Limacol (GPC)

Every nation has its point of pride, a product that is unique to its culture, and Limacol is Guyana's. The abbreviation, GPC, is for Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation, which touts Limacol as "the freshness of a breeze in a bottle," with lemons and limes on the label. First released in 1929, this body tonic/aftershave is known in South America for being a bit of a health rub of sorts, something people use when they're feeling under the weather to ward off disease and bad karma. Nearly a century later, it survives in a stout glass bottle with a screw cap that resembles bakelite. The ingredients are simple: alcohol, water, fragrance, menthol, and coloring. I wasn't confident, given that eight ounces costs five bucks.

This turned out to be an excellent aftershave. Yes, it has a high alcohol content, and yes, the fragrance is super simple, and of course it only lasts ten minutes (or less depending on weather), but the initial burn, the soothing wave of face freeze, and the pert citrus aroma all put a smile on my face, and why wouldn't I smile? My face felt good. It happened to be a rough shave, all sorts of little nicks, yet Pow! Suddenly I'm in a little haze of woody lemons. The lemon note is actually the most prominent element of the fragrance, but it's anchored by a subtly sweet woodiness that I interpret as lime. It's funny because I like to think this is what Myrsol's Agua de Limón smelled like, before that brand went belly-up, or wherever it went after the pandemic. I never had a chance to try Agua de Limón, and I wanted to, but Limacol smells pretty realistic and gets the job done, so I guess I can die happy. 

This was a great find because I've wanted an above-average straight citrus aftershave in my den for a while now, and haven't been able to find one at a reasonable price. I'm pretty reticent about spending more than twenty bucks on a scratch splash. I think the most expensive was my Myrsol Formula K, which even back ten years ago was well over thirty bucks, and although there are dozens of "artisan" citrus aftershaves out there, most of them are pretty aspirational in their pricing. Limacol is a neat one because it includes menthol, so the sprightly citrus feels like it "lifts" right off my skin. I'll say this: citrus isn't particularly hard to do, but it's hard to do it well, and at its price-point Limacol does it better than it needs to. For those lamenting the discontinuation of Agua de Limón, or the post-seventies dearth of realistic midcentury lemon/lime aftershaves, here you go.