Re: TOVA, STILL SIGNATURE?

Nana 727 · ‎11-21-2015

I was so sad when her new Tova Signature came out. Didn't smell nothing like the other one. I had people stop me in stores asking me, what was I wearing. Wish they would come back with the old version.

shoekitty · ‎03-10-2010

@Gemspirit

The kind of Jasmine Tova used was a variety of night blooming I believe. France sanctioned it, and the cost is prohibitive. When Tova first sold the fragrance she always talked about her scent had the most expensive essence of jasmine in the world, and it was from France. She never, ever stated that they couldn't get it anymore after she sold her business to QVC. I believe she didn't explain, because she probably has a gag order, as most newly businesses demand from a previous owner. About 5 years ago I read an in depth article about fragrance, and the struggle for perfumeries to keep their original scents. New laws have certain ingredients being banned, and certain ingredients have to be labeled. I believe they had until 2013 to comply or forfeit. I wish I could google the article again. It was fabulous. It was linked over and over again here on the forums, about 4 years ago. The article explained most ingredients, and why they are banned, or sanctioned. Rather than forfeit their famous fragrances, they made synthetics, and reformulated many scents. Chanel was one that was on the block, and fighting it with every "cent" they had. France backs Chanel, as they consider Chanel a French institution, but I believe Chanel #5 did have to change. Read this...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2228944/Chanel-No-5-EU-threats-ban-perfumes-key-ingredient...

You have to label each allergen. When you do, you have to list the ingredient. When you list the ingredient...you are giving away your secret.

I agree Tova has changed. I agree the old Nights, BM&S were hypnotic. I used to spray a bit on my pillow as the scent totally relaxed me. I inhaled it, and really there was nothing like it, to me anyway. But ingredients have changed in every perfume. This all happened about the time TOVA sold her business. That said, IF the most expensive Jasmine was available to QVC, they would be too cheap to buy it, LOL! And that is the truth. But I don't think TOVA did all this. Her scent was her live blood. It was her "signature" for which she was so proud. She won award after award for her business and her scents! She wouldn't have changed "her babies" for a few bucks. I also believe anyone who wore the original would have paid for any price increase.

Gemspirit · ‎01-23-2015

@shoekitty wrote:
@Gemspirit

The kind of Jasmine Tova used was a variety of night blooming I believe. France sanctioned it, and the cost is prohibitive. When Tova first sold the fragrance she always talked about her scent had the most expensive essence of jasmine in the world, and it was from France. She never, ever stated that they couldn't get it anymore after she sold her business to QVC. I believe she didn't explain, because she probably has a gag order, as most newly businesses demand from a previous owner. About 5 years ago I read an in depth article about fragrance, and the struggle for perfumeries to keep their original scents. New laws have certain ingredients being banned, and certain ingredients have to be labeled. I believe they had until 2013 to comply or forfeit. I wish I could google the article again. It was fabulous. It was linked over and over again here on the forums, about 4 years ago. The article explained most ingredients, and why they are banned, or sanctioned. Rather than forfeit their famous fragrances, they made synthetics, and reformulated many scents. Chanel was one that was on the block, and fighting it with every "cent" they had. France backs Chanel, as they consider Chanel a French institution, but I believe Chanel #5 did have to change. Read this...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2228944/Chanel-No-5-EU-threats-ban-perfumes-key-ingredient...

You have to label each allergen. When you do, you have to list the ingredient. When you list the ingredient...you are giving away your secret.

I agree Tova has changed. I agree the old Nights, BM&S were hypnotic. I used to spray a bit on my pillow as the scent totally relaxed me. I inhaled it, and really there was nothing like it, to me anyway. But ingredients have changed in every perfume. This all happened about the time TOVA sold her business. That said, IF the most expensive Jasmine was available to QVC, they would be too cheap to buy it, LOL! And that is the truth. But I don't think TOVA did all this. Her scent was her live blood. It was her "signature" for which she was so proud. She won award after award for her business and her scents! She wouldn't have changed "her babies" for a few bucks. I also believe anyone who wore the original would have paid for any price increase.

@ Shoekitty~ Thank you very much for your reply & information. I had never been given that explanation and it makes sense to me after reading your post.

I know TOVA would've never changed her formulas; those fragrances were her babies. Unfortunately, I can think of other vendors who sold their businesses to the Q and were never the same afterwards. Either a quality issue or, in the case of some jewelry designers...their designs became littered with DMQ. Sadly,the almighty dollar always becomes the bottom line.

Politics, and the Q saving money on a different way to manufacture the products makes sense to me. Unfortunately, the bottom line is usually money.

I'm a wondering, how some fragrances stay the same though? Is it is it just France doing this?

Thanks again...I will read the info in the link you provided.

shoekitty · ‎03-10-2010

@Gemspirit

I respect and love Tova for her spirit, and ingenuity. She is literally a pioneer in the field of marketing fragrance. People thought she was nuts running adds for her TOVA fragrance by mail.She placed all these ads in movie magazines, fashion rags and such. She literally sold out many times, by mail order alone. The secret to her success was the fragrance was so good, she had repeat customers, and then word of mouth. This is back before internet, cells phones and Pinterest, LOL! She didn't sell in stores then. You could only get her products in her private shop, and by mail order or phone! You need a great product to do that. I believe her skin care ran into a snag with an ingredient as well. JMHO. I miss her TOVA Nights so much. Makes you weep. The new is okay, but it is NOT the same. Watered down and missing something. Sigh.

Personally, I think all fragrances I have ever used changed. At least the old time fragrances. Most all Philosophy scents have changed to me. I wear Beach by Bobbi Brown, and it has changed a bit. For years I wore Rive Gauche by Yves St Laurent. I started wearing it when it was launched in the early 1970's. Then in 1997 I went to buy a bottle and the hardest time finding it. I went to one of those Perfumeries, and they told me all they had left were testers, as it was discontinued. I did further research, and contacted company and was told this, Rive Gauche was taken off the shelves to "reformulate " it for the "modern woman. That is exactly what they said, "the modern woman". I bought a bottle when it came out again, and I could smell the memories, but it didn't have the staying power, and it was missing the powdery scent that stayed on the skin until you bathed. When I wore that fragrance everyone commented on that fragrance. Now, I don't think it is a seller at all?

I think people are in luck if they have chosen a newer fragrance launched in the last few years. Chances of it being reformulated soon are slim.

Ilovesnoodles · ‎10-10-2014

Tova

italia8140 · ‎10-24-2015

@violann wrote:
Whenever this discussion comes up I wonder if we ladies are taking into account the fact that the sensation of scent fatigues fastest of all of the senses.
When you are wearing pefume, your ability to experience your own scent gets weaker as time moves on even if there is no change in the power or amount of the scent itself.
I have some older relatives who practically bathe in perfume but because of the fatigue phenomenon, are not aware how strong the pefume is o others.

AnotherView2 · ‎06-19-2011

@shoekitty wrote:
@Gemspirit

I respect and love Tova for her spirit, and ingenuity. She is literally a pioneer in the field of marketing fragrance. People thought she was nuts running adds for her TOVA fragrance by mail.She placed all these ads in movie magazines, fashion rags and such. She literally sold out many times, by mail order alone. The secret to her success was the fragrance was so good, she had repeat customers, and then word of mouth. This is back before internet, cells phones and Pinterest, LOL! She didn't sell in stores then. You could only get her products in her private shop, and by mail order or phone! You need a great product to do that. I believe her skin care ran into a snag with an ingredient as well. JMHO. I miss her TOVA Nights so much. Makes you weep. The new is okay, but it is NOT the same. Watered down and missing something. Sigh.
Personally, I think all fragrances I have ever used changed. At least the old time fragrances. Most all Philosophy scents have changed to me. I wear Beach by Bobbi Brown, and it has changed a bit. For years I wore Rive Gauche by Yves St Laurent. I started wearing it when it was launched in the early 1970's. Then in 1997 I went to buy a bottle and the hardest time finding it. I went to one of those Perfumeries, and they told me all they had left were testers, as it was discontinued. I did further research, and contacted company and was told this, Rive Gauche was taken off the shelves to "reformulate " it for the "modern woman. That is exactly what they said, "the modern woman". I bought a bottle when it came out again, and I could smell the memories, but it didn't have the staying power, and it was missing the powdery scent that stayed on the skin until you bathed. When I wore that fragrance everyone commented on that fragrance. Now, I don't think it is a seller at all?

I think people are in luck if they have chosen a newer fragrance launched in the last few years. Chances of it being reformulated soon are slim.

Googled and Fragrance Net is claiming to have some Rive Gauche. I also love that scent.

shoekitty · ‎03-10-2010

@AnotherView2

Thanks, I have seen it fo sale. The problem is I LOVE the OLD Rive Gauche. The new one is not the same. I still have about 1/2 inch of the old Rive Gauche, and I have a bottle of the newer that was put out in the late 1990's. It is interesting to sparay them and compare. I have given "smell tests" to my friends, and it is not just me. Besides th company did fess up that they did indeed reformulate it. I guess that didn't work, because it tanked after the change. Also, the company went in favor of other frangrances they offered.

Isn't Rive Gauche amazing. My all time favorite fragrance in the world was Grass Oil by Jovan. It was huge in the mid to late 1970"s, then bit the dust along with their other poplular scents. I do have to say grass Oil contained santioned and banned products. Civet oil, I think

BlueTopazGem · ‎03-10-2010

Hi llovesnoodles:

I'm curious to know how do you know that Tova bought back her company from QVC?

Is this public knowledge?

I did notice that she recently registered the company name "Tova Beverly Hills" in September 2015. The company's principal address lists her home residence in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

I loved her "original" Tova Signature perfume. I sent letters to her a few times during the debacle of the changed formulation, but I never got a response. It's such a shame what become of the Tova Signature scent.

annie12 · ‎11-25-2015

I too have noticed the difference in Tova Signature. I have worn it sincee 1992 and it is definetely not the same. The last time I bought it they offered 2 bottles which I thought was a good idea and a good deal since I wear it daily. I received them, put them away for about a month or so until I finished the bottle I was using. Oh my, I opened one and sprayed myself and thought I was doing to get sick. The smell was horrible so I opened the other bottle and it was the same, a very strong smell of chemicals, nothing at all near the original smell of Tova. I dont understand why she would have let whoever bought the rights to it change the fragrance into nothing but a chemical smell. I wish Tova would do something about this for the people that have been so faithful to her fragrance for so many years. Makes me want to cry because I dearly loved it and so many people would ask what I was wearing because it was such a nice clean beautiful fragrance. It isnt that way anymore. I will not purchase it again until Tova can guarentee the original scent is back and they destroy all the other bottles that have been made because I do not want that scent at all and I am afraid they might ship them out to get rid of them !