Huge News:Re-Reformulated Penhaligon's Soaps

[Craig_From_Cincy]

Gents, for the first time we have confirmation that Penhaligon's have re-reformulated their shave soaps, and reportedly for the better. I don't have time to copy and retype all of the pertinent information here at work, so please visit this thread at B&B and come back to discuss:

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread ... nhaligon-s

Look forward to taking about this!

[Craig_From_Cincy]

Reading further it looks as though the soap has only been slightly reformulated, mainly a change in the order the ingredients are listed on the label which means that amounts of those ingredients have changed. Many of us have read sporadic accounts of newer Pen's soaps performing better then they have have in the past, so this is confirmation that there has in fact been a reformulation,hopefully for the better.

[kingfisher]

Craig,

I participated in the thread over at B&B; it is clear that the formula has changed slightly, but the first seven ingredients are identical. This leaves me awaiting experiential evidence that the "reformulation of the reformulation" is actually superior to the reformulation.

[Nitrox]

If the 'new' formulation performs close to the tallow versions, then it would be very interesting. I guess we have to wait and see what the results are after people have tried them out.

[Craig_From_Cincy]

Someone needs to take one for the team and try out one of the newer Pen's soaps.

[woodsrider]

The challenge at this point might be determining whether you would be buying the reformulation or the reformulated reformulation....

[bernards66]

Craig, Speaking only for myself, at the prices Penhaligon's charges they would have to return to a tallow base for me to be willing to buy one at full retail cost.
Regards,
Gordon

[Craig_From_Cincy]

Same here Gordon. However, as you have read, there are reports of somewhat better performance from Pen's recent soaps, so this is an encouraging development. It might be a sign that the brand owners are hearing our complaints. I've heard of recent improvements in Floris soaps as well, and as I wrote about in another thread the brands might be made in the plant, Broad Oak Toiletries of Tiverton, Devon, England (who definitely manufacture the Floris soaps):

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=52291

[bernards66]

Craig, Well, judging by that cake of No 89 of a few years back, the Floris shave soaps could hardly have gotten any worse...sigh. Interesting. Where did you come by that information about that firm in Devon? It wasn't that terribly long ago that Floris was still making their own soaps. The T&H soaps used to be made by an outfit called Standard Soap Co. in Lestershire....maybe they still are. Anyway, Trumpers proved to me that it IS possible to make really decent hard shave soaps using a veg. oil base ( even if they are not still doing so...don't know...the ones I've gotten have all been good but perhaps they are not the most recent ) but the versions from other firms have always been, at best, a disappointment for me. Even the Trumpers was not AS good as their prior tallow version, but was still quite good. Perhaps some other member will take it upon himself to check out these latest Penhaligon's offerings but I'm not in a position to spend that kind of money just to see if they're a bit 'better'.
Regards,
Gordon

[Squire]

For that price it would have to be a whole lot better to get my interest.

[Craig_From_Cincy]

Gordon, a poster at B&B wrote that Floris and Penhaligon's soaps were being made in Tiverton. I started doing some sleuthing and discovered the name of the company and conformation that they definitely make the Floris soaps. Here is a link to Broad Oak's website, and two articles that confirm that they make Floris soaps:

http://www.broadoaktoiletries.com/index.asp

http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/scent-perf ... z2Z5I8S2Pz

http://business.highbeam.com/3783/artic ... toiletries

So next question: is Broad Oak the source of so many of the mediocre shave soaps on the market today?

[bernards66]

Craig, For some reason my computer was unable to fully access those two sites you linked although I did reach the Broad Oak site itself. I'll take your word for it that those other two confirmed that Broad Oak does, in fact, manufacture the Floris soaps. If they do then it likely that they make the Penhaligon ones as well. Back when, before Penhaligon's was purchased by it's current owner, I'm almost certain that Floris themselves made the Penhaligon hard soaps. Anyway, that Floris No 89 shave soap that first came out when they reintroduced that fragrance was truly atrocious, and I gather from reading here that at least some Penhaligon soaps were just about as bad. The gist seems to be that they have gotten better than THAT, at least, but neither seems to be close to in the same league as they were when they were both still tallow based ( whoever actually made them ).
Regards,
Gordon

[Craig_From_Cincy]

I cant bring them up either Gordon, they must have mis-formatted. Try these:

http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/scent-perf ... z2Z5I8S2Pz

http://business.highbeam.com/3783/artic ... toiletries

I had on of those awful English Fern soaps, it was awful, as bad as that horrible Trumper soap that I tossed recently. I wonder if Broad Oak could also make Trumper's soaps? How many firms in the UK can be making shave soaps for these high end firms?

[mikey]

Essentially, it comes down to this:

1. Titanium Dioxide was significantly reduced.
2. Sodium Gluconate was removed.
3. They fiddled with the fragrance.
4. They fiddled with the color.

Thanks,
Mike

[kingfisher]

Essentially, it comes down to this:

1. Titanium Dioxide was significantly reduced.
2. Sodium Gluconate was removed.
3. They fiddled with the fragrance.
4. They fiddled with the color.

Thanks,
Mike

The reduction of titanium dioxide means nothing when it comes to the lather. Nothing. Not sure of the function of sodium gluconate, but it may be used as a chelating agent. If so, its removal might actually make it harder to lather.

However, I also noted that they added another chelating agent to the formula.


All told, it doesn't look like they made any changes significant enough to make the soap appreciably better.

[Squire]

Then why monkey with it except to make it cheaper to manufacture.

[kronos9]

Then why monkey with it except to make it cheaper to manufacture.

I wanted to stop being so cynical but realized it wouldn't make any difference.

[DGB452]

I was told a while back that Standard Soap Co. made Trumper's soaps but they closed about a years ago. You'll find that they are now using this particular soap manufacturer, as are one or two other well known names here

http://www.soapworksltd.co.uk/our-clients

[Craig_From_Cincy]

I was told a while back that Standard Soap Co. made Trumper's soaps but they closed about a years ago. You'll find that they are now using this particular soap manufacturer, as are one or two other well known names here

http://www.soapworksltd.co.uk/our-clients

DGB452, That is a great find. We now know who makes Floris and likely Penhaligon's soaps (Broad Oak), and now who makes Trumper's soaps and I see Truefitt's soaps as well. This has been an open question for years, and it now appears answered.

[brothers]

This discussion begs the question, who makes Harris soaps, I wonder.