Thread: Penhalligons

I really want to buy some of this after hearing all the wonderful things about it and that in the opinion of many it is the best soap on the market.

Can anyone describe to me the difference between English fern and Blenheim Bouquet, their only 2 scents? I know its not easy, but I cant say Ive ever smelled anything that sounds like those and I have no idea what to expect. It is an expensive product, so I want to get it right, especially as it is 3x milled and will last a long time. Just by the sound, the English fern is more appealing, but that is a mere guess based on nothing!

The other thing is I cant find an ingredients list, and I was under the impression these were tallow based soaps, but apparently they stopped using tallow? If this is the case does anyone know where I can get a tallow based Penhalligons, NOS maybe?

Thanks

Hello, Scipio:

Robin (BeBerlin) wrote an excellent review of the "Blenheim Bouquet" in SRP's review section. It's worth reading.

Regards,

Obie

The skin care products are pretty close to the fragrances, so this should do. basenotes.net is great for scents:

• English Fern by Penhaligon's (1911)
• Reviews of Blenheim Bouquet by Penhaligon's (1902)

IMHO, I think the soaps - as is usually the case - are less complex in scent than the EDT. The BB is essentially a citrus/cream type of scent with a bit of soap in the background. The EF is harder for me to describe. It rings "green" and "fresh" to my nose. I can't imagine you'd go wrong with either of these soaps, but the BB is probably "safer". Enjoy.

Jordan

I haven't gone for these yet either. On Scipio's other question, is there a difference in the quality of the current formula from the old tallow based or is one as good as the other ?

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I haven't gone for these yet either. On Scipio's other question, is there a difference in the quality of the current formula from the old tallow based or is one as good as the other ?

Jimmy,

Back when I was DE-only shaving in 2007 - mid-2008, I tried about a dozen soaps, and Penhaligon's BB was my favorite by a wide margin. Great cushion, great slickness, great lather, great scent. This was the old formula.

So, I ordered four more pucks of it. I was put on backorder, because right when I ordered (late 2008) - they changed the formulation, and stopped shipping the old until the new formula was done! I waited for months, and eventually started searching out other soaps that reminded me of the Penhaligon's (in performance, not scent). I settled on Institut Karite, Provence Sante, and Mitchell's Wool Fat. Now all I've used is MWF for the past 8 months.

Six months after I originally ordered the BB soap, the four pucks all showed up, all with the new formulation. I compared it to the old formulation I had left, and felt it had changed. The great scent is still there, but the density/cushion of the lather, and it's slickness, have lessened. It's overall a bit "flatter," like a 2-liter soft drink bottle a day or two after being opened the first time. Same drink, but different. Not a bad soap now, but no longer worth what they're asking for it, to me. I've never tried the cream, it may be great. I do love the BB cologne.

I use MWF (tallow based) now, but I also love the French soaps based on Shea Butter, so I'm not complete a tallow zealot. But I believe that when a formulation works, its works as a whole. I think that inventing Penhaligon's BB soap one way originally, then changing the formula decades later - for whatever reason - made it a different product. Not a bad product, but not what it was.

There, I feel better now.