I know that there have been endless discussions about this. Here's the response that I got from Penhaligon's about their reasons for reformulation:
Penhaligon's Reason for Eliminating Tallow
- Thread starter The Nid Hog
- Start date
That's a bunch of bunk...we all know it's ethics that drives all major decisions at large companies...lol.....
I think it was some EU regulation that caused all the major soap makers to change from tallow.
I'd have to agree. All the big players making the changes at basically the same time is not due to some ethical reason.
I hope not *all*. I love my MWF just the way it is!
- Thread starter
- #6
I'm shocked at this cynicism! I'm convinced that there was a wave of good feeling and love for fatty mammals that swept across Europe at the same time.
Mad
Cow
Disease
Cow
Disease
Dateline- the near future:
Starbucks to go to an all-decaf coffee sales format.
Press release:
It's pretty much about the same thing.
Starbucks to go to an all-decaf coffee sales format.
Press release:
It's pretty much about the same thing.
Tallow or not I'll still be a supporter of Penhaligon's. Even though I am upset about the reformulation. Well you got to do what you got to do.
Stock up, buddy, stock up.
I'm inclined to agree with the others who think it is a EU regulation. Why else would all the major players decide to undergo the expense of reformulating successful products with generations of loyal users?
Incorrect.
The EU directive regarding the labelling of cosmetics was used as a smokescreen for all manner of cost saving and other changes. There are still many tallow based soaps being produced in the EU; two of my favourites among them: MWF and Palmolive.
Does Penhaligon make their own cheese or do they farm out to Creighton's like most others? If so, perhaps it's Creighton's who decided to change their base which is in turn used for all rebranded products.
Thanks for setting the record straight. It's good to know.
lmao!
I suspect that Floris.....now reformulated.....make for Penhaligons. Floris is the bigger brand in the UK and I suspect Penhaligons is still trading it's last batch which was tallow based.
Floris for me is the best soap out there. Bar none, IMHO. I don't say it's the best value for money. I just say it is special.
Trumpers also reformulated and their initial vegi soaps were terrible. but I have a new limes soap and a new rose on the go at the moment and I'm pleased to say they are as good as ever they were. I think it has just taken time for the new formulation to settle.
I won't tollerate a bad soap and I will sing it loud and clear if I find a bad one.
I can buy a good English lavender tripple milled soap for £2.10p so if I'm asked to pay £8 to £19 for a fancy box or a different scent, the soap had better be damned good. Because the £2.10p soap is damned good.
I don't think tallow is the issue here. I think that none of us like change.
Floris for me is the best soap out there. Bar none, IMHO. I don't say it's the best value for money. I just say it is special.
Trumpers also reformulated and their initial vegi soaps were terrible. but I have a new limes soap and a new rose on the go at the moment and I'm pleased to say they are as good as ever they were. I think it has just taken time for the new formulation to settle.
I won't tollerate a bad soap and I will sing it loud and clear if I find a bad one.
I can buy a good English lavender tripple milled soap for £2.10p so if I'm asked to pay £8 to £19 for a fancy box or a different scent, the soap had better be damned good. Because the £2.10p soap is damned good.
I don't think tallow is the issue here. I think that none of us like change.
I don't know about you but I prefer my cow fat on my ribeye. 
I don't know about you but I prefer my cow fat on my ribeye.
Me to.
Just last night on television, a green was advocating that we should all give up eating meat one day per week to reduce the amount of methane gas being given off by cows.
It made me want to belch and fart.
How dare you give facts to assuage the swelling alarmism!
Thanks for the reality-slap.
I looked up many documents I could find on the EU's stance regarding tallow, and there is no legislation whatsoever that tallow may not be used in cosmetic products, which include, of course, soaps. Also, tallow has been approved as a biofuel, despite some weird legal blundering a few years ago in the UK.
But there's a but: if you want to use tallow in cosmetic products, then you must use tallow from one of two sources: the medium risk or the lowest risk variety. When you use medium risk tallow, there are specific instructions which must be followed, and the place you process it must meet certain requirements too. After that, it is safe for further use. (Remember that the glycerin thus created might end up in other products which humans will consume.) The lowest risk variety has already been guaranteed to be safe. All in all: it becomes a difficult quality control and supply chain management issue with lots of red tape to guarantee a steady supply of quality tallow. I suspect that it is simply easier to switch to palm and palm kernel oil despite the destruction of rain forests than to try and survice in the quagmire thus instated by EU regulations. I understand the purpose of these laws, but you must also remember the cause as to why they were created, namely bad animal food processing.
Once again: there is NO law which states that tallow may not be used in soaps and the like; there IS a law which dictates that certain conditions must be met for tallow to be present in such a product. I don't buy the ethical argument for one moment, that's just greenwashing. There's two options: either this is genuine avoidance of difficult and to a certain point understandable regulations, or pure financial greed to increase the already very hefty ROI even more. (Come on, be honest with yourself and admit that a 20 quid soap is honestly not worth it in raw materials!) Most likely it's a combination.
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