Unnecessary reformulations - why?

shavecraft

shavecraft

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Bit of a rant here, apologies.

Can anyone cast any light on the fad for reformulating perfectly good, often excellent, soaps creating often inferior "new improved" versions? Same goes for cream reformulation too, though as someone who prefers to avoid products containing parabens I have no objection to their removal. What gets my goat is the apparently unnecessary tinkering or wholesale redesign of tried and trusted great products.

Tallow removal seems a favourite lark - is it a marketing thing? Are the brand owners concerned that the use of animal products in a soap is somehow seen as icky by those who know no better? I just don't get it. Recent examples that spring to mind:

Erasmic - stick (classic) change and change back. Cream (classic) reformulation, not that the new version is a bad cream, it just doesn't have the individuality and character of the old coconut oil version.

GFT soaps - why go to tallowless? I prefer el cheapo (but great) Palmolive over the new version.

WTF is it about? Anyone have any idea?
 
More about being PC I guess.

To be honest, I think the reformulation concerns people have are just blown out of proportion, more so over the pond. If the newer version doesn't work for you, there is plenty of choice out there to find something that does.

I have the new GFT soap in coconut and don't have any issues what do ever. It leads me to think that this soap must work differently compared to the old tallow version. I can't see how the lather I get is inferior but maybe it people need time to adjust?

However something I think should be reformulated is MWF. The bloody thing just doesn't work for me. Also I've read Andrew (Canuck) has had issues with another soap too.
 
My guess is a combination of EU Rules - what is and isn't permited in a product - and re-aligning said product to be appealing to the new market - our sons and grandsons. They are where the money is and will be while we are not and won't be.

Who care what the old boys like - let's make it young and fresh and alive, with short words in the description and bright packaging.

Chuck a few labels at it - green, eco, organic, not tested on animals, contains no animal products - and you pretty much can't help but re-formulate.

Tobacco-less cigarettes. Lead-free petrol. Meatless hamburgers. Monarch-free citizens. Petrol-free cars.
 
1. Money which is linked to...
2. Pandering to the 'right on' brigade

They're not running charities.
 
Dipesh said:
However something I think should be reformulated is MWF. The bloody thing just doesn't work for me. Also I've read Andrew (Canuck) has had issues with another soap too.
Click to expand...

Not all soaps will work well with water from all areas. If you are having a problem with a particular soap, try lathering with a soft bottled water - most Scottish and Welsh waters are soft.
 
Bechet45 said:
Dipesh said:
However something I think should be reformulated is MWF. The bloody thing just doesn't work for me. Also I've read Andrew (Canuck) has had issues with another soap too.
Click to expand...

Not all soaps will work well with water from all areas. If you are having a problem with a particular soap, try lathering with a soft bottled water - most Scottish and Welsh waters are soft.
Click to expand...

I did think that, but it's just too much effort!

I've now milled it with about a ratio of 1/3 Palmolive stick. My 'new and improved' version works a treat :D
 
Dipesh said:
Bechet45 said:
Dipesh said:
However something I think should be reformulated is MWF. The bloody thing just doesn't work for me. Also I've read Andrew (Canuck) has had issues with another soap too.
Click to expand...

Not all soaps will work well with water from all areas. If you are having a problem with a particular soap, try lathering with a soft bottled water - most Scottish and Welsh waters are soft.
Click to expand...

I did think that, but it's just too much effort!

I've now milled it with about a ratio of 1/3 Palmolive stick. My 'new and improved' version works a treat :D
Click to expand...

i did that. works a treat with some soaps
 
Thanks for the thoughts folks. A little more of mine. Tallow can't be an expensive ingredient surely (?). I'm buggered if I can see why it's any ethically worse than, say, palm oil (deforestation in the tropics etc). Marketing angle noted, and the brand owners must reckon they come out on the plus side (though one wonders if they do), but I'd have thought you're likely to get more churn in your customer base as disgruntled loyal customers say no thanks to the new version, and you pick up a few (mainly short term impulse purchasers) new customers, some of whom come back regularly but many who don't. It's something a lot of companies (and political parties!) seem to ignore, thinking that customer inertia will prevent to much loss of old customers. Probably the case with banks, utility companies etc, less so with consumer toiletries (specially higher end) where there's a good deal more competition, I'd have thought. But whadda I know.

Dipesh said:
More about being PC I guess.

To be honest, I think the reformulation concerns people have are just blown out of proportion, more so over the pond. If the newer version doesn't work for you, there is plenty of choice out there to find something that does.

I have the new GFT soap in coconut and don't have any issues what do ever. It leads me to think that this soap must work differently compared to the old tallow version. I can't see how the lather I get is inferior but maybe it people need time to adjust?
Click to expand...

From my admittedly limited experience of soaps so far I'm a tallow fan. Whilst I can use it fine and it's not at all unpleasant the new GFT (got the almond, so not exactly a statistically significant sample size) soaps are missing that certain something...that tallow unctuousness you might call it. Guess I'm picky!
 
As well as the above reasons it may be the furtherance of careers. A new guy/gal comes in, wants/needs to make a good impression quickly, wants to save money, reformulates with cheaper ingredients, and hopes to appeal to a wider market with new packaging (perhaps more so for less traditional shaving products).
 
I bought some GFT soaps in a sale and used the rose soap this morning. Quite unaware of what sort of soap it is other than GFT, I was 1. amused to be shaving with pink lather and 2. amazed at the abundance and quality of the lather. I have no idea if it is old stock or new formula - the information may have been on the box that went straight into the bin.

I was stood there, standing looking in the mirror at my pink smothered face, thinking, "The search is over - it just can't get any better than this"
 
Trumper's soaps used to be tallow based and considered to be among the very best available, ever.

No one raves about them now.

There's your answer, I reckon.
 
joe mcclaine said:
Trumper's soaps used to be tallow based and considered to be among the very best available, ever.

No one raves about them now.

There's your answer, I reckon.
Click to expand...

Thanks Vinny, I'd noticed that don't seem to get the same rave reviews on the forums as the likes of Palmolive, Tabac, Italian soft soaps etc
 
If anyone who's ever worked for the soap / cream companies who've done this frequents this place (long shot perhaps, but you'd think they might keep an eye on forums like this in the age of twitter and facebook) it'd be interesting to see your comments.
 
As you may know I'm going to Jermyn St and the surrounding area soon... from what Vinny says I'm tempted to give Trumpers short shrift. Only one comment I know but I have had one of theirs - limes - and it was very average
 
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