Continuum 3
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements
Founded in 2012 by Douglas Smythe and his partner Frances Towle, Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements has become one of the wet-shaving community’s most recognizable names. The company blends innovative soap and fragrance formulas with playful, science-fiction-inspired themes, pairing eye-catching artwork with engaging back-stories for each release. Beyond soaps and scents, PAA is renowned for its accessories—razors, brushes, scuttles, alum blocks, balms, blades, and even apparel—many of which are prized for both performance and collectability.
Scent Description
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrement’s Continuum 3 tips its hat to Gucci Nobile while tracing its lineage all the way back to Houbigant’s epoch-making Fougère Royale of 1882. Its spine is the archetypal fougère triad—lavender, coumarin, and oakmoss—so the fragrance instantly feels floral, dry, and verdantly green.
The overture is a brisk kiss of bergamot and lemon, sparkling like sunlight on cut crystal. Then the composition unfurls its most charming flourish: a playful duo of tarragon and rosemary. These herbs lend whispers of green licorice, cool mint, and peppery zest—much as tarragon enlivens Castle Forbes 1445—making the opening uniquely spirited.
As the scent settles, the “second movement” emerges: jasmine, geranium, carnation, and rose step forward in elegant harmony, their petals warmed by the lingering herbs. Beneath them, oakmoss, patchouli, and a subdued musk evoke a moss-draped forest floor, while lavender drifts through it all, dusting the landscape with powdery barbershop nostalgia.
Available For Purchase From
Scent Strength
9
Longevity
8
Scent Family
Fresh
Subtype
Aromatic, Fougere
Suitability
Daytime, Date Night, Evening, Home
Inspiration
Gucci Nobile
Country of Origin
USA
Menthol
Non-menthol
Companion Products
EDP, Shampoo Bar, Splash, Balm, Cube, Solid Cologne
Base Description
Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements’ flagship CK-6 soap base is a vegan formula that founder Douglas Smythe calls the “Mystical Trifecta of Slick.” It blends three Amazonian butters—bacuri, cupuaçu, and murumuru—with shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, and glycerin to create a textured lather reminiscent of dense cottage cheese. The result is a voluminous, high-density lather with exceptional moisturiztaion properities that offers excellent cushion, above-average slickness, and rock-solid stability.
Lather Properties
Cushion
9
Density
9
Slickness
7
Stability
Lather Type
8
Textured
Base Type
Base Name
Vegan
CK-6
Skin Food
Glycerin, Kokum Butter, Shea Butter, Cupuacu Butter, Jojoba Oil, Bacuri Butter, Murumuru Butter
Top Notes
Bergamot, Lavender, Nutmeg, Tarragon, Rosemary
Heart Notes
Jasmine, Fir, Geranium, Cyclamen, Carnation, Rose
Base Notes
Oakmoss, Sandalwood, Cedar, Vetiver, Patchouli, Amber, Tonka Bean, Musk
IIngredients
Potassium Stearate, Glycerin, Potassium Cocoate, Aqua, Potassium Kokumate, Sodium Lactate, Potassium Shea Butterate, Potassium Castorate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Cocoa Butterate, Potassium Avocadoate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuacu) Butter, Astrocaryum (Murumuru) Seed Butter, Platonia Insignis (Bacuri) Seed Butter, Parfum [Fragrance]