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Original poster

DH and I disagree about Soap 😳

630 replies

anotherdaytosmile · 13/06/2026 12:27

DH has put a fresh bar of soap out today, his trusty Imperial Leather. He thinks it’s a classy soap based on his childhood perspective in the late 1970s. I think it’s one step up from carbolic. I want Jo Malone soap 😢

AIBU - imperial leather is pure luxury
AINBU - what next, waxy toilet paper?

OP posts:
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14
Goodiebagh · 15/06/2026 15:40

Wow ive never seen it so tight!
Imperial leather reminds me of my dad, so I won't hear a bad word about it. And JM soap? Money down the....

UnderMirkwood · 15/06/2026 15:01

Well, for those of you worried about old person smell (as if we don't have enough to worry about), there is always this brand:-

Grandpa Stinks - a specialized line of skincare products formulated to break down Nonenal—the chemical compound often responsible for aging-related body odor. As you can tell from the spelling it is an American company.

Lovely 🤦‍♀️

Tortephant · 15/06/2026 14:58

daisychicken · 14/06/2026 11:21

I love the smell of bar soap but it makes my skin really dry and tight plus trying to clean the soap scum off the basin/shower drives me nuts (hard water area so I assume that's why).

So

  1. What soap doesn't leave your skin feeling dry and tight?
  1. How do you keep the basin/shower/bath clear of soap scum?

A properly made soap won’t dry your skin or leave mushy soap scum. Look at the ingredients.

i buy all my soap and laundry from https://frenchsoaps.co.uk

cant speak more highly of their products.

Tortephant · 15/06/2026 14:52

123teenagerfood · 13/06/2026 12:34

Came here to say this!

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Me too but buy from the UK

www.frenchsoaps.co.uk/collections/pure-olive-savon-de-marseille

Allseeingallknowing · 15/06/2026 14:29

MoreNewThings · 15/06/2026 13:58

Exactly what I came here to say! It's in the same category as Old Spice to me. I use Palmolive or Tesco own brand, but I'm tempted by the green Pears. I'll be the only one in the village with that!

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Well, I love the smell which is nothing like my old man!

TheDevilWears · 15/06/2026 14:06

One of my biggest indulgences is a bar of Diptyque soap. I don’t care how much it costs it’s worth it to me. It’s SLS free, it smells amazing and doubles up as an air freshener in the bathroom, the wrapper goes in my knicker drawer. Imperial Leather IS one step up from carbolic!

MoreNewThings · 15/06/2026 13:58

queenMab99 · 13/06/2026 14:34

Ugh! Imperial leather smells like old men.

Exactly what I came here to say! It's in the same category as Old Spice to me. I use Palmolive or Tesco own brand, but I'm tempted by the green Pears. I'll be the only one in the village with that!

Bloozie · 15/06/2026 13:03

Imperial Leather is not classy soap.

Jo Malone is a waste of money.

I prefer bars of soap for washing my hands, than liquid soap, and I hit TK Maxx for fancy things. Bars are better for your skin than gels - in hand soap and shower gel - as whatever chemical it is they put in gels to make them runny is not good for skin. But I can't be done with the faff of a bar of soap in my shower cubicle.

fictitiousfoibles · 15/06/2026 12:53

#TeamPears - a habit inherited from a now-deceased older relative. I'm a sucker for the transparency aka 'iconic clarity'

FatRosie · 15/06/2026 12:42

JO MALONE LONDON - Lime Basil and Mandarin soap bar 100g | Selfridges.com
Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Water\Aqua\Eau, Fragrance (Parfum), Methyl Gluceth-20, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate, Palm Acid, Palm Kernel Acid, Polyquaternium-7, Limonene, Bht, Tocopherol, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium Edta, Tetrasodium Etidronate <ILN52088>.
£20 for 100g

Imperial Leather Original Beauty Bar Soap Classic 4 x 90g - Boots
£2.25 for 4 90g bars
Ingredients
Sodium Palmate, Aqua, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Glycerin, Parfum, Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Eugenia Caryophyllus Oil, Coumarin, Eugenol, Citronellol, Linalyl Acetate, Geraniol, Linalool, Amyl Salicylate, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Lavandula Oil/Extract, Turpentine, Pinene, Beta-Caryophyllene, Terpineol, Eucalyptus Globulus Oil, CI 77220, CI 11680, CI 71105, CI 74260

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 15/06/2026 12:35

FatRosie · 15/06/2026 12:32

That's nuts. It's how you wash and dry your hands that matters.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius , it's changed. It's not the Pears soap of old.

Edited
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Pears has changed but it still smells similar to the old version that @SDTGisAnEvilWolefGeniusrecalls so I sometimes buy it for nostalgic reasons. Used it as a child.

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 15/06/2026 12:33

FatRosie · 15/06/2026 12:32

That's nuts. It's how you wash and dry your hands that matters.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius , it's changed. It's not the Pears soap of old.

Edited
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Soap nuts?! Sorry couldn’t resist.

FatRosie · 15/06/2026 12:32

TabathaRose · 15/06/2026 09:43

When I was running a children’s nursery we were advised that bar soap was not a hygienic enough option and that liquid soap should be supplied.

That's nuts. It's how you wash and dry your hands that matters.

@SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius , it's changed. It's not the Pears soap of old.

Historian0111101000 · 15/06/2026 12:12

You should really go by the ingredient list when choosing soap. Jo Malone is ridiculously overpriced:, you're paying for marketing, shop rent, and celebrity/influencer branding rather than the actual product.

A simple bars are often better in terms of formulation and is much more reasonably priced.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 15/06/2026 11:59

Nothavingagoodvalentinesday · 14/06/2026 22:11

Love the smell of Imperial Leather. Reminds me of staying at my Auntie’s house when I was young. Happy memories.

My grandmother used Pears soap, and the smell of that brings back the same memories, @Nothavingagoodvalentinesday.

KilkennyCats · 15/06/2026 11:58

TabathaRose · 15/06/2026 09:43

When I was running a children’s nursery we were advised that bar soap was not a hygienic enough option and that liquid soap should be supplied.

Advised by whom? That’s utter nonsense, you know?

TabathaRose · 15/06/2026 09:43

When I was running a children’s nursery we were advised that bar soap was not a hygienic enough option and that liquid soap should be supplied.

NEGUY82 · 15/06/2026 09:39

My God what did the womens refuge centre say???

Mylastusernamewasbetter · 15/06/2026 08:22

anotherdaytosmile · 14/06/2026 18:27

The poll is 50/50. This is not helpful MN

50% are wrong!!

pollymere · 14/06/2026 23:59

I think Imperial Leather is okay. Jo Malone is a bit excessive for soap. I only have it by the sink so it tends to be citrus anyway.

I love Penhaligon soap personally 😂

pinkpony88 · 14/06/2026 23:36

TotHappy · 13/06/2026 12:34

I like Pears. It turns you into a beautiful princess.

I used this for years. I must have been using it wrong! 🤣

dcthatsme · 14/06/2026 23:11

Let him have imperial leather and you use some lovely Jo malone stuff. I’d opt for the HM stuff

Daftypants · 14/06/2026 22:27

Jo Malone is too highly scented for me , but I do like L’Occitane 😄 ( imperial leather is what my gran had in the bathroom , I don’t like it much )

Nothavingagoodvalentinesday · 14/06/2026 22:11

Love the smell of Imperial Leather. Reminds me of staying at my Auntie’s house when I was young. Happy memories.

Hohofortherobbers · 14/06/2026 21:39

Shield every time. Don't feel clean unless I've scrubbed myself with shield