the story behind Benjamin barber
A story of success
Benjamin Barber is a well known company within shaving and in over 10 years Benjamin Barber has changed the shaving routine of nordic men. Benjamin Barber want to encourage the classic shaving, and with inspiration from the brittish empire, created high quality shaving-, beard- and bodyproducts.
Benjamin Huntsman - the inspiration behins the company
Benjamin Huntsman (1704 –1776) was a brittish man who the company Benjamin Barber is named after. During his you years Benjamin Huntsman had a big interest for technique and mechanics, especially for their constructuion. Turning fourteen, Huntsman became a trainee at a clockmaker, and 1740 he started his own clockmaker in Doncaster.
Benjamin Huntsman was unhappy with how the steel was in the clocks, because the quality was very varying. In his own company, Benjamin Huntsman could experiemt with the manufacturing of the steel, and how the different components complemented each other. After many attempts he managed to produce his own steel, that after a long and demanding process was harder than the German steel, that in that time was the most popular. Huntsman discovered that if he melted the metallics in clay crucibles that was used for glassmanufacturing, the steel would melt together properly, because of the high tempereture that could be used.
Despite producing the best steel on the market, the local manufacturers wasn't interested, because it was not that easy to use. On the other hand foreign people started to use it, because the new method made the steel hard, flexible and durable. The steel was perfect to make razors, cut-throats and tools. For his hard work, Benjamin Huntsman got assigned an award from Royal Society, but said no. The reason for this was that his family was part of the Quakers, and Benjamin believed that it was against his religion to recieve it. Later, Benjamin Huntsman opened a barbershop named Benjamin Barber.
Benjamin Barber at Gents
As the name implies the company Benjamin Barber is inspired by Benjamin Huntsman and his success within the steelindustry, which revolutionized the quality on shaving. Benjamin Barber want to encourage the classic shaving, and with inspiration from the brittish empire, created high quality shaving-, beard- and bodyproducts.
In the beginning the focus of Benjamin Barber was razors, shavingbrushes and accessories for this, but lately the fragrances also have been a big part of the success of Benjamin Baber. Today Benjamin barber had three different fragrances in their collection; Black Oak, Oud, and Saffron & Leather.
The three fragrances
The dark woody scent, which is complemented with leather, is together forming a magical story, and make the thoughts wander to an old library, with big mahognyshelves with big leather bound books in it. Sandalwood and cedar is adding a sweetness ot the bitterness of the leather, and create a classic and masculine fragrance.
The fragrance of Oud is extracted from the tree Aquilaria, when it gets attaced by a certain type of mold, and producing a dark, aromatic resin . There is about fiftheen different spicies of which can be found is the South of Asia, Bangladesh and India. Oud is counted to the worlds most expensive oil, and is therefore often called "the floating gold", because it costs up to one million SEK.
The oud in the products of Benjamin Barbers is combined with sweet dates, sandalwood and leather, whitch create the characteristic masculine scent.
Saffron & Leather is the newest fragrance in the collection of Benjamin Barber, and has a unique scent of warm saffron and masculine leather, whitch is combines with notes such as tobacco and vanilla.
The fragrance make the thoughts wander to and old Gentlemen's club, where the gentlemen is enjoying a cigarr and cognac on a sunday afternoon. Peaceful and calm, in an old Chesterfield, by a fire, with the atmosphere filled with cigarr and leather.
Despite Benjamin Barber the last few years have been developing in a different kind of direction than it first was; razors, shavingbrusches and accessories, and the focus now being the fragrances, the center of Benjamin Barber will always be there; the classic elegance and high quality shaving. And who knows, maybe Benjamin Huntsman would have made the same development as Benjamin Barber did today?