Czech & Speake - Oxford & Cambridge soap heads-up (NOT Valobra)

[Gargravarr]

I mentioned the other day that Mensbiz now have stock of O&C back in, so I ordered a few pucks to supplement my hoard of Valobra, and the package duly turned up (in excellent time) this morning.

Unfortunately, it only took one glance and sniff to tell me this is not a Valobra product. The ingredients list has doubled in length, and it's now an all-sodium formula, so it won't lather worth a damn. And it's made in Britain.

I'm sending it back to Mensbiz. Hopefully there won't be any problem with a refund, since it's definitely not the product described.

 

[Mark1966]

I mentioned the other day that Mensbiz now have stock of O&C back in, so I ordered a few pucks to supplement my hoard of Valobra, and the package duly turned up (in excellent time) this morning.

Unfortunately, it only took one glance and sniff to tell me this is not a Valobra product. The ingredients list has doubled in length, and it's now an all-sodium formula, so it won't lather worth a damn. And it's made in Britain.

I'm sending it back to Mensbiz. Hopefully there won't be any problem with a refund, since it's definitely not the product described.

What a shame

Definitely different ingredients to that listed on the Mensbiz product page -

Sodium Tallowate, Aqua, Potassium Palmitate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Palmitate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Cocoate, Potassium Cocoate, Parfum, Glycerin, Palmitic Acid, Stearic Acid, Cocos Nucifera, Lecithin, Petrolatum, Zea Mays, Tocopheryl Acetate, CI 77891, CI 77492.

 

[Nanook]

Hopefully they will come to the party for you. Maybe they didn't realise the difference themselves.

 

[SpeedyPC]

I mentioned the other day that Mensbiz now have stock of O&C back in, so I ordered a few pucks to supplement my hoard of Valobra, and the package duly turned up (in excellent time) this morning.

Unfortunately, it only took one glance and sniff to tell me this is not a Valobra product. The ingredients list has doubled in length, and it's now an all-sodium formula, so it won't lather worth a damn. And it's made in Britain.

I'm sending it back to Mensbiz. Hopefully there won't be any problem with a refund, since it's definitely not the product described.

 

[Gargravarr]

Hopefully they will come to the party for you. Maybe they didn't realise the difference themselves.

I'm sure they didn't, otherwise I would have expected they'd update their page. I don't anticipate any problems, but if worse comes to worst, I can always get a refund through PayPal.

 

[SpeedyPC]

Speaking of Valobra shaving soap, perhaps @Razorboy could be able to help us and find out what's really going on with Valobra as he speaks Italian and he's directly from Italy.

I thought Proraso has bought the WHOLE company of Valobra, and I was hoping IF @Razorboy could find out, IF, Valobra shaving soap is coming back or not into the market.

My major concern is the ingredients will remain the original, or not?

 

[nav1]

These sodium-only duds make for very good, albeit very expensive, pre shave bars.

I use my baume.be puck in this manner. Lather up with hands, let it sit for two minutes, rinse it off then proceed to face lather.

Definitely get a closer shave this way.

 

[Gargravarr]

These sodium-only duds make for very good, albeit very expensive, pre shave bars.

They do indeed, and I think that might simply be because they get your skin very clean. The new O&C might do that, but so does good ol' Pears transparent soap, at a tiny fraction of the cost. The fact that so many manufacturers of hard soaps are defaulting to a sodium-only formula these days seems to indicate a widespread failure to understand what a shave soap is meant to do. It can't be a matter of cost, since the difference in the price of KOH and NaOH is negligible.

 

[Razorboy]

Speaking of Valobra shaving soap, perhaps @Razorboy could be able to help us and find out what's really going on with Valobra as he speaks Italian and he's directly from Italy.

I thought Proraso has bought the WHOLE company of Valobra, and I was hoping IF @Razorboy could find out, IF, Valobra shaving soap is coming back or not into the market.

My major concern is the ingredients will remain the original, or not?

if I can be useful I will surely inform
Not a problem
Imho the old products will never be seen again.
One day by chance in the oldest perfumery in my city (100 years of history here in Roma ) I accidentally found some dusty Valobra sticks. But the owner's son reads the forums and he ask crazy price for everything he read and think is “ vintage “ . I paid 15/20 euros each for them. But in addition to using them, I give one to some passionate friends for free etc …
for an old Yardley black label refill I would have had to take out a bank loan …

here in Italy someone told me that I am influenced but for me Proraso has also changed the product. I bought them 20/30 years ago so I know them.
Maybe and I mean maybe something i can still find here like the old 150g almond Valobra block) but everything that comes will no longer be as we remembered it.

I hope it is all clear what I wrote
Thanks

 

[nav1]

They do indeed, and I think that might simply be because they get your skin very clean. The new O&C might do that, but so does good ol' Pears transparent soap, at a tiny fraction of the cost. The fact that so many manufacturers of hard soaps are defaulting to a sodium-only formula these days seems to indicate a widespread failure to understand what a shave soap is meant to do. It can't be a matter of cost, since the difference in the price of KOH and NaOH is negligible.

I agree that it's about cleansing the skin. Any face wash or soap will do the job.

The issue I have personally is that nearly every product dries out my skin.
I can't even use face wash, I use only warm water to wash my face before bed. I use a face scrub twice a week.

What I find by using shaving soap/cream as pre shave is that they don't dry out my skin as they are not as cleansing as facewash or bar soap.

These days, I'm using a nice shaving cream (Indian brand) which contains bees wax and lanolin, as a pre shave. seems to be working very nicely for my skin.

 

[Zeke]

if I can be useful I will surely inform
Not a problem
Imho the old products will never be seen again.
One day by chance in the oldest perfumery in my city (100 years of history here in Roma ) I accidentally found some dusty Valobra sticks. But the owner's son reads the forums and he ask crazy price for everything he read and think is “ vintage “ . I paid 15/20 euros each for them. But in addition to using them, I give one to some passionate friends for free etc …
for an old Yardley black label refill I would have had to take out a bank loan …

here in Italy someone told me that I am influenced but for me Proraso has also changed the product. I bought them 20/30 years ago so I know them.
Maybe and I mean maybe something i can still find here like the old 150g almond Valobra block) but everything that comes will no longer be as we remembered it.

I hope it is all clear what I wrote
Thanks

Very clear @Razorboy. It's a pity someone couldn't get hold of the original recipe and start making it. If they don't want to make it, let someone else do it. If it's too expensive, they'll fail. If people are willing to pay, they should never have changed the recipe. I don't get it when they change a successful product.

 

[SpeedyPC]

Very clear @Razorboy. It's a pity someone couldn't get hold of the original recipe and start making it. If they don't want to make it, let someone else do it. If it's too expensive, they'll fail. If people are willing to pay, they should never have changed the recipe. I don't get it when they change a successful product.

Sometimes companies have to look into cheaper ingredients and what’s available to keep the business afloat now a days.

That’s why Stirling Soap Co keeps the ingredients similar and cheaper for 5.8oz tub, and 4.0oz refill pucks for your favourite tub with the original scent label.

Stirling is very smart and will never change their ingredients in the future.

 

[Razorboy]

I am really a fan of many vintage stuffs ( some razors, Simpson brushes …) and I'm sorry not to find some products anymore but fortunately today at least as regards soaps (tallow and vegetal ) we have 2/3 names that provide excellent quality products .
For many Years soaps for me must only be English (Floris / GT etc) but I must say that some American soaps have really changed the world for me in terms of protection and smoothness.
I often wait for many days and pay a lot of money for shipping and import tax to buy some things but it's worth it …

 

[SpeedyPC]

I am really a fan of many vintage stuffs ( some razors, Simpson brushes …) and I'm sorry not to find some products anymore but fortunately today at least as regards soaps (tallow and vegetal ) we have 2/3 names that provide excellent quality products .
For many Years soaps for me must only be English (Floris / GT etc) but I must say that some American soaps have really changed the world for me in terms of protection and smoothness.
I often wait for many days and pay a lot of money for shipping and import tax to buy some things but it's worth it …

@Razorboy could you please post a complete list of Italian shaving soap makers that are STILL in production click here

Thank you.

 

[Gargravarr]

Mensbiz to their credit have sent me an apologetic response, with no difficulties regarding refunds. I notice that they have also already updated their sales page. Kudos to them

I've asked them to credit that refund towards a bottle of the O&C cologne, which will never go out of fashion here.

 

[Razorboy]

@Razorboy could you please post a complete list of Italian shaving soap makers that are STILL in production click here

Thank you.

Wow ! I'm not a big consumer of Italian products.
meanwhile, I write a list of those I know or remember and then we restrict the to those in production
Hope it can help

- Antica Barberia Colla
- Boellis Panama
- Cella ( 1kg block called finissima and the cream in the red bowl are different )
- Mondial 1908
- Prep
- P160
- Proraso
- Acqua di Parma
- Abbate y la Mantia
- Tcheon Fung Sing (TFS) it is an Italian brand from Turin behind many Razorock creams
- Omega
- Barberia Bolognini
- Acca Kappa
- Figaro
- Vitos
- Rossini
- Furbo
- Saponificio Varesino
- Nuavia
- Extro’ cosmesi
- Saponificio Bignoli
- Farmacia SS Annunziata
- Farmacia Santa Maria Novella