I ordered a lavender refill puck and noticed that the ingriedients on the back changed some. It's still tallow as the first ingriedient, but now it has potassium laurate and sodium laurate in it as well. I have 2 other refill pucks I bought a few months ago from maggards, the arlington and windsor and they both don't have potassium and sodium laurate in them, so I am wondering if the lavender refill puck I got is the a new formulation of dr harris? anyone have dr harris refill pucks with potassium/sodium laurate in them?
dr harris shave soaps reformulated?
- Thread starter jonwilson
- Start date
The Harris formulation is discussed in this thread:
That said, Harris has been known to use slightly different ingredient lists for the different shaving soap scents they offer. Usually very minor differences, though.
That said, Harris has been known to use slightly different ingredient lists for the different shaving soap scents they offer. Usually very minor differences, though.
These differences are substantial - it's a new formulation. It's not (yet) detailed on their website but folks buying are finding new formulations as they come.
Let's show old vs new ...
Sandalwood
Potassium Palmate, Sodium Tallowate, Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Palmate, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Cocoate, Palm Kernel Acid, Perfum (Fragrance), Petrolatum, Sodium Chloride, Linalool, Coumarin, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Pentasodium Pentetate, Tetrasodium EDTA, O-Tolyl biguanide, Limonene, CI 77891
Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Aqua, Potassium Laurate, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Parfum, Palm Kernal Acid, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate, Q-Tolyl Biguanide, Limonene, Petrolatum, Tetrasodium EDTA, CI 77891
Windsor
Potassium Palmate, Sodium Tallowate, Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Palmate, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Cocoate, Palm Kernel Acid, Parfum (Fragrance), Petrolatum, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Pentasodium Pentetate, Tetrasodium Edta, Limonene, O-Tolyl Biguanide, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol, Amyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Ci 77891
Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Aqua, Potassium Laurate, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Parfum, Palm Kernel Acid, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate, Limonene, O-Tolyl Biguanide, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol, Amyl Cinnamal, Petrolatum, Tetrasodium EDTA, Ci 77891
... not just slightly different to the others, completely different. Completely different from the retail box received to the ingredients shown on the website. It's a reformulation. Great to see tallowate in first place on the list.
The hallmark of 2024-style hard soap reformulations is the presence of potassium and sodium laurate, seeing stearate high in the list and the removal of pentesodium pentetate (presumaby replaced by Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate). This is practically across the board, so guess that soap noodle suppliers have formulated to this specification because of supply/cost/compliance/quality ... delete as appropriate.
I suspect it is compliance. I vaguely recall hearing that the EU rolled out another ban on certain common cosmetic preservatives during the course of 2024. I think that may be the real reason that we got two MWF reformulations hot on the heels of one another.
This is absolutely correct. Pentesodium Pentetate was banned across the EU December 2023 and British soaps followed suit.
Given we're seeing VERY similar formulations across the board, but with maybe a tweak (like here with DRH shoving tallowate up front) and/or differences in the minor ingredients does rather suggest same soap noodle supplier and/or soap noodle suppliers are producing very similar bases - guess here is that's the most cost-efficient way of meeting supply/compliance.
Here's a screengrab of a specification from a soap noodle supplier (these are the companies that supply soap makers, who in turn produce soap for soap labels - like DRH or TOBS):
Anyone who has looked at a recent shaving soap ingredient list will recognise that specification immediately!
I know there's a recent reformulation! That's why I quoted from the thread where the topic was discussed. Oh, right, you forgot to include that part, which changed the meaning of what I originally wrote.
I was just pointing out that at times in the past, different scents of DR Harris had a slightly different ingredient list when compared side-by-side. That was a digression, not the main point of my comment.
Last edited:
@pjgh -
You quoted me as if to show that I did not think a recent reformulation took place. That is not actually what I said. Simple.
You quoted me as if to show that I did not think a recent reformulation took place. That is not actually what I said. Simple.
- Thread starter
- #8
New is better IMO.
Also going to be following this, D.R Harris is one of the few still strong and triple milled shave soaps that I buy in general. If the newer soap holds up well then all is good.
Couple that I knew about ...
Sandalwood
Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Aqua, Potassium Laurate, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Parfum, Palm Kernal Acid, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate, Q-Tolyl Biguanide, Limonene, Petrolatum, Tetrasodium EDTA, CI 77891
Windsor
Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Aqua, Potassium Laurate, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Parfum, Palm Kernel Acid, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate, Limonene, O-Tolyl Biguanide, Hydroxycitronellal, Citronellol, Amyl Cinnamal, Petrolatum, Tetrasodium EDTA, Ci 77891
I've spotted another couple of scents having gone over to the new formulation ...
Arlington
Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Aqua, Potassium Laurate, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Parfum, Palm Kernel Acid, Limonene, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Linalool, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate, O-tolyl Biguanide, Geraniol, Citronellol, Citral, Farnesol, Petrolatum, Tetrasodium EDTA, CI 77891
Lavender
Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Aqua, Potassium Laurate, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Parfum, Palm Kernel Acid, Potassium Palm Kernelate, Linalool, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Tetrasodium Iminodisuccinate, Benzyl Alcohol, O-tolyl Biguanide, Coumarin, Petrolatum, Tetrasodium EDTA, CI 77891
Subtle differences, but everything up to Parfum is the same ... and they're the main ingredients.
Best guess is the remainder of the line-up will look the same in the main ingredients ... and they'll all lather up the same.
From the older formulations it was just Sandalwood & Windsor showing differences in the main ingredients (hence my focus on those two when posting before) ... and Almond with the addition of actual almond oil as a lower ingredient.
When I picked up some Cyril R. Salter Lavender soap, I was blown away by the performance.
When I read on B&B that Salter's lavender was the same formula as D.R. Harris, I was befuddled as my memory of Harris's lather was good, but not great. I then learned that modern Harris with tallow as the first ingredient is also a wonderful performer!
Hat's off to Harris for actually improving a product, rather than the all too familiar cheapening that occurs.
When I read on B&B that Salter's lavender was the same formula as D.R. Harris, I was befuddled as my memory of Harris's lather was good, but not great. I then learned that modern Harris with tallow as the first ingredient is also a wonderful performer!
Hat's off to Harris for actually improving a product, rather than the all too familiar cheapening that occurs.
Historical DRH was a stearate-based soap with tallowate quite a way down the list. Here's Almond from around year 2000:
Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Cocoate, Aqua (Water), Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Parfum (Fragrance), Prunus Dulcis, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Silicate, Titanium Dioxide, Lanolin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Magnesium Sulfate, Sodium Ceatearyl Sulfate, Hordeum Distichon, Disodium Phosphate, Pentasodium Pentetate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Petrolatum
... in many respects they've come back to this formulation, but the 2024 onwards has the tallowate proudly up front!
Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Potassium Cocoate, Aqua (Water), Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Parfum (Fragrance), Prunus Dulcis, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Silicate, Titanium Dioxide, Lanolin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Magnesium Sulfate, Sodium Ceatearyl Sulfate, Hordeum Distichon, Disodium Phosphate, Pentasodium Pentetate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Petrolatum
... in many respects they've come back to this formulation, but the 2024 onwards has the tallowate proudly up front!
Will likely buy a new refill puck of Marlborough soon... Hoping it performs and lasts as well as my current puck.
I bought pucks of D.R. Harris and Cyril Salter in Feb 2023 whose first ingredients are:
Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Aqua (Water), Glycerin.
Sodium Tallowate, Potassium Stearate, Sodium Stearate, Aqua (Water), Glycerin.
