Aftershave & Colognes

The shave is not finished when the blade comes off the face. An after shave cologne is what turns a close shave into a comfortable one, and it is the last thing a client smells when they leave the chair. This collection gathers the splash colognes, cream colognes and alcohol-free lotions that barbershops reach for every day, in sizes from a 150 ml travel spray to a 5000 ml salon refill.

What an after shave cologne actually does

Shaving scrapes the top layer of the skin and leaves open pores and micro-nicks behind. An alcohol-based cologne disinfects those nicks, tightens the pores, cuts excess oil and delivers the cooling hit that tells you the service is over. The soothing side matters just as much: these formulas are built to calm redness and take the sting out of razor burn rather than aggravate it.

Splash cologne or cream cologne?

A splash or spray cologne is the traditional choice. It is liquid, alcohol-based, fast-drying and antiseptic, and it carries the longest, sharpest burst of freshness. Best on normal to oily skin, and the format most barbers use between clients.

A cream cologne is a 2-in-1: the freshness and scent of a cologne with the hydration of a balm. NISHMAN's version is enriched with allantoin and moisturising agents to support the skin barrier; BARBERTIME's adds glycerin and allantoin for a matte finish. Both absorb without grease, and both are the better answer for dry or easily irritated skin.

If alcohol is the problem, the alcohol-free NISHMAN After Shave Lotion N.1 (200 ml and 400 ml) soothes and rehydrates without any sting, and helps against dryness and ingrown hairs.

The scents on the shelf

• NISHMAN colognes (150 ml and 400 ml) — thirteen numbered scents, from 01 Antarctica's icy grapefruit and mandarin, through 04 Lemon and 09 Marine, to 07 Gold One and the tobacco-heavy 12 Space X
• NISHMAN cream colognes (200 ml and 400 ml) — five variants: City Senior, Arctic Blue, Pyrogenous, Gold One and Invisible Touch
• BARBERTIME colognes (150 ml and 400 ml) — seven signature scents from Golden Cup to Sword of the Pirate, plus a classic Lemon; the cream cologne runs Black Pearl, Dark Danger and Light in Cave
• PRO RAPID colognes (150 ml and 400 ml) — travel-named fragrances: aquatic Victoria Falls, citrus-marine Whitehaven Beach, tropical Cat Island, spicy-woody Maasai Mara and the exotic Inca

Salon refills for busy chairs

High-volume shops buy by the five litre. The BARBERTIME Gold One and NISHMAN Gold One 5000 ml refills cover the signature-scent side, while the classic barbershop lemon comes as BARBERTIME Lemon at 80% alcohol, the NISHMAN 80C Lemon with eucalyptus, rose and musk, and the PRORAPID Tattoo 80C Lemon. Decant them into your own bottles and the cost per shave drops sharply.

Pair your cologne with a blade from Shaving & Blades and beard products from Beard & Mustache, or shop the full NISHMAN and BARBERTIME ranges.