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Revisiting AOS

I bought a tub of AOS lavender from my local AOS store - the first time I've used this formulation of their cream, which has changed since P&G took over the company. (For reference, I have owned all scents of the older formulation, except the Sea Kelp.) All in all, I'm pleased. The lavender scent is as good as it ever has been with this brand - a high-quality, straight lavender, unique among the mainstream lavender creams. It's not the scent bomb Castle Forbes is, but is still quite good; I'd say it has about the same scent intensity as T&H UC, or is perhaps a little stronger.

The texture is a bit "looser" in the tub than it used to be. The older formulation was made in England, and had the same base ingredients as the Three Ts; ostensibly it was a Creighton's-made product, and was similar in firmness to Trumper or traditional T&H. This newer formula is now made in the USA, is paraben free, and is more like T&H UC in consistency. It also produces a slightly "wetter" lather than the standard English creams, with excellent glide, cushion and conditioning, again quite similar to T&H UC. In fact, I'd basically consider this an American-made equivalent of T&H UC. The two creams are not identical, but are close enough to likely be of equal appeal to those who enjoy one or the other. T&H UC has been my go-to cream for a number of years now, but I could be just as happy using the AOS lavender.

Packaging is the same as always, which is to say excellent. The cream comes in the same classy, black tub as before, but this one has a seal inserted into the lid, which was not present in previous ones I've purchased; I consider that to be an improvement. On the whole, this a very nice cream, and a worthy addition to any lavender enthusiast's collection. That it is available at a number of local brick-and-mortar stores is icing on the cake.
 
I had a tub of the AOS Lavender once. I thought it smelled fantastic. It was one of the nicest lavender scents I'd ever smelled. I had a lot of trouble getting a protective lather from it though. Looks like you're having good results with yours.
 
When did the reformulation occur? I bought a tub if the Sandalwood this past July. I wonder if it was the old or the new.

I have been very pleased with it. Just curious as to what I've been using.
 
I'm not sure when the most recent reformulation occurred. The current ingredients are listed on the AOS website for all creams (under the "Learn More" tab). Unfortunately, the ingredients online don't quite match what is shown on the box I just bought. They are close, but the order is slightly altered; plus, the online list shows the inclusion Sodium Chloride, which is not shown on the box. Here's what's on the current box:

- Water/Aqua
- Palmitic Acid
- Myristic Acid
- Stearic Acid
- Potassium Hydroxide
- Coconut Acid
- Glycerin
- Triethanolamine
- Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil
- Sodium Hydroxide
- Propylene Glycol
- Tetrasodium EDTA
- Lauric Acid
- Disodium EDTA
- Phenoxyethanol
- Methylisothiazolinone
- Linalool
- Limonene
- Geraniol

I did a little detective work to find out the ingredients in the older formula, since I don't have any of my older boxes lying around. (The B&B Wiki is no help in this regard - see below.) As I said before, the old formulation is virtually identical to the standard English formula found in the Three Ts, except for colorants and fragrance. However, the newer formulation shown in Mantic's post still has parabens, and is basically a tweak of the older formulation, whereas the current formulation is a more substantial re-do. This suggests perhaps there was more than one reformulation - assuming Mantic's information was correct at the time.

Regarding the Wiki page for the AOS lavender cream, the most updated ingredients list (4/18/13) is actually for the sandalwood cream, not the lavender. The older ingredients list (5/9/11) is for the old tallow-based shave soap, not the cream. Neither list belongs on that page. Also, the cream is not, and was never, made in Italy (that's the old, tallow shave soap). As I said above, the cream used to be made in England, and is now made in the USA. I appreciate the folks who take their time to make the Wiki happen, and I often rely on its pages for information. I'm afraid this one, though, is a complete bust and needs an overhaul.
 
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My package shows this ingredients list:

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This is an old stock I bought from Winners. I would imagine It was made before 2011. The content is pretty much set, so I should add some water before I start using it. Cannot comment on the performance yet.
 
The AoS cream is a bit on the pricy side, but I really enjoy it. I buy unscented since I wear cologne, but I really liked the lavender scent at the store.
 
This is an old stock I bought from Winners. The content is pretty much set, so I should add some water before I start using it.

Thanks, Tonich. Yep, definitely old stock. Great cream, although of all my old-stock creams, AOS is uniformly the worst for dehydrating, with the possible exception of old D.R. Harris. All my old AOS tubs eventually turned to glue-like cement. It remains to be seen how the new stuff holds up; perhaps the new seal will help.
 
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The AoS cream is a bit on the pricy side, but I really enjoy it. I buy unscented since I wear cologne, but I really liked the lavender scent at the store.

Both the lavender and lemon AOS creams are lightly scented with essential oils; I find them to leave no trace scent after rinsing, so they shouldn't interfere with your fragrances if you'd like to try them. Sandalwood is scented with a fragrance compound, and sticks around a bit, though. I can't comment on the Sea Kelp, since I haven't used it, although it too has a fragrance-based scent.

Regarding price, yeah, AOS is spendy - still not as expensive as Castle Forbes, but actually a bit more expensive per unit than T&H now, which surprises me. Both Trumper and TOBS are better deals, but I don't like the scents as well.
 
The AOS Lavender and Rose were my Favorite scents, when Rose was discontinued I bought 8 Tubs. When I had opened the third and subsequent Tubs, the Cream was more of a soft soap, a bit firmer than QCS Tub Creams. Instead of re-hydrating, I used it as a soft soap, once water was added, the scent was as good as ever and the performance was not negatively affected.
 
I just picked up a tub of AOS unscented from Nordstrom. Unlike the lavender, which was fairly loose in the tub, this tub of unscented is dense, virtually on a par with Castle Forbes. For my first pass, I tried scooping out a dollop and placing it in my brush, but it didn't work so well, since the cream lump wouldn't liquify easily, and just stayed as a lump in the brush. For the second pass, I ended up lathering the cream in the tub like a croap, to much better effect.

I don't know if this is a normal variation between the lavender and unscented, or a batch variation, or possibly an old tub that has gotten slightly dehydrated. (I picked up the lavender tub from the AOS store; perhaps they have faster turnover of stock than Nordstrom.)
 
I just picked up a tub of AOS unscented from Nordstrom. Unlike the lavender, which was fairly loose in the tub, this tub of unscented is dense, virtually on a par with Castle Forbes. For my first pass, I tried scooping out a dollop and placing it in my brush, but it didn't work so well, since the cream lump wouldn't liquify easily, and just stayed as a lump in the brush. For the second pass, I ended up lathering the cream in the tub like a croap, to much better effect.

I don't know if this is a normal variation between the lavender and unscented, or a batch variation, or possibly an old tub that has gotten slightly dehydrated. (I picked up the lavender tub from the AOS store; perhaps they have faster turnover of stock than Nordstrom.)
I would guess it was an older tub, from what I have experience with and seen with the AOS creams is they are a little gummier in consistency but still soft and very pliable. But I have noticed they get hard in areas and dehydrate where not being used for an extended period of time.
 
I would guess it was an older tub, from what I have experience with and seen with the AOS creams is they are a little gummier in consistency but still soft and very pliable. But I have noticed they get hard in areas and dehydrate where not being used for an extended period of time.

I would guess you're right. It is the newer formulation, which based on my experience with the lavender is lighter than the older, English-made stuff. I suppose I could return it, but I'll work with it as a croap a little more and see how that goes.
 
I just picked up a tub of AOS unscented from Nordstrom. Unlike the lavender, which was fairly loose in the tub, this tub of unscented is dense, virtually on a par with Castle Forbes. For my first pass, I tried scooping out a dollop and placing it in my brush, but it didn't work so well, since the cream lump wouldn't liquify easily, and just stayed as a lump in the brush. For the second pass, I ended up lathering the cream in the tub like a croap, to much better effect.

I don't know if this is a normal variation between the lavender and unscented, or a batch variation, or possibly an old tub that has gotten slightly dehydrated. (I picked up the lavender tub from the AOS store; perhaps they have faster turnover of stock than Nordstrom.)

Thanks for the interesting reports and updates!

Which tempt me to grab a tub of the AOS Lavender!

But, I'm yet to dig into the tub of Ocean Kelp that I bought in a moment of desire, three months ago!!

And, my guess, your denser Unscented tub is, as you surmised, a bit old.

Nordies would be happy to exchange or refund. They will take back anything. Except maybe my spouse? (JK!)

But it should shave just as well as new.
 
I would guess you're right. It is the newer formulation, which based on my experience with the lavender is lighter than the older, English-made stuff. I suppose I could return it, but I'll work with it as a croap a little more and see how that goes.

I have a tub of Coates Limited that I received in the same condition. I tried to rehydrate it and have resorted to just using it as a croap. Same great performance and scent, so I don't mind one bit!
 
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