We tested the full lineup of Fulton & Roark scents and products to give you our honest impressions of their scents, soaps, deodorants, and oils.
Wearing colognes and deodorants isn’t just about smelling nice for other people’s sake — it can also be an important part of defining your own sense of style and building confidence in the way you walk through the world.
Once you find your signature scent, it’ll become as natural a part of you as the way you walk and talk.
Recently, we got the chance to test a wide range of scented products from Fulton & Roark, an American fragrance brand with unique offerings and plenty of scents to choose from.
So we wanted to share our experiences with the brand with you to help you decide on which (if any) of their range of colognes, soaps, deodorants, and oils you might want to try out.
About Fulton & Roark
Fulton & Roark was founded by two Wake Forest MBA students back in 2013, and its growth in those nine years has been nothing short of impressive.
From a few scents and grooming products available only online, the brand has grown to be offered in around 400 retail locations, with nearly a dozen unique scents to choose from.
They’re continually releasing new scents too, so you can develop a whole range of fragrances for the different seasons of your life.
What We Tried
We were fortunate enough to try the whole range of Fulton & Roark products — including solid colognes, soaps, deodorants, and oils for their Ramble and Sterling scents, as well as their Solid Fragrance Discovery Set.
Consequently, we got a comprehensive look at both the quality of each product F&R offers, as well as an idea of how each of their scents might wear.
First, let’s talk about those scents. Then we’ll talk about the quality of the colognes, deodorants, soaps, and oils in turn.
Fulton & Roark’s Scents
The best way to get a sense of Fulton & Roark’s range of scents is, without a doubt, their Solid Fragrance Discovery Set.
This sampler pack includes dime-sized portions of each of the brand’s eight “permanent collection” fragrances — the ones that they’ll have available year-round.
The small bubbles of solid cologne go quite a ways further than you might expect (around a week of wear for each), so you’ll have plenty of time to determine which one is right for you.
Here are the eight scents, in brief:
- Sterling, with notes of tobacco, leather, and vanilla
- Kiawah, with fresh aquatic notes, citrus, and amber
- Mahana, with notes of pomelo, coriander, and green leaves
- Blue Ridge, with sandalwood, sage, and amber
- Ramble, with balsam fir, elemi, and oakmoss
- Perpetua, with Atlas cedar, neroli, and amber
- Palmetto, with Brazilian pepper, cedarwood, and magnolia
- Hatteras, a classic green and spicy scent
Overall, each of these scents stands on its own as a unique and wonderful fragrance. They’re complex but approachable, with clear seasonal inflections that will make them a joy to move through as the seasons change.
Solid Colognes
We know most guys are used to wearing spray colognes — but we’re big fans of solid colognes as well, and think you should be too.
For one, solid colognes travel much easier than liquid ones; you never have to worry about them spilling or leaking in your bag.
Fulton & Roark makes this even better, with each of their solid colognes housed in a handsome stainless steel case that you’ll want to carry everywhere with you.
The big difference scent-wise between solid and spray colognes is their intensity. Solid colognes sit closer to your skin, making for a more intimate scent that’s mostly only discernable to people who are very close to you.
As far as quality goes, Fulton & Roark’s solid colognes are some of the best we’ve tried.
It’s obvious that they’ve put a lot of time and effort into developing a wax base with real staying power; we can still smell the colognes for 4-6 hours after application, which is impressive for solid cologne.
And as they warm up on your skin, each of F&R’s scents showcases a complex and evolving range of aromatics.
In the case of Sterling, our first test scent, this showed itself with a progression from bright bergamot top notes to pungent, herbal sage in the heart, before finishing with long-lasting sandalwood and amber.
Deodorants
Fulton & Roark’s deodorants are all aluminum-free. If you’re already using aluminum-free deodorant, good for you; if not, then it may take your body a few weeks to adjust to the different deodorant style.
Once you have adjusted, these deodorants are seriously effective. They use a whole suite of natural ingredients to combat odor and wetness, including witch hazel, sage, and tapioca starch.
You don’t have to use much deodorant to get its effects either, so each stick goes a long way.
Soaps
For their bar soap, Fulton & Roark goes above and beyond in three major ways:
- These bars of soap are huge, weighing in at over half a pound each. That’ll last for a very, very long time, making them a great value.
- Each bar is triple-milled, further increasing its sudsing power and longevity.
- They use shea butter and gentle exfoliating granules to deliver a hydrating and cleansing feeling to your skin.
That’s all combined with a healthy dose of the fragrance of your choice.
Soap is never particularly exciting (at least not to me), but these offerings from Fulton & Roark come pretty darned close.
Formula 5 Oil
Perhaps the most impressive product from F&R is their Formula 5 Oil, so named because “[Our] Formula 5 Oil can be used as a hair oil, scalp moisturizer, pre-shave oil, beard oil, or dry skin treatment.”
A blend of seven oils and fine fragrances, the Formula 5 Oil has immediately become a part of our grooming routines.
You can rub just a small portion between your palms, and take care of your entire face — from beard to eyebrows to skin, scalp, and hair. And the oil’s pleasant scents give an invigorating boost in the morning too. Highly recommended.
Overall Review
In addition to being functional and fragrant, all of Fulton & Roark’s products have a genuinely luxurious feel to them. The company has put a lot of effort into every part of their products, from the composition to the packaging to the ease of use.
On top of all that, their packaging produces significantly less waste than standard grooming products, and their solid fragrances can be refilled rather than simply thrown away and replaced.
There’s no doubt that Fulton & Roark has a lot going for it. Even price-wise, it’s not a bad deal — especially if you order their package deals, which come with a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Before we wrap things up, here are answers to a few commonly asked questions from around the web.
Who Owns Fulton & Roark?
Fulton & Roark is still owned by co-founders Allen Shafer and Kevin Keller.
Is Solid Cologne Better Than Spray Cologne?
Solid cologne is longer lasting and more portable than spray cologne, but it’s less intense when you first put it on.
Where is Fulton & Roark Located?
Fulton & Roark manufactures their products in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Final Verdict
Honestly, we could hardly be happier with what we’ve tried from Fulton & Roark. Their products look, feel, and smell like premium goods, but they’re still priced quite fairly.
And with so many awesome scents to choose from, we’re positive that you’ll be able to find something that makes your life that much more enjoyable.
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