Praise soap by Lever Brothers

Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support :

supersuds

supersuds

Well-known member
Platinum Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2007
Messages
1,844
Location
Knoxville, Tenn.
Does anybody remember this? There isn't a whole lot of information about it that I can find, other than it was probably introduced in the late 1950s. I got a deal on some of it recently and was wondering what the heck the ingredients were.

The wrapper says it is special because it is made with cold cream, has a "gentle germ remover which washes away bacteria that can cause blemishes and body odors" and, finally, contains "DERMASIL, [which] transforms soap into a new skin care idea -- a miracle of mildness, cleanliness. DERMASIL is the Lever Brothers Trade Mark for acyl methyl taurate."

Acyl methyl taurate is merely a surfactant derived from coconuts.

Could the "germ remover" be hexachlorophene, maybe?

supersuds-2018082123335400490_1.jpg
 
I remember hearing the word Dermisil on commercials in the late 50’s and early 60’s. The “germ remover” very well could have been hexachlorophene, it was a widely used germicide used then.

Phisohex, whose active bacteriacide was hexochlorphene, was a very much used product for washing any cuts of abrasions, for acne, and anytime you wanted to make a body surface bacteria free. Then in the early 80’s it was banned and went off the market. As I recall they took hexachlorphene off the market because it was determined to be harmful to the liver.

My Mom worked for a country doctor and we used Phisohex all the time. In fact I once got a very severe staph infection on my face, with very painful boils, and the doctor prescribed that I wash my entire body with Phisohex every time I showered to eradicate the staph infection and prevent it from spreading anywhere else.

Once hexochlorphene went out of use Betadine was used to replace it in many instances.

Eddie
 
My research shows

DERMASIL was Lever Brothers trademarked name for Tribromsalicylanilide, a potent (and rather often nasty it seems) antibacterial agent. Lever Brothers allowed the trademark to "die" back in 1960...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salicylanilide

https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Tribromsalan#section=Names-and-Identifiers

Near as one can figure out there were reports of skin contact photodermatitis and or other issues.

http://journal.scconline.org/abstracts/cc1973/cc024n07/p00399-p00421.html

Lever Bros. seems to be all over the place with marketing/positing of Praise soap.

It was a "beauty cream bar", blemish and also deodorant soap. My guess is the disinfectant Dermasil took care of the last two, while the cream or whatever did the first.

Interestingly Lever Bros. launched Dove soap in 1957, and it was an instant success. https://www.mapleholistics.com/blog/dove-company-history-and-review-real-beauty-real-soap/
 
Hexachlorophene was discontinued in hospital use when it was determined that it could pass through the skin of babies. That does not seem like it was a reason to stop surgical scrubbing and hand washing sink use of it; just keep it out of the nursery areas.
 
I Stand Corrected

about the discontinuance of Phisohex. It used to be available without a prescription and many households had one of the ubiquitous green bottles of it on hand for cleaning cuts and abrasions.

Then latter on a prescription was required to obtain in, and still latter on it just didn’t seem to be recommended for use in a household setting at all anymore. Going on what I assumed was the reason, liver damage due to absorption thru the skin was my mistake,never assume!

After reading Tom’s post, I did a search, and attached the link below.

So, it still is used in hospital settings, but not on infants, and there are other precautions as well. All I know is that doctors used to write prescriptions for it, and in the early 80’s when I asked a dermotologist for a script for Phisohex, he said that it wasn’t being prescribed anymore, at least by him.

Sorry for the incorrect info.

Eddie[this post was last edited: 8/22/2018-11:02]

 
Belive in some other countries Hexachlorophene

Is totally banned. However as noted here in USA it was withdrawn from over counter use; but still can be had via prescription and or use within controlled settings (surgical scrub). So if you can find a doctor willing to write the script, Phisohex can be had....

Phenol compounds (as once found in Lifebouy/carbolic soap) has been withdrawn and or banned (IIRC much of Europe is latter); but can be had elsewhere.

Ironically once hexachlorophene was banned, things moved to triclosan; now it is restricted/banned as well.

 
Hexachlorophene soaps...

We had them too. The hexachlorophene content is now banned, but 'Cidal' soap is still on the go, now owned - I think - by Lornamead ('Vosene' shampoo). They've also got that other old war horse, 'Wright's Coal Tar Soap'.


rolls_rapide-2018082215382404344_1.jpg
 
I quite fancy it!

Have some "white" coal tar soap (Grandpa's) and it is a treat in the bath. Is coconut oil based, makes tons of lather and is just that wonderful. Smell was a bit off putting at first, but is light and doesn't linger much after bathing.

Now Lifebouy (carbolic) soap of old cannot abide.

Got a stash off fleaPay some time ago and using one bar put one right off.

Leaving aside the scent (was like bathing with Lysol), it dried out one's skin something awful.
 
The Old Time bar soap I wish I could still buy is Palmolive. I loved the scent, just smelled clean and fresh, with out being overly floral. It cleaned nicely, and was harder than Ivory, so it lasted longer too, ever thinking of the “Thrifty” side of things.

We use Ivory Bar soap at the kitchen and bathroom sinks for hand and face washing. In the the shower I like Zest or Dial, David uses Old Spice Body Wash, I still like an old fashioned bar of deoderant soap for the shower.

Eddie
 
"My research shows DERMASIL was Lever Brothers trademarked name for Tribromsalicylanilide, a potent (and rather often nasty it seems) antibacterial agent. Lever Brothers allowed the trademark to "die" back in 1960..."

Wow. That is bizarre, since one of my bars of Praise specifically says DERMASIL was their trademark for acyl methyl taurate, as mentioned in the original post! Some Madison Avenue shell game going on here most likely.

BTW, this link indicates that the trademark for tribromsalicylanilide as DERMASIL was renewed in 1980 and not allowed to lapse until 2001.

https://trademarks.justia.com/720/90/dermasil-72090076.html

Thanks for the research, Launderess.
 
Regarding hexachlorophene, I've obtained several brands of vintage soap that have it, including Dial (which called it AT-7) and Colgate Beauty Soap from 1956. There's a surprising number of these old bars of soap on Ebay, though most of them are too overpriced to bother with. I do use them off and on in the summer, but not continuously since there is a concern about the hexachlorophene building up on the skin with constant use.

 
Launderess, you are correct about Lifebouy, spot on. Bought a bar of it at an off brand grocery store last year and used it only once and threw it out. It smelled horrible and dried out the skin. They must have changed the formula or something, I don't recall the adverse reaction to it when I was a youngster!! LOL.

I use Ivory Bar soap in the shower, clean smelling and good for my sensitive skin.

The bath soap of my youth that I truly miss is Sweetheart. My grandmother used to buy it and had a wonderful fragrance. Like Salvo laundry detergent, it's long, long gone now.

Barry
 
Lornamead

still makes Ingram shave cream in a tube. It was originally an American product, made by Bristol-Myers, and I believe the first menthol shave cream. I used up my last tube a few months ago and have been meaning to get more.
 
Dermasil Trademark Date

Very well could be misread things (it has been known to happen), and got 1960 as an end date. Sorry.

Acyl methyl taurate seems to be a surfactant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurates#Properties

Lever Bros. held (or still holds) several patents relating:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US5496959A/en

Scroll down to end of patent:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US5496959A/en

Lever Bros. certainly registered tribromsalicylanilide incorporated as an ingredient in soap

https://trademarks.justia.com/720/90/dermasil-72090076.html

Interestingly Lever Bros. also produced Lux dishwashing liquid with "Dermasil"


No mention of antibacterial properties, but does go on about caring for skin. This was one of the properties promoted with Praise soap as well.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top