Veteran Soap – why this young Italian brand had to join our range

There are brands where you first look at the name.

And then there are brands where you see the can and immediately want to know:

What exactly is inside?

Veteran Soap clearly belongs to the second category for me.

The brand is still young – founded in 2024 – and comes from Italy. It is produced using artisanal methods, with the aim of offering a modern interpretation of classic wet shaving. (veteransoap.it)

That is exactly what made me curious.

Classic shaving, but not boring

I like traditional wet shaving.

But I don't think that traditional wet shaving automatically has to look and smell "old", "barbershop", or "sandalwood".

And that is exactly where Veteran comes in for me.

The products remain firmly rooted in classic wet shaving:

Shaving soap.

Brushes.

Safety razors or straight razors.

Aftershave.

But the fragrance and design take a significantly more modern and bolder approach.

For me, this is a combination that works well.

Seven fragrances – and none of them feels like a copy of the others

What I liked about Veteran right away:

The varieties do not look like they simply took a basic concept and slightly changed it seven times.

You can currently find these with us:

Black Knight
Eclipse
Sole d’Amalfi
Zahir
Barber Shop
Smoky Habana
Moulin Rouge

And each one goes in a different direction.

Barber Shop stays closer to the classic shaving world. There, citrus notes, lavender, herbs, spices, woods, and warm base notes come together, among others. (Sbarba)

Other varieties are significantly darker, warmer, or more unusual.

I find exactly this range interesting.

Fragrance alone is not enough for me

This is important to me with artisan brands.

Strong artwork and an exciting fragrance description make you curious.

But in the end, the soap has to shave.

The base of Veteran works with stearic acid, shea butter, almond oil, avocado oil, lanolin, and jojoba oil, among others. The goal is a dense, creamy lather with good glide and a pleasant skin feel after shaving. (Sbarba)

And that is exactly where a nice idea separates from a product that really belongs in the range for me.

Why Veteran even got a chance with us

I don't want to carry as many brands as possible.

When I add a new brand, it should bring something that we don't have yet.

For Veteran, that was the combination of:

Italian production
modern design
different fragrance worlds
a matching shaving soap and aftershave line

And honestly:

Some cans look so interesting that I find them appealing even before I have smelled them.

That alone is not enough.

But it does help, of course.

Why the brand is a good fit for The Gentleman’s Shave

Our range should not consist of twenty brands that all do the same thing.

Taylor of Old Bond Street brings British tradition.

Westman has this very personal Portuguese fragrance world.

HAGS often takes a significantly more experimental approach.

And Veteran adds a modern Italian interpretation of classic wet shaving to the mix.

Exactly these kinds of differences make a range exciting.

Shaving soap and aftershave belong together here for me

With Veteran, I think it makes sense to experience a fragrance not just as a shaving soap.

There is a matching aftershave for each variety.

And especially with distinctive fragrances, that makes a big difference for me.

You build up the fragrance while lathering and carry it on after shaving.

That is why we offer Veteran at The Gentleman’s Shave not only as individual products, but also as a combination of shaving soap and matching aftershave.

My conclusion

Veteran Soap is not yet a decades-old heritage brand.

And that is exactly what I find exciting.

The brand is young, boldly designed, and does not try to simply copy classic wet shaving.

It takes the traditional ritual and gives it a more modern character.

And that is exactly why it was pretty quickly clear to me:

I want to try this brand.

Whether Black Knight, Sole d’Amalfi, Zahir, or a completely different variety ends up being your favorite is then a matter of taste.

But the selection will at least not be boring.