By Garland Pollard
NEW YORK – There is something great about a brand that has not only survived a long time, but is still owned by the original company. Such is the case with Cashmere Bouquet, a soap that dates to 1872, and for the whole time, has been made by another Uber-brand, Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL).
According to the website www.perfumeprojects.com, Cashmere Bouquet Toilet Water was but one product in a long line of “Cashmere Bouquet” products sold in the late 19th century. Colgate was founded in 1806; Cashmere Bouquet was introduced six years after Colgate first introduced perfumed soap. The website points out that even then, Colgate was adept at brand extensions.
In fact, perhaps the Cashmere Bouquet brand, while dated, could be revived and re-extended rather like Keihl’s or Caswell-Massey?
The 1872 introduction of Cashmere Bouquet marked the first milled perfumed toilet soap, and that year it was registered as a Colgate trademark. Then, the product was seen more as a fashion and luxury item. Today, it is a hotel soap brand, as well as sold at discount closeout stores.
Buy a bar today, and you can still smell that familiar smell. The main ingredients for Cashmere Bouquet are pretty good by the way, including sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, glycerin, fragrance and other materials. Cashmere Bouquet is a most wonderful museum piece; It’s nice to see something still made the old way, with animal fat and lye. And it is Made in U.S.A.
Today, Colgate still sells the product, along with other soaps that include Irish Spring and Palmolive. In the U.S., the bar soap brand of Palmolive is not emphasized, as the product as seen as a dish detergent. However, in Europe, the U.K., and Australia, Palmolive is seen as more of a special scented natural soap.
Apparently, Colgate actually made the soap until 2005, when a century old factory in Kansas City was closed down and the company turned manufacturing over to a third party.
10 responses so far ↓
1 Dooney Tickner // Dec 12, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Another longtime Colgate-Palmolive product that is still around but has become very obscure is their classic aerosol shave cream. Once as ubiquitous as Barbasol, it is found in only a few outlets these days. An excellent product with a great history at a fantastic value.
2 Tom Hagen // Aug 8, 2009 at 11:23 am
The bar soap “Cashmere Bouquet” is NOT its original formulation. It has changed, is not the original perfume, and lathers differently than the original. I have used this product for 40 years and continue to do so, but it changed and is really a different soap now… I just can’t switch to anything else, since it doesn’t cause me to itch!
3 Dr. Don Stoltz // Nov 21, 2009 at 9:47 am
Did Haddon Sundblom creat ads for Cashmere Bouquet?
4 allison drutch // Nov 14, 2010 at 9:47 pm
cashmere bouquet soap is my favorite soap now. My mom brong it home one night, and told me this was the soap that i ought to be using. I ignored her at first, but now it is the only soap that i use, and i love it. I love the scent, its one of my favorite things about this soap. I love the way it lathers up on my skin, its a great bar of soap.
5 Marilyn // Jan 24, 2011 at 9:50 pm
The new Cashmere Bouquet is definitely NOT the same scent as the original at all.
The only place to find it it on e-Bay! Too bad. I think the manufacturer acted too quickly to cancel making Cashmere Bouquet; then they brought it back with a
more ‘modern’ fragrance (so they told me).
I think they should reconsider. Maybe if enough of us fans of the original soap would write, we’d convince them!
6 Emma // Mar 27, 2011 at 2:17 am
I don’t know if cashmere bouquet soap still has that same scent from back in the day; but I really love this soap. It is one of those hard to find soap bars, but is worth the search. Lucky for me I am able to find it locally, So I use it everyday at least twice a day like my mother use to reach me. It smells really nice and it cleans really nicely. Iwill keep using this soap as long as it is bring made.
7 MYRNA REID // Aug 6, 2011 at 10:14 am
I love this soap and haven’t been able to get it in any stores round me.I used to get it at Zellers a few years ago.It reminds me of my grandmother who has passed away,she used this soap for my baths.Very mild and what a beautiful smell !!!Hopefully some of the stores will get the message.
8 Jitegemea // Aug 14, 2011 at 9:22 pm
It certainly is not the same fragrance as it was. I used it for years and then lived out of the country until recently. I found it difficult to locate and then when I bought it I was disappointed. I still use it but with a LOT less enthusiasm. May I wish they’d bring back that original fragrance…
9 sue king // Aug 29, 2011 at 3:21 pm
I echo the longing and praises for this lovely, simp[le soap of my childhood. I noticed that this conversation continues on though started 3 years back…I hope others will enjoy what I’ve written on my blog about Cashmere Bouquet. I’d love to hear your remembrances, too.
10 ally frayzer // Dec 4, 2011 at 1:14 pm
This bar soap is awesome great for sensitive skin it is very mild. I have been using this for a while and I love it, I have never been more satisfied with a bar of soap and I’ve used sooo many different soap, but when I found cashmere bouquet soap I was sold. For people debating on whether or not to try this soap,try it you won’t regret it.
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