Yes, I noticed this a few years back but I use Noxzema every day and have gotten used to the altered scent. It's not much different, but certainly not the same. Or perhaps our noses have gotten older and less reliable. :-)

Jodi-

Jodi - Thanks for confirming that I am not going crazy.
Clare

NOse problem. :-)

When a product such as this that has stood the test of time, why do they feel they need to change the fragrance (or anything else.)? I am allergic to a lot of scents so it isn't always just getting used to a new smell.

Shirley

The smell of the old Noxema reminds me of my elderly aunt. That's what you could smell the first thing in through her door.

That was it's charm the smell in High school if we wanted fake tears we'd put some on and it did the trick

I just started using Noxema again as my cleansing cream at night, (I'm trying to save money on pricey lotions etc.) I was so surprised that it smelled exactly the same as when I used it as a little girl!! I loved it. It took me back many years...and yes I used it for sunburn as well.

I must say that my skin looks and feels better since using it too. But I'm sure my "smeller" isn't what it used to be...along with many of my body parts!! LOL

Susan

FWIW, P&G sold off Noxzema a year or two ago. About the same time they spun Folgers off into an independent company. Not sure what that was all about, but I guess they know what they're doing.

You didn't throw that old blue glass jar away did you? Those were SO cool!

Vicki - Unfortunately I did. It had a crack in it. They use to make nicer looking containers for cosmetics. Now they are just cheap plastic.

cynic - Thanks for the info. Maybe that is why the formular changed.
Clare

I still have one large size blue jar from many years ago. I store all my foreign coins in it.

I've been trying to figure out 'what' it is that makes today's Noxzema smell different and all I can come up with is that it is a 'thinner' smell. Like the scent isn't as concentrated, not as rich. Doesn't stop me from using it though.

I used some terrible foundation make-up by Cover Girl for years simply because it smelled like Noxzema. Now I just wash my face with it every night to get my fix.

Jodi-

It says "with Eucalyptus oil". I don't remember if the old Noxzema had that. I think the old formular had more Camphor in it. We have 2 big Camphor trees and they always reminded me of Noxzema and Vicks.
Clare

I have used Noxema every night since I was 12 or 13. I love it since I have sensitive skin and most moisturizers make me break out but Noxema never bothered me. I did notice the change in the scent as well.

I have used Noxzema for years, since high school. The next best cleansing cream will come and go, but Noxzema has stood the test of time. I haven't noticed the change in the smell, but my smeller doesn't always work properly.

I have a question for you Noxzema users. What do you use to remove eye makeup or clean around your eyes? I got a jar of Noxzema since I haven't tried it in years and like the feeling on my skin, but don't know what to do about my eye area.
Thanks for your help.

Bryansda, I use plain mineral oil.

Jodi-

Bryansda, I use Noxzema as a cleansing cream in the evenings to take off my make-up. I use a warm wash-rag to wipe the Noxzema off and it takes my eye make-up off with no problem. It's really gentle and has not bothered my eyes at all. I love it! I just switched back after many years of using a very expensive brand of cleanser...

Susan

Bryansda - I use to use plain baby oil. Which use to be 100% mineral oil, but now has other ingredients added. Read the label. Now I use L'oreal eye makeup remover. It doesn't list ingredients.
Clare

Thanks for help. I'll give the Noxzema a try and see if it bothers my eyes. I've used Vitamin E oil in the past, but then you still have to wash around your eyes to get the oil off. I was reading the jar which is why I asked. The jar says to avoid getting in your eyes and I usually get something in my eyes as I wash off makeup.

Face it....lots of things don't smell the same anymore. Johnson&Johnson baby powder and Tabu perfume are just a few.

The company will tell you that because of government regulations, blah, blah, blah, the ratio of ingredients or ingredient changes have taken place.

I DON'T believe them...I believe its cause they fool with the ingredients trying to find a cheaper way to make the product, and get all the more profits.

I think its called CORPORATE GREED.

I've got both the original classic clean and the moisturizing one..I like them both, I really can't remember exactly what the old Noxzema smelled like..(I should, I'm 68!)

I'm guessing, if you used it to cause tears, maybe it's a good thing they toned it down? I haven't used it in 30 years! I've been trying to get my son to, but not so far. That's great stuff.

I only tried it a couple of times in my teen years, and it burned my skin.

Now Jergen's Lotion, in the original cherry almond formula, is heavenly!

Maybe it's corporate greed but maybe the greed is to try to sell more of it. Why do you think P&G dumped it? It wasn't selling enough. P&G doesn't like million dollar brand sales, they like BILLION dollar brand sales, and they have dozens of them to prove it. That's why they farm off the small slow-moving and niche brands, usually to retro companies and you can't argue with their success. Other former P&Gers sold/spun off due to lackluster performance? Aleve, Hawaiian Punch, Folgers, Pringles, Spic-n-Span, Prell, Pert, Jif, Sunny Delight, Oxydol, Pur Filters, Attends, Millstone and Duracell, to name "but a few co's"!

My mother recently bought a jar of Noxzema and she and I both noticed the smell wasn't the same. I'm a male and don't even use it but even I can remember the smell of Noxzema. The same thing happened to some male after shaves.

I haven't smelled Noxema for years. As a little girl, I too used it for sunburn. Felt so cooling and I knew I would be ok. Cool sheets, fresh nightie and Mom rubbing it on me. Such a comfort smell and feel.

It hasn't seemed the same to me for at least 10 years. I used to love it. Great for after a day in the sun. The texture has been different for years and the smell. But I was using it in the 60s so perhaps some of you are just noticing the 3rd or 4th generation change.

Jergen's is no longer the same either. At least not to my sense of smell. Last time I bought some I ended up throwing it out.

Many of the old soap brands had their own unique scents too. Now they have expanded into all these flavors, dropped their original scent and simply stink like those dratted candles and room deodorizers.

I bought some generic and it smells like the original. I got it at Dollar general

Tabu changed!?!? bummer. I used Jergens lotion since I was a kid and it came in those gift sets for kids at Christmas. In my 30s I quit. I recently just went back to it and I think it not only smells the same (perhaps not quite as strong) but it is about the best moisturizer for my legs. Noxema reminds me of sunburns!! I haven't been that silly in years--to sun bathe.

I haven't used Noxema in years. It will always remind me of when I was a child in S. CA, long summer days spent swimming at the base pool and getting sunburned. ( :

I used Noxzema too - as did my sisters. Haven't used it since my late 20s.

my sister might still use it. I'll ask her about the smell of it. I have major problems with scents since the late 90s. And it's gotten worse. Have to be very careful about lotions, soaps, cleaners.

on the JJ baby powder I heard (or read) recently (last few wks) about a law suit against them because something was in it that was dangerous to babies - anyone around it really. I'm thinking it was asbestos but could be wrong on that. And prell was listed with shampoos that can cause - either cancer or Alzheimer's. I forget (ha!), it had to do with the head, so probably the latter. We always used that growing up. but again, I stopped in my late teens with that.

There's a vintage full jar of Noxzema on eBay with the original box. Too expensive to buy though.

Out of curiosity, I bought a jar of face cream at Dollar General today. It's the same size (12 oz.) as Noxzema and cost $2.85. The jar is even the same color and design. The ingredients are basically the same. It smells closer to the old Noxzema than the new Noxzema does but not quite the same. It has a strong camphor smell. I rubbed it on my face and it cools the skin very much. It's a little greasier than Noxzema but I don't think that's a negative thing.

On another note, my mother found an old jar of Noxzema in her medicine cabinet yesterday. It still had a small amount of cream in it and was still soft. The jar is a tiny one made of plastic and the size is 2.5 oz. It's dated 1993 and the company was called Noxell Corp. at that time. Interestingly, after smelling it, it actually smells just like the new jar of face cream at Dollar General I posted about. I don't know if the smell had changed by then from the earlier days or not. Maybe it always had a camphor smell to it?

I found out that they changed some ingredients in Noxzema. You can get Equate cleansing cream at WalMart and they have used the original formula for Noxzema. Great !!!! And, cheaper too. Under $3.

I bought the generic at $ General and it smells like to me. Works great too

Well,, this is an oldie but goodie thread -

I still have one blue jar and keep my safety pins in it.

There are plenty of fragrance free moisturizers out there now, much safer since the chemicals in fragrance are skin irritants.

Get the Equate brand at WalMart. It's next to the Noxzema and they use the original ingredients.