Body Shop 'For Men' line undergoing reformulation

[cymric]

For those who prefer The Body Shop shaving cream with its overripe banana scent: it's going to be replaced by something else. In Amsterdam, where I live, it's no longer possible to obtain the old formulation, and reports from Germany indicate likewise. I should add that the entire 'For Men' line---including razor relief, scrub, ...---is going to be reformulated. There is a new product though: shaving oil.

The new cream remains available in tube and tub, both dark blue, although the tube is now a bit bigger (and thus slightly more expensive). The new cream is called 'For Men Maca Root Shave Cream', and has more natural ingredients than previously. Some ingredients have been removed (notably the parabens and phenoxyethanol), others have remained (sesame oil, coconut acid), and a host of new ones have been introduced (aloe barbadensis, brazil nut, maca root, and a new class of moisturiser comprising 1,2-hexanediol and caprylyl glycol---the latter also acts as an antimicrobial agent). Gone is the yellow colour, it's now white with a yellowish sheen. The most important change in my opinion is the scent, however. A modern, zesty, slightly sour wave of freshness emanates from the open container. It smells familiar, but I still can't place it. Nevertheless, although I can probably learn to live with it, it will never be my favourite.

First impressions of the new cream are favourable: the cream seems not to have lost its good shaving qualities. That said, neither has it gained new ones, which is a tad disappointing given the strong emphasis on various moisturisers. But I'll have to shave with both for a while to tell if there's a difference for sure. I'll keep you posted.

Still, if you absolutely dig the old cream and other 'For Men' products, stock up if they go on sale. They won't be around for much longer.

[drmoss_ca]

I have been brought a sample of an unscented shaving cream that is white, so I suspected there was some funny business going on. I haven't tried it, being afraid that to do so would make it plain that one (more) of my favourite creams has gone.

Chris

[cymric]

Here are some pictures: this is the old tub



and say hello to the new one



(The entire For Men line now takes this appearance, by the way.) List of ingredients in the new cream: aqua, stearic acid, myristic acid, aloe barbadensis gel, potassium hydroxide, coconut acid, glycerin, triethanolamine, parfum, phenethyl alcohol, panthenol, caprylyl glycol, sodium hydroxide, bertholletia excelsa nut oil, creatine, sesamum indicum oil, tocopheryl acetate, tetrasodium edta, hydrolyzed lepidium meyenii root, 1,2-hexanediol, capryloyl glycine, citric acid.

I haven't found time yet to look at the rest of the products in more detail---the cream takes precedence for now . Thankfully it isn't a brushless cream or whatever, I don't think I could have survived that...

[Baloosh]

How can 200ml be both 6.3oz and 6.6 oz, and both 188g and 180g? And did you say it was going to be more expensive than the old version? Or is that just the tube version?

[cymric]

Obviously the density of the product has decreased a little, although it appeared to be somewhat more concentrated when I used it---I think I needed a bit more water in order to make a proper lather. As for price: hard to say what will happen to it in North America. Over here, the old tub was €13 and now costs €14; the tube now contains 125 ml (instead of 100 ml), and costs €9,50.

[JimR]

How can 200ml be both 6.3oz and 6.6 oz, and both 188g and 180g? And did you say it was going to be more expensive than the old version? Or is that just the tube version?

mL is volume, grams is mass. They must be using Ounces as weight instead of volume (i just checked the conversion, they are) in which case, the old formula is denser than the other one. More mass/weight in the same volume.

(edited because I got the order wrong)

[hamelfarm1]

That probably explains why here in the UK the old cream (although there's no sign of the reformulated stuff yet) has been reduced by over £1.

I for one welcome this news - I really like the cream, but there is something in the old stuff that really doesn't agree with me and my face always ended up red, blotchy and sore. It's the only cream I've had that problem with, so I could only put it down to something which is unique in Body Shop cream. Hopefully the new formula will be as good, but won't give me a backstreet chemical peel like the old stuff did.

[koeos]

The native peoples of Bolivia and Peru have used Maca root as a libido enhancer and reproductive aid for thousands of years. Since being "rediscovered by ...

[crackstar]

Oddly enough, I found the original formulation of Body Shop cream lathered like a maniac, and gave me one of the most soothing, gentlest skincare, and left my skin feeling like it was born again, but the scent of it was so annoying--I detested it, so for that reason, I never bought it again. I had used the tub perhaps 10 times, and then I gave it away to a friend of mine.

[jtpca]

its overripe banana scent.

So that's what it is best descriptor yet! Another member had mentioned that the intention was a hint of Sandalwood.

I do agree with the banana contrast, though the cream does appear in my rotation ~14 shaves.

[jww]

TBS have done reformulations in the past, and typically they do a decent job when they do. I'll give it a try, but like Chris, am a bit nervous about losing one of my favourite products. I even found the scent to work fine for me. And oh the lather!

[cymric]

A few blokes in the German-speaking parts of the world have reported experiences similar to mine: no noticable changes in the way it shaves and treats the skin. There is of course the difference in scent and colour, and perhaps the faint impression that the new formulation appears a bit more concentrated than the old one, despite being a tad less dense.

There is reason to hope a bit more, I guess .

[sgtrecon212]

Bummer....
TBS cream is one of my very favorites. I have a couple of tubes left. I'll give the new stuff a try, though.

[PT]

This is a big downer for me. The Body Shop shave cream is my #1 shave choice. I like the smell as well... I don't know about the "over ripe banana" comment and I just finished my tub a few days ago so now I can't check! I never smelled it and and thought "ahhhh banana". Maybe I can rush to a local store and buy the old formula before its all gone.

Thank goodness Proraso never reformulates (knock on wood).

[Nitrox]

I guess I'll pick some up next time I'm at the mall. The old one is a good cream for the price and hopefully the new one is the same.

[gruffydd63]

For those who want to stock up on the old formulation I just checked the Body Shop web site and they are still selling the old and there is no sign of the new formulation.

[jww]

It's probably worth picking up a sample of the new cream from TBS, but I haven't seen it on the shelf yet. Has anyone actually used it yet?

Reports??

[gdc]

I would definitely like to hear from anyone who has tried the new formulation. I've used TBS cream on and off since 1995 (and found it to be a more than good cream) and they reformulated it at least once in this time. As jww says, this was a decent effort, although that said I think I prefered the smell of the first formulation.

[gdc]

I would definitely like to hear from anyone who has tried the new formulation. I've used TBS cream on and off since 1995 (and found it to be a more than good cream) and they reformulated it at least once in this time. As jww says, this was a decent effort, although that said I think I prefered the smell of the first formulation.

Well maybe this will be me. I think I will find myself near a Body Shop this lunchtime, so I shall investigate.

[cymric]

Reports??

Scent is different. Cream appears slightly more concentrated, and the lather appears fatter and thicker. This caused me some irritation---my skin doesn't like such lathers, and it took me a while to find out what the cause was---but I think I've got the hang of the product now. There is no longer a tendency of bits of lather to break off and float away on air currents. The feel of the shave is so close to the original yellow banana type as to make little to no difference: this is an easy, top-notch cream, well worth the price. I've not used it long enough yet to make a detailed comparison, but the impression I get is very favourable.

Then again, I'm not a DE user, so that probably makes me suspect around these here parts...