Vintage Australian Rexona Shaving Soap with "Cadyl"

I found this wonderful shaving soap from Australia's past: a triangular "box" of Rexona Shaving Soap with "Cadyl"... still with contents!

The earliest Australian records I could find were from 1921 for the shaving soap in the (aluminium) triangular "box", however, "Cadyl" (extracts of the oils of Cade, Cassia, Cloves, Terebinth and Bornyl Acetate) was registered in 1934. I am putting this "box" of soap (as it was called) at about 1940 going by the style of lettering and green colour, but I could be completely wrong. The ingredients you can research for yourselves: some will contain little surprises for you

The soap itself smells umm ... soapy, naturally, but of the tallow variety (aficionados will 'get' this) but it does also come with a trace of the 'medicate'. The container is in very good shape indeed if it is as old as I am guesstimating: 75 years old or so. 

So, to the pictures:

Now that is an interesting vintage soap find. Got to love the unique triangular shape. Are you going to give it a go?

Bob

Yeah, are you going to try it? The hoarder in me says don't.. the curious cat in me says go..!

I have so many soaps that the temptation to use it is low, although I admit to being curious in the same way you chaps are In addition, I have other vintage Australian shaving soaps, including VERY old Palmolive sticks, better than which I would be hard pressed to find. They really are - 'soapy' smell aside - probably the best shaving soaps I have ever used, and no mistake. They are unbelievably creamy and slick, with loads of cushion and glide. Don't make 'em like that any more, that's for sure. 

So, no, I think I will preserve this one for posterity. Maybe one day there might be some kind of public Australian shaving collection, in a history museum somewhere. That I'd love to see, but like a lot of places in the world, our heritages and cultural histories are becoming more and more eroded and neglected. I guess it increasingly lies in the hands of private collectors. Unsure.

My goodness, doesn't that look interesting!

A reference to this shaving stick (probably not this formulation) from 1925:

"A HIGH CLASS PRODUCT"

"For men of Discrimination.--Rexona Shaving Soap, the Triangular Stick.Lathers freely, and makes Shaving a Pleasure."

"Price, 1/6."

(From the "Barrier Miner", Broken Hill, NSW, Tues. 24 March, 1925)

Nice find!