes, earning consistently high marks from reviewers and a loyal global following.
Scent Description
Le Grand Chypre is a scent truly worthy of its eptithet. Chypre is a fragrance category defined by strong citrusy top notes, usually lemon, with an underpinning of labdanum and oakmoss. Although, it seems as if the scent would be fairly straight forward, dominated by citrus, it's easy to get wrong by leaning too heavily into one note which can make it smell like dish soap or citronella. When a Chypre is done right it's complex and titillating, offering a big bouquet which is fresh and zesty. This is definitely the case with B&M's Le Grand Chypre, which is among the best-in-class. Even though it's fairly assertive, Le Grand Chypre is so fresh and clean that it can be worn in almost any setting, although it may lack the seduction found in other classic date night fragrances.
Available For Purchase From
Scent Strength
9
Longevity
7
Scent Family
Fresh
Subtype
Aromatic, Chypre
Suitability
Home, Work, Daytime
Inspiration
Unique
Country of Origin
USA
Menthol
Non-menthol
Companion Products
Splash, EDT
Base Description
B&M's Omnibus is the epitome of the "yogurty" base. It is tallow-based and whips up quicklly into a luscious, luxurious, creamy, yogurt which is dense and easy to spread with stability and slickness which are more than adequate. Becuase it's so creamy, its cushion is lower than soaps which prioritize volume over density. B&M prides itself on using high quality, natural, ingredients with beneficial skin properties such as coconut milk, goat milk, shea butter, avocado oil, kokum butter, castor oil and capuacu butter. For lovers of the yogurty shave soap, B&M sets the benchmark to beat.
Lather Properties
Cushion
8
Density
9
Slickness
8
Stability
Lather Type
8
Yogurty
Base Type
Base Name
Tallow
Omnibus
Skin Food
Shea Butter, Coconut Milk, Glycerin, Cupuacu Butter, Avocado Oil, Goat Milk, Slippery Elm Extract, Kokum Butter
Top Notes
Bergamot, Lime
Heart Notes
Frankincense, Cinnamon, Peach, Rose
Base Notes
Oakmoss, Labdanum, Patchouli
IIngredients
Aqua (Water), Potassium Stearate, Glycerin, Potassium Tallowate, Parfum (Fragrance Oil), Sodium Stearate, Garcinia indica Seed Butter (Potassium Kokum Butterate), Polyacrylamidomethylpropane Sulfonic Acid, Cocos nucifera Fruit Juice (Coconut Milk), Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Ricinoleate, Sodium Lactate, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) Butter, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate, Xanthan Gum, Theobroma grandiflorum (Cupuaçu) Seed Butter, Sodium Cocoa (Kokum) Butterate, Potassium Cocoate, Hydroxethylcellulose, Sodium Ricinolate, Saccharide Isomerate, Caprae Lac (Goat Milk) Powder, Persea gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Sodium Cocoate, Althaea officinalis (Marshmallow) Root Extract, Ulmus rubra (Slippery Elm) Extract, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Benzyl Benzoate, Limonene