Where is the Tallow?!

[theklaw]

Just received a few pucks of Tabac shaving soap. I got the refill pucks.
I've read through the ingredients list on the back of the box and I am not seeing tallow or tallowate listed anywhere. Have they changed the formula?

 

[RayClem]

Most of the ingredient lists I have seen for Tabac list tallowate, but not as the primary ingredient.

It is possible that the formula has been modified to eliminate tallow. That seems to be rather common with many soaps made in the EU. Many shaving soaps that once contained tallow, no longer list it as an ingredient. I think it has something to do with the requirement (and cost) of safety certifications, but since I am not in the EU, I am not certain of the specifics.

 

[theklaw]

Most of the ingredient lists I have seen for Tabac list tallowate, but not as the primary ingredient.

It is possible that the formula has been modified to eliminate tallow. That seems to be rather common with many soaps made in the EU. Many shaving soaps that once contained tallow, no longer list it as an ingredient. I think it has something to do with the requirement (and cost) of safety certifications, but since I am not in the EU, I am not certain of the specifics.

I really hope they haven't removed the tallow. I might send them an email and ask them if they've changed the formula.

 

[Cracker]

To my knowledge tallow is still an extremely cheap ingredient, because it's a byproduct of the mass factory farmed and mass market meat industry which is a very major industry in Germany.

While there are more people in Germany who chose a vegan or at least meat free life style, the overall consumption of meat as well as animal and meat export is still not that much declining. On the other hand, with cosmetics there is a growing demand for products that are animal free in their ingredients. That's also true for shaving products. Suppliers as Haslinger or Palmolive changed formulas to non tallow or put tallow products off the market (e.g. the Palmolive Stick which is no longer produced, but the non tallow creams are still in production). There is also a growing number of people who think tallow is not good for the skin but vegetable oils are. So, it is possible that also Tabac (or Mäurer & Wirtz) decided to change to a non tallow formula.

But last time I looked at the supermarket shelf, the soap listed tallow:

POTASSIUM STEARATE,SODIUM STEARATE, POTASSIUM TALLOWATE, AQUA, POTASSIUM COCOATE, SODIUM TALLOWATE, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM), SODIUM COCOATE, GLYCERIN, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, HYDROXYCITRONELLAL, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE, TETRASODIUM EDTA, TETRASODIUM ETIDRONATE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, CI 77891, ISOEUGENOL, CITRONELLOL, COUMARIN, BENZYL ALCOHOL, ALPHA-ISOMETHYL IONONE, GERANIOL, BENZYL SALICYLATE, CINNAMYL ALCOHOL, CITRAL, EUGENOL.

 

[theklaw]

To my knowledge tallow is still an extremely cheap ingredient, because it's a byproduct of the mass factory farmed and mass market meat industry which is a very major industry in Germany.

While there are more people in Germany who chose a vegan or at least meat free life style, the overall consumption of meat as well as animal and meat export is still not that much declining. On the other hand, with cosmetics there is a growing demand for products that are animal free in their ingredients. That's also true for shaving products. Suppliers as Haslinger or Palmolive changed formulas to non tallow or put tallow products off the market (e.g. the Palmolive Stick which is no longer produced, but the non tallow creams are still in production). There is also a growing number of people who think tallow is not good for the skin but vegetable oils are. So, it is possible that also Tabac (or Mäurer & Wirtz) decided to change to a non tallow formula.

But last time I looked at the supermarket shelf, the soap listed tallow:
POTASSIUM STEARATE,SODIUM STEARATE, POTASSIUM TALLOWATE, AQUA, POTASSIUM COCOATE, SODIUM TALLOWATE, FRAGRANCE (PARFUM), SODIUM COCOATE, GLYCERIN, LIMONENE, LINALOOL, HYDROXYCITRONELLAL, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE, TETRASODIUM EDTA, TETRASODIUM ETIDRONATE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, CI 77891, ISOEUGENOL, CITRONELLOL, COUMARIN, BENZYL ALCOHOL, ALPHA-ISOMETHYL IONONE, GERANIOL, BENZYL SALICYLATE, CINNAMYL ALCOHOL, CITRAL, EUGENOL.

Yeah, my box of Tabac doesn't have tallow or tallowate listed. I'll see if I can take a picture of it after work.

 

[luvmysuper]

I bought a refill a couple of weeks ago and Potassium Tallowate is the third ingredient listed and Sodium Tallowate is the sixth ingredient listed.

 

[Cracker]

Yeah, my box of Tabac doesn't have tallow or tallowate listed. I'll see if I can take a picture of it after work.

Oh, yes please! It wouldn't be that uncommon that you guys get the new stuff whereas our shelves are filled for decades (like with the Palmolive stick - even if they reduced the price to 0,55 EUR nobody buys that soap).
Personally, I would think that it most likely will be an improvement if they changed to non tallow. Also Haslinger soaps got much better after they changed to a non tallow formula. With todays knowledge and production techniques you can make better soaps. I think the Italians started that kind of thing.

 

[theklaw]

Oh, yes please! It wouldn't be that uncommon that you guys get the new stuff whereas our shelves are filled for decades (like with the Palmolive stick - even if they reduced the price to 0,55 EUR nobody buys that soap).
Personally, I would think that it most likely will be an improvement if they changed to non tallow. Also Haslinger soaps got much better after they changed to a non tallow formula. With todays knowledge and production techniques you can make better soaps. I think the Italians started that kind of thing.

 

[Multum in parvo]

That’s a bummer.
I’m happy to have one nearly full tub and to refills purchased last year.
How is the lather of the new one?

 

[theklaw]

That’s a bummer.
I’m happy to have one nearly full tub and to refills purchased last year.
How is the lather of the new one?

Haven't tested it yet.
I'm worried that the lack of tallow might affect the performance of the soap and be worse than before. And to think that I decided to stock up by purchasing four pucks of this stuff, only to find out that they've changed the formula!

 

[chuckd]

How can they call it Tabac Original after removing tallow from the recipe? It's no longer original.

I was also sad to hear that Palmolive stick is discontinued. I just discovered that (thanks to a B&B member's recommendation), and it works well for me.

Tabac is one of my favorite soaps, all of which include tallow as an ingredient. I generally get poor results from the non-tallow soaps that I have tried, so I will need to shift back to Stirling, Williams, MWF, Cella, etc.

 

[theklaw]

How can they call it Tabac Original after removing tallow from the recipe? It's no longer original.

I was also sad to hear that Palmolive stick is discontinued. I just discovered that (thanks to a B&B member's recommendation), and it works well for me.

Tabac is one of my favorite soaps, all of which include tallow as an ingredient. I generally get poor results from the non-tallow soaps that I have tried, so I will need to shift back to Stirling, Williams, MWF, Cella, etc.

I know... this sucks.
Tabac is my favorite soap ever and I can get them quite cheap over here. Can't believe they've removed the tallow.
Let's hope the performance isn't too different on this one.

 

[Multum in parvo]

Haven't tested it yet.
I'm worried that the lack of tallow might affect the performance of the soap and be worse than before. And to think that I decided to stock up by purchasing four pucks of this stuff, only to find out that they've changed the formula!

Tabac is still a staple in the brick and mortars in my neck of the woods so I will have a look around for some more refills of the tallow.

The Shavepocalypse is here when Arko switches to tallow free and @FarmerTan finds out…

 

[luvmysuper]

I'm buying half a dozen before the news spreads.

 

[chuckd]

I'm buying half a dozen before the news spreads.

Me too... but word travels fast here at B&B!

 

[Cracker]

Thanks for the photo. Well, it should lather up quickly and should be thick and should have enough slickness, so, it should do ok. I thiink it won't have strong postshave value. None the less, the most important part is the scent, I guess.

How can they call it Tabac Original after removing tallow from the recipe?

Because "Tabac Original" refers the a scent of that name (an Eau de Cologne of the late 1950s to be precise), not to a soap, an after shave or a bar soap or something else, that's only someting they put their original (sic!) scent in.

 

[rockviper]

A no-tallow Tabac?

Actually, for me, as long as it works just as well, all will be fine.

 

[theklaw]

Thanks for the photo. Well, it should lather up quickly and should be thick and should have enough slickness, so, it should do ok. I thiink it won't have strong postshave value. None the less, the most important part is the scent, I guess.



Because "Tabac Original" refers the a scent of that name (an Eau de Cologne of the late 1950s to be precise), not to a soap, an after shave or a bar soap or something else, that's only someting they put their original (sic!) scent in.

I don't care much for the scent... I'm not one of those people who can't stand Tabac because of the scent; I actually like it. Only thing that worries me with this formula is the performance. Will it be as slick? Will the lather be as luxurious?
I'll be testing it after work today.

 

[chuckd]

Thanks for the photo. Well, it should lather up quickly and should be thick and should have enough slickness, so, it should do ok. I thiink it won't have strong postshave value. None the less, the most important part is the scent, I guess.



Because "Tabac Original" refers the a scent of that name (an Eau de Cologne of the late 1950s to be precise), not to a soap, an after shave or a bar soap or something else, that's only someting they put their original (sic!) scent in.

Ah, so they can hide behind that... instead of labeling it as new and improved shave soap with Tabac Original scent.

 

[chuckd]

I don't care much for the scent... I'm not one of those people who can't stand Tabac because of the scent; I actually like it. Only thing that worries me with this formula is the performance. Will it be as slick? Will the lather be as luxurious?
I'll be testing it after work today.

Me too. I am neutral about the scent. It is fine, but I can take it or leave it. The performance is tops, probably due to the tallow.