Fulton & Roark was created when Kevin Keller came across women’s solid fragrances and realised the potential it had for men’s grooming. A lifelong cologne wearer, he reasoned that a pocketable perfume could easily be part of a man’s everyday carry, replacing fragile cologne bottles prone to breaking and being confiscated by overzealous airport officials.
Having identified a gap in the men’s grooming market, Keller roped in his friend Allen Shafer and started to focus on creating a solid cologne that would tick all the right boxes; it would have to be portable, durable and ideal for travelling – all the functionalities that an active modern guy needs. After deciding on a name – Fulton and Roark are the names of their rescue dogs – they did a ton of research and testing at the makeshift scent lab in Shafer’s house, out of a desire to avoid producing copies of popular men’s scents. They boiled the essence of their fragrances into three simple terms: green, clean and woodsy. Shafer’s background as a coffee roaster came in handy when it came to experimenting with variations of the three attributes that they had agreed upon.
The three fragrances were given names inspired by locales familiar to these Georgia boys. Hatteras is the green scent, a fresh and spicy fragrance that takes its name from an island famed for beautiful beaches and water activities such as sport fishing and windsurfing. The popular campsite of Shackleford Banks – where wild horses roam the beach – lends its name to their woodsy cologne, with warm amber notes complementing the sandalwood scent. Lastly, the fresh salt air of Tybee Island is the inspiration for F&R’s clean scent, a blend of musk with cedar and rosewood notes.
Each Fulton & Roark cologne has a base developed from ceresin wax, which is completely free of fragrance, making it ideal for layering on scent carriers to ensure the longevity of each application. This highlights the premium essential oils added to the blend, which has been formulated such that there is no shine when applied to your skin. Flat metal containers were chosen to house the colognes, for portability that will not create an unsightly bulge in your pocket, and a stylish look that complements both casual and formal get-ups.
Join the Fulton & Roark covenant here at The Panic Room.