378 Alpa Voda po holení

Once again, the Czech traditional brand Alpa, of which I have already commented on several fragrances here, surprises us. Never judge a book by the cover!

The bottle (which also forgoes a cardboard outer packaging here) impresses with its rough post-communist industrial charm, which today is already considered "genially retro." The batch number and expiration date are once again stamped on the front label. So far, nothing unusual for Alpa. However, it is noteworthy that the 50 ml bottle does not have the typical aftershave shape but is reminiscent of a medicine bottle, that the fragrance doesn’t even have a proper name but is simply referred to as "378" (more on this shortly), and that the (written only in Czech and Slovak) slogan on the label does not praise the "masculine freshness" or similar qualities of the product, but rather soberly points out the disinfecting effect of the liquid.

By the way, regarding the name "378," my intuition was not wrong: Checking Alpa's company address revealed "Hornoměstská 378/74" (in 59401 Velké Meziříčí); naming a fragrance after the house number (or street) of the manufacturer has a tradition elsewhere as well, not just with "4711"...

Given this exterior, I prepared myself for an aftershave for men who reject fragrances and expected a neutral-clean or chemically disinfectant smell. But nothing could be further from the truth!

"378" impresses with a deep green, incredibly mossy-woody scent carpet with a slightly herbal and somewhat stronger woody note. Despite the wood, nothing here is harsh and certainly not dry; everything remains soft, full, almost lush, to which a certain (yet not overpowering) light but distinct sweetness may contribute. Overall, in my view, it is a successful soft-full Fougère interpretation (though identifying it as a Chypre variant wouldn’t be far-fetched), which I find extremely pleasing and costs practically nothing.

The consistency of the liquid is slightly viscous and glycerin-like, and the moisturizing effect is clearly noticeable. After about an hour, the scent is only faint and close to the skin; after two hours, it is no longer perceivable, which seems quite adequate for a classic aftershave.

Postscript:

"Irish Moss" I only tested once in a drugstore, and I did not like it at all. Therefore, I cannot necessarily confirm any resemblance to that classic men's fragrance. However, it is claimed by Bellemorte (here in the statement) and also in the promotional commentary on the website of "Pomadeshop" (the only source I know of in Germany) (where it is always emphasized that 378 is softer and more elegant), so there may be some truth to it.

The manufacturer's website does not provide a fragrance pyramid but merely states in the German version (somewhat awkwardly) that "It has a typical floral-citrus scent with a moss undertone." I cannot separately detect any flowers or citrus, though it may be that citrus notes contribute to the freshness and floral notes to the soft fullness of the scent. The same applies to the musky notes claimed in some sources: I would not have come up with that on my own, but I don’t find it implausible.

Addendum on December 4, 2018: Having used it multiple times since, I appreciate the very special soft scent and the moisturizing effect even more. It has become a true favorite aftershave. With generous application, which is not unusual for aftershaves, I revise the longevity to about 5 hours, which is quite high for an EdR.