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King of Oud
King of Oud shaving soap on WhollyKaw's Siero base. Oriental oud fragrance, 2 builds (Tallow + Vegan), made in small batches in our New Jersey workshop.
Bergamot · Lemon · Clary Sage · Rose · Aldehydes and Pink Pepper · Angelica · Rosewood · Galbanum
King of Oud is an oriental oud shaving soap on the Siero base, made in small batches in our New Jersey workshop.
Quick facts
| Detail | What it is |
|---|---|
| Scent family | Oriental oud |
| Base | Siero — see base section below for the full composition. |
| Weight | 4 oz / 114 g |
| Lather | Dense, slick, builds in 30–45 seconds with a wet brush in cool water. |
| Where it’s made | Our New Jersey workshop. Small batches, single-vessel saponification. |
| Builds | Tallow ($29.99) or Vegan ($23.99) — same fragrance compound, different fat structure. |
What King of Oud smells like
Oud - Originating from Southeast Asia and South Asia, Oud is rare and widely sought after in traditional perfumes. Natural Oud is said to cost more than its weight in gold. We used a blend of essential oils, aroma chemicals and resins to create an interpretation of Oud.
Top notes — Bergamot, Lemon, Clary Sage, Rose, Aldehydes and Pink Pepper. The opening of the lather and the first 10–15 minutes on skin.
Heart notes — Angelica, Rosewood, Galbanum. The middle phase, where the fragrance settles into its identifiable character.
The Siero base — why it conditions like cream
Siero is Italian for “whey,” and that’s the technical detail that defines this base. Most artisan tallow shaving soaps use tallow plus added oils (kokum, shea, cocoa) for hydration. Siero adds whole donkey milk, whole water buffalo milk, and water buffalo milk whey — meaning real dairy proteins, fats, and lactose are saponified into the soap matrix.
What this changes in practice:
- Slickness. Whey proteins create a glide layer between razor and skin that you can feel on the second pass — the razor moves more like it’s running over silk than over foam.
- Post-shave skin feel. Whole milk fats and lactose draw water into the stratum corneum during the shave. Skin feels conditioned for 30–60 minutes after rinsing — before any balm or splash is applied.
- Lather density. The protein content stiffens the lather without making it dry. You can build a meringue-like consistency in cool water without overloading on soap.
Siero costs more to produce than a standard tallow base — domestic dairy isn’t cheap, and small-dairy donkey and buffalo milk especially aren’t. The price reflects that. If you’ve shaved with a coconut-and-lye soap and wondered why an artisan tallow puck costs four times as much, the answer is mostly here, in the base.
Tallow or Vegan — which to pick
We make King of Oud in two builds. They share the same fragrance compound (so the scent journey is identical) but the fat structure underneath is different.
Tallow ($29.99) is the original Siero formulation. The conditioning is denser; the lather has more body. If you’ve shaved with WhollyKaw Siero soaps before, this is the same direction.
Vegan ($23.99) swaps tallow for plant-derived fats (kokum, shea, cocoa, mango). It keeps the same fragrance and the same scent arc. The lather is bright and clean rather than dense.
If you’re new to artisan shaving soap and unsure, the Tallow build is the canonical one. The Vegan version is a careful translation, not a compromise.
Layer the full King of Oud line
King of Oud is built to layer. The lather you build with this soap is the start; the post-shave products carry the same fragrance through the rest of the routine so the scent doesn’t end at the rinse:
- King of Oud splash — alcohol-based, bracing, antiseptic. Use directly after rinsing.
- King of Oud toner — alcohol-free, witch hazel and aloe. Use if your skin doesn’t tolerate the splash.
- King of Oud balm — final conditioning step. Carries the dry-down notes for hours.
For all-day skin support without competing scents, our grass-fed tallow zinc oxide cream is unscented — a daily moisturizer that won’t fight the King of Oud throughline.
Who King of Oud is not for
Honest limitations:
- Fragrance-sensitive skin. King of Oud has a real fragrance load. If our unscented Bare Naked Shaving Soap (Tallow build) or Sans Parfum Vegan Shaving Soap (Vegan build) is what your skin tolerates, this isn’t the soap to switch to — our unscented line is fragrance-free across both Tallow and Vegan, so you don’t have to choose between sensitivity and ethics.
- Strict dairy allergies. The Tallow build contains saponified dairy proteins. Most contact-dermatitis reactions to dairy are with raw milk, not saponified milk soap, but if you have severe sensitivities, test a sample before committing to a puck.
- Looking for a designer-fragrance clone. King of Oud is its own composition, not an interpretation of a popular fragrance. If you want a Tom Ford or Creed dupe in soap form, this won’t satisfy.
- Pucks-as-decor shavers. The puck is meant to be used. The fragrance is most expressive in the lather; sniffing the puck doesn’t do it justice.
Cost per shave
A 4-oz puck of WhollyKaw soap lasts most shavers 5–6 months with daily shaves. The math:
- Tallow ($29.99 / ~150 shaves) ≈ $0.20 per shave
- Vegan ($23.99 / ~150 shaves) ≈ $0.16 per shave
For comparison, a single-use disposable cartridge plus a foam can typically runs $0.40–$0.60 per shave with worse skin feel. Artisan tallow soap is more conditioning, lasts months per puck, and works out cheaper than the drugstore aisle.
What's in the soap
Tallow build:
Aqua (Water), Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Tallowate, Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Ricinoleate, Sodium Ricinoleate, (Vegetable) Glycerin, Lac Asinae (Donkey Milk), Potassium Shea Butterate, Sodium Shea Butterate, Garcinia Indica Seed (Kokum) Butter, Theobroma Cacao Seed (Cocoa) Butter, Milk Protein, Lac (Milk), Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract, Parfum (Fragrance), Linum Usitatissimum (Hydrolyzed Linseed) Seed Extract, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Lanolin, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sorbic Acid, Citronellol, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Eugenol, Benzyl Salicylate..
Vegan build:
Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Aqua (Water), (Vegetable) Glycerin, Potassium Ricinoleate, Sodium Ricinoleate, Potassium Shea Butterate, Sodium Shea Butterate, Garcinia Indica (Kokum) Butter, Theobroma Cacao Seed (Cocoa) Butter, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Polyquaternium-10, Linoleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Humulus Lupulus (Hops) Extract, Soybean Glycerides, Shea Butter Unsaponifables, Parfum (Fragrance), Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Citronellol, Geraniol, Benzyl Benzoate, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Eugenol, Benzyl Salicylate..
Contains no parabens, no chemical sulfates, and no synthetic dyes. Fragrance is a custom compound mixed by an American perfumer to our spec.
What customers say
★★★★★
Man from Mayfair and King of Oud Shave Soap - King of Soaps
Phenomenal. I am never using anything else. I have tried dozens of soaps, literally. Nothing performs better than HK. I am sold for life. The KoO and Man from Mayfair scents are fantastic - I may just never use anything else.
★★★★★
Excellent Choice!
Great lather, great oud scent. The King, by the way, is very easy going on my skin, too. Make it feels very refreshed!
★★★★★
All good choices
I ordered King of Ous and didn’t know what to expect having never bought anything knowing that it had a you’ scent. Wow! This stuff is fantastic! Since then, I have ordered three other scented shave soaps from WK and they were all equally satisfying: great lather, great scent! I am a new fan.
★★★★★
Excellent soap
My experience with several S tier soaps, Wolly Kaw’s Siero based soaps provide the best in cushion, glide and after shave feel. Their Bare Siero which is unscented is also excellent.
★★★★★
Siri Base ~ King of Oud
This soap lathered very well and provided the perfect amount of glide necessary for my 3 pass shave. Its lather is thick with nice peaks. I’ve used both a safety razor and straight razor with and without the matching balm. The feel afterwords is soft and supple.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a puck of King of Oud last?
Most shavers get 5 to 6 months out of a 4-ounce puck with daily shaving. The Siero base lathers efficiently — you don't need to load heavily — so a puck stretches further than a typical mass-market soap. Heavy loaders or face-and-head shavers may see 3 to 4 months.
What does King of Oud smell like — fresh or warm?
Both fresh and rich. The opening is bergamot, lemon, clary sage, rose, aldehydes and pink pepper — bright and aromatic. The heart adds angelica, rosewood, and galbanum. The dry-down is agarwood (oud), patchouli, and vetiver — woody and resinous. The full arc reads "fresh and richly aromatic" rather than typical heavy oud.
Why is it called King of Oud?
Oud is a rare resinous wood ingredient from Southeast Asia and South Asia — natural oud is said to cost more than its weight in gold. King of Oud uses a blend of essential oils, aroma chemicals, and resins to deliver an interpretation of oud that's rich without being heavy.
Do I need a brush for King of Oud, or can I lather with my hands?
King of Oud is a hard puck designed for brush use. A synthetic or boar brush builds the best lather and gives you the slickness benefits of the Siero base. Hand-lathering works in a pinch but won't get the dense, conditioning lather the soap is designed for.
Tallow or Vegan — which to pick?
The Tallow build is the original Siero formulation — beef tallow plus whole donkey milk, whole water buffalo milk, and water buffalo milk whey. Densest, most conditioning expression. The Vegan build swaps tallow for plant-derived fats (kokum, shea, cocoa, mango) and keeps the exact same fragrance compound. Same scent arc, lighter lather body.
Is King of Oud on the same base as 1776?
Yes — both King of Oud and 1776 sit on the Siero base. Same dairy stack, same lather mechanics, same post-shave skin feel. The difference between them is entirely the fragrance: King of Oud is an oriental oud; 1776 is a green fougère with a grapefruit-tarragon opening.
Can I use King of Oud in cold water?
Yes — Siero soaps lather well in cold water, which is why we built the base the way we did. A 30 to 45 second build with a wet brush gets you to a usable lather. Hot water gives a slightly faster build but isn't necessary.
Where is King of Oud made?
In our New Jersey workshop. Saponification, scenting, pressing, and packaging all happen in house. The fragrance compound is mixed by an American perfumer.
Is King of Oud a moisturizing shaving soap?
In the way most shavers use the word — yes. People often search for "moisturizing shaving soap" or "moisturizing shave soap" looking for a soap that leaves skin feeling conditioned, hydrated, and protected through the shave and after. The technical term we use is "conditioning" because the soap is rinsed off (it doesn't moisturize the way a leave-on cream does), but the experience matches what people mean when they search for moisturizing soaps. King of Oud sits on our Siero base — tallow plus whole donkey milk, whole water buffalo milk, and water buffalo milk whey — built for exactly that deeply conditioned skin feel. For an actual leave-on moisturizer to layer over the shave, pair with our grass-fed tallow zinc oxide cream.