L'Occitane Plisson Synthetic: another one bites the dust?

I've read elsewhere some rumours about L'Occitane discontinuing their Cade shaving soap.
This is a rumour that pops up frequently, at least once or twice per year , and never confirmed, so I was not giving it much credit, but I decided to clarify this by contacting directly L'Occitane...

I was also interested in buying a L'Occitane Plisson shaving brush, but I wasn't finding it at L'Occitane webpage.

So, I've contacted L'Occitane Customer Care here in Portugal, asking about those two items. Here's how it went (an sorry for the poor translation!):

Hello good morning, my name is Emanuel Coelho, and I am a frequent costumer of L'Occitane products for men.

I recently read a rumor about Cade Shaving soap; that it would be discontinued soon and would not be available. Please, can you confirm if the rumor is true?

I'm also interested in purchasing a Cade shaving brush, but currently I do not see it available on your website. Can you tell me when it will be available again?

Thank you, in advance, for your attention!

Here's the response that I got:

Good afternoon Emanuel.

I would like to thank in advance for your contact and interest in our products.

Our Shaving Soap is a permanent product and there is no indication that it will be discontinued.

However, I have the information that the Shaving Brush has been discontinued, so it should no longer be available.

Sincerely,

Andreia Palha

Customer Service

L'Occitane en Provence

What? Just right now when I decided to buy one, the damn thing is discontinued? Damn...

Oh well... plenty more fish in the sea, I guess....

That is a bit unfortunate, meu amigo, but there are just so many wonderful brushes being offered, at the moment and I am sure you have enough in your collection to satisfy you.

Pick up one of the inexpensive synthetics from Italian Barber, Stirling, Maggards, or Fine. They are all really close to the Plisson. The Fine 22mm is probably the closest, although I think it has a little more backbone due to slightly shorter loft.

That is a bit unfortunate, meu amigo, but there are just so many wonderful brushes being offered, at the moment and I am sure you have enough in your collection to satisfy you.  

Indeed!

Pick up one of the inexpensive synthetics from Italian Barber, Stirling, Maggards, or Fine.  They are all really close to the Plisson.  The Fine 22mm is probably the closest, although I think it has a little more backbone due to slightly shorter loft.

Well.. those options only have one problem for me: I would pay more for the shipping costs than for the brush alone!

That is such bad news, Emanuel.  I have one and really like it.  It was my introduction to the "new" synthetics and I am now hooked!  I love my Stirling Soap Co. Kong brush.  It is a BIG synthetic (26mm, I believe) and if you like large knot brushes, it is amazing.  I realize it is an American company and you are correct, the cost of shipping internationally (in either direction) is frequently enough to stop a sale.  However, if you can manage to get one (perhaps through the B/S/T on the Portuguese wet shaving site) then I highly recommend it.

It's not a big loss. I like mine but the RazoRock Plissoft is better and cheaper. The L'Occitane brush has a poor quality handle, too. I only use it when traveling.

Just order one from Plisson direct. They are the manufacturer of the L'Occitane brush anyways. Plisson has plenty of handles to choose from, including wood handles.

That is such bad news, Emanuel.  I have one and really like it.  It was my introduction to the "new" synthetics and I am now hooked!  I love my Stirling Soap Co. Kong brush.  It is a BIG synthetic (26mm, I believe) and if you like large knot brushes, it is amazing.  I realize it is an American company and you are correct, the cost of shipping internationally (in either direction) is frequently enough to stop a sale.  However, if you can manage to get one (perhaps through the B/S/T on the Portuguese wet shaving site) then I highly recommend it.

The larger knot may be a good idea, as I have an EJ 282 XL (25mm silvertip fiber also in imitation horn) and love it.
Never heard about that brush, so I had to google it. Really interesting, and really great price in the US!
I've found a few shops in UK that sell it, but the price is less attractive.

It's not a big loss. I like mine but the RazoRock Plissoft is better and cheaper. The L'Occitane brush has a poor quality handle, too. I only use it when traveling.

Interesting, as there is an UK shop that sells Razorock stuff. I have to take a closer look.

Just order one from Plisson direct. They are the manufacturer of the L'Occitane brush anyways. Plisson has plenty of handles to choose from, including wood handles.

True, but Plisson brushes are twice the price of a L'Occitane. Not what I'm interested at the moment!

That too bad, Plisson has become my go to synthetic brush. It is true, there are so many other option for a fraction of the price. However, you usually get what you paid for. The bristles are the one of the softest without the scratchiness like the inexpensive competitors. It doesn't have a glue bump which then let's the bristles reach their full potential. The handles are well made. The knots are centered and not canted like some of the other ones. Overall, plisson made some of the best. Too bad they have discontinued their brushed. Good thing I was able to acquire 3 of them while I could. Thanks for the heads up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is such bad news, Emanuel.  I have one and really like it.  It was my introduction to the "new" synthetics and I am now hooked!  I love my Stirling Soap Co. Kong brush.  It is a BIG synthetic (26mm, I believe) and if you like large knot brushes, it is amazing.  I realize it is an American company and you are correct, the cost of shipping internationally (in either direction) is frequently enough to stop a sale.  However, if you can manage to get one (perhaps through the B/S/T on the Portuguese wet shaving site) then I highly recommend it.

The larger knot may be a good idea, as I have an EJ 282 XL (25mm silvertip fiber also in imitation horn) and love it.
Never heard about that brush, so I had to google it. Really interesting, and really great price in the US!
I've found a few shops in UK that sell it, but the price is less attractive.

It's not a big loss. I like mine but the RazoRock Plissoft is better and cheaper. The L'Occitane brush has a poor quality handle, too. I only use it when traveling.

Interesting, as there is an UK shop that sells Razorock stuff. I have to take a closer look.

Just order one from Plisson direct. They are the manufacturer of the L'Occitane brush anyways. Plisson has plenty of handles to choose from, including wood handles.

True, but Plisson brushes are twice the price of a L'Occitane. Not what I'm interested at the moment!

How do you figure? The cheapest Plisson is around $32 plus shipping. Mine was around $43 shipped to US.