The key as I see it is if the ingredients list includes sodium chloride it's the reformulated version. There are other changes but, for me, the sodium chloride was easiest to spot
La Toja shaving stick reformulation
- Thread starter Akis
- Start date
It still has the volcanic salts, though. That was important to me. I will be using LT today. I am almost to the bottom of this stick. What I do is put the used up remnants of the stick into a flat aluminum jar with a lid. I mash them together to fill the spaces.
Okay, now I'm upset.
I just ordered three La Toja sticks. One has a different formulation, the nice, salty clean smell I love. The other two are this formulation. It smells like cheap lavender or licorice or something. There is not as much mineral salt, either. I lathers really well, though, but feels drying to my skin just a bit more than the other. The others I have used have smelled nice. I don't like this one so much. No table salt in this one, either, BTW.
I just ordered three La Toja sticks. One has a different formulation, the nice, salty clean smell I love. The other two are this formulation. It smells like cheap lavender or licorice or something. There is not as much mineral salt, either. I lathers really well, though, but feels drying to my skin just a bit more than the other. The others I have used have smelled nice. I don't like this one so much. No table salt in this one, either, BTW.
Here's the current ingredients from latoja.com:
Ingredients: Potassium Stearate, Potassium Palmitate, Potassium Cocate, Aqua(Water, Eau), Sodium Stearate, Sodium Palmitate, Sodium Cocoate, Glycerin, Coconut Acid, Parfum(Fragance), Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Mineral Salts, Limonene, Linalool , Benzyl Alcohol, CI 7781 (Titanium Dioxide).
I am assuming the seller sent me old stock. I'm pretty upset about it.
Ingredients: Potassium Stearate, Potassium Palmitate, Potassium Cocate, Aqua(Water, Eau), Sodium Stearate, Sodium Palmitate, Sodium Cocoate, Glycerin, Coconut Acid, Parfum(Fragance), Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Mineral Salts, Limonene, Linalool , Benzyl Alcohol, CI 7781 (Titanium Dioxide).
I am assuming the seller sent me old stock. I'm pretty upset about it.
According to the OP's post the one that says Titanium Dioxide at the end of the ingredients list is the new version. A little quicker way to figure out what's what...
The mystery continues. I just tried the reformulated (with table salt) today and it worked just fine. The scent isn't as good as previous though.Okay, now I'm upset.
I just ordered three La Toja sticks. One has a different formulation, the nice, salty clean smell I love. The other two are this formulation. It smells like cheap lavender or licorice or something. There is not as much mineral salt, either. I lathers really well, though, but feels drying to my skin just a bit more than the other. The others I have used have smelled nice. I don't like this one so much. No table salt in this one, either, BTW.
Yesterday morning I pulled out a brand new tube of La Toja Classic shaving cream, which I hadn't been using for a long time. What a magnificent cream it is, I almost forgot about it! I sincerely hope the cream (unlike the soap) won't be reformulated. Scent, latherability, slickness and post-shave are superb and perfect exactly as they are.
I have two tubes of cream in the cabinet. Thanks for the reminder. I enjoy using it.
At this point I have the full La Toja range to stock up heavily while in Spain this summer! I am going to buy:
The soap sticks
The cream tubes (Classic Red)
The aftershave splashes
Considering that La Toja in Spain is available almost anywhere and dirt cheap (like Proraso here), it sounds like a great plan. Don't you think, Sir?
Isn’t the country a tell as well? I have two original sticks from Spain and a new formula stick that says Germany.
I think so. It sounds like a really good plan.
I have not tried them, but they have two aftershave balms I'd like to try one of these days. There is the regular and sensitive. I don't even know what they smell like and there is no longer a shop for me to walk in and smell them. Let me know how they are when you try them.
I certainly will, Sir.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I have tried them and they are both excellent; as I recall both contain mineral salts with the sensitive also having aloe vera. Both are light, soothing, liquid creams which are absorbed easily and do not leave the skin looking greasy or shiny. I cannot describe scents but they are masculine, both quite similar, and to my nose they are strong for a balm, with my preference being for the regular, non sensitive balm. Either is a great product and at the price they are, an absolute bargain; I will certainly purchase again.
It states made in Germany?
I'm surprised no once else has mentioned this as yet.
They haven’t made them on the island in Spain for years - correct?
La Toja is owned by a large German company.
Worst than being reformulated is not being produced at all.
Now, the website only lists the stick and two balms.
Some years back I did some research into this and this is what I recall:
Schwarzkopf & Henkel, the German multinational chemical and consumer goods company, bought La Toja in the late 90s and moved La Toja production in 2007 away from Galicia to Slovenia.
The mineral salts that are used for La Toja products are apparently trucked from La Toja Springs to the new production site(s).
It does not seem to have done La Toja much Harm. La Toja is as popular in Spain as ever.
If you should ever make it to the north-western corner of Spain, near Santiago de Compostela, you could visit the La Toja / La Toja Manantiales museum and store on La Toja island. (Tenda Museo Manantiais Illa da Toxa, Rúa Cortegada, 1, 36991 O Grove, Pontevedra, Spain)*
Regarding reformulations, I sit on the fence and wait until a consensus has formed or I have had a chance to try the reformulated product myself, as not every change has to be bad.
In fact, that most shavers still sing La Toja’s praises after Schwarzkopf & Henkel closed the original production site in Galicia 16 years ago in a way proves my point, doesn’t it?
B.
* Galician spelling
Last edited:
Really? My friends in Spain haven't told me anything recently.
Oh dear…
The Spanish La Toja website shows currently only the shaving stick, two types of canned shaving foam, and two types of balsam.
No indication whether that is temporary or not.
B.
