One of the all time greats in bar soap,Imperial Leather, has now been reformulated to a mere shadow of its original self.I bought a dozen bars only 2 years ago,and it was still the rich,thick,creamy leather scented lather I loved for many years.Even after a thorough rinse in the shower,your skin would retain the etheral scent of the marvelous leather soap.A friend just brought me back a few bars,made in Kenya at the Cussons subsidiary.These Nairobi Cussons products were always made to the exact British formula,even the talcum.I have searched around the net and found out Cussons profits are in a nose dive do to several reasons,hence,the cheapening,and destroying of their finest product.A real shame,the new bars are only good enough to be sold 2 for a buck at the local dollar store.I have no source for the British made bars,but my hunch is the U.K. version has been ruined as well.
Imperial Leather sob story
- Thread starter malocchio
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Interesting. I bought a six pack on Amazon about 2 months ago and they seemed perfect to me.
Maybe it's the Kenyan version? Because my bars are recent and it's fine.
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Yes,I agree,it may be the African versions have been cheapened,but I suspect the plants in Ghana and Nigeria will both suffer the downgrade as well..Where are you guys buying your British bars ??
Wow! You really jarred my memory. We lived in Nairobi for two years and I loved that soap. Never thought about bringing any home and have forgotten about it over the years. Sorry it is not as good as it once was.
I got mine from Amazon
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Kevin...do your UK bars have full ingredients listed ,or just "soap base".....soap base can be pretty much anything...
Yeah it has ingredients listed.
Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Aqua, Glycerin, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Palm Acid, Palm Kernel Acid, Tetrasodium EDTA, Etidronic Acid, Coumarin, Eugenol, Linalool, Benzyl Benzoate, Geraniol, Citronellol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, CI 77891, CI 11710, CI 77220, CI 77491
It has undoubtedly been reformulated since the original I'm sure, but the performance is still great. No problems whatsoever with the fragrance or lather. This is the only version I've used. The package is white and gold and it says "Original," not red with "Classic" like yours.
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Thanks for the info !....I may run into the uk version one day,,I'll give it a shot..
Brings back memories. I might grab a few next time I see them.
But MWF bath soap is my favourite right now.
But MWF bath soap is my favourite right now.
I just ordered 4 bars from a company in Thailand via Amazon.com. Ha! I'm a sucker for reviews like this. The advert on Amazon listed all the ingredients and the photos matched so, I'm hoping it's the original formulation.
Same story. I got mine on Amazon and they are just as Kevan describes. They're as good as they ever were for me, but now I know which version to steer clear of.
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Looks like Cussons has plants everywhere...let us know how the Thai version performs,and if possible , some photos please !.
Will do!
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Yeah, sadly I was correct....I inquired to Cussons head office about the Kenyon version,and got back a reply about the Nigerian version,but I'm sure it applies to all the African factories. A shame ,the Kenyon version was exactly the same as the UK version since colonial times !
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Wow, thats no good.
Imperial Leather is a great tallow soap and cheaply available in Australia (About $1 for four bars). My late Pop alway bought four bars when he was at the chemist and by the time he died he had over 30 bars, some dating back 15 years or so. My grandmother gave them all to me, so I'm nicely stocked up and loving life!
Imperial Leather is a great tallow soap and cheaply available in Australia (About $1 for four bars). My late Pop alway bought four bars when he was at the chemist and by the time he died he had over 30 bars, some dating back 15 years or so. My grandmother gave them all to me, so I'm nicely stocked up and loving life!
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You will note that Kevin's bars are non tallow,as are mine ...I wonder if any of the current UK formulas are still tallow...the old Nairobi bars were tallow,and superb...
I'm in the UK when in town next will have a look for you.. or just buy a bar and post the pic..
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- #19
thanks Dave !...check the ingredients...there are several varieties in the UK now ,and I am wondering are any of them still tallow ?
I will have a look as well for ya if I can find anything. If you are having trouble finding it (and it exists over here) send me a PM and maybe we can work something out.
