Jergens Extra Moisturizing Hand Wash Refill, Cherry Almond 16 fl oz (473 ml)

A 5 Star Product in 3 Star Packaging

I contacted Jergens only to learn this product is not available within 100 miles from me due to "declining sales". Contrary to others, I do not have a mother, aunt or a...Read complete review

I contacted Jergens only to learn this product is not available within 100 miles from me due to "declining sales". Contrary to others, I do not have a mother, aunt or a grandmother who used this product. I am a recent Jergens Hand Wash convert who will NEVER go back to the other liquid soap brands in their garish packaging with their unrefined scents. To my delight, Drugstore.com came to the rescue. I would like to second other reviewers who have asked Drugstore.com to continue offering this hand wash (and the refill size, in this case).

This hand wash is not antibacterial like most on store shelves, but truthfully that is a blessing in disguise. Tricosan, the ingredient in most liquid hand washes, is contributing to bacterial resistance, including hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA. It is only a matter of time before the ingredient, which can also be a skin irritant, is banned. It also fouls water supplies. A better alternative are the alcohol-based hand sanitizers that do not contribute to this problem.

What you want in a liquid hand soap, Jergens Original Scent offers. It has a heavenly almond-cherry scent that converts just about everyone who has the pleasure to try it. Drugstore.com should continue to carry the full line, and those of us who are recent or loyal fans of the original scent lotion and hand wash should petition Jergens through their website to see to it that stores actually stock this hand wash and it's matching "original scent" lotion so that sales won't decline purely as a function of inaccessibility.

In a previous review, Marilyn Cristiano Budde from Palos Verdes Estates, CA, complained that Drugstore.com sent her old stock and not the flower-embellished bottle pictured. I am sorry to report that she has it exactly reversed. That horrid 1980s pink and turquoise packaging is Jergens idea of a face lift to their entire line.

When I initially purchased this hand wash I had no idea how silky the soap would be, how moisturizing it is, or how fantastic it would smell. I found the standard size dispenser in dollar store quite by accident, and only knew that it had a great packaging design with a beautiful flower on the front that matched my decor, a refreshing visual alternative to the tacky, funky appearance of most liquid hand soaps. (In addition to a pink flower, this product also came with choice of white tulip or purple orchid.) This hand wash, until recently, had a classy look to the packaging that eliminated the need for those jumbo size liquid soap dispensers that always look so pretty at the department store but rarely have functional pump dispensers.

Sadly, my disappointment was confirmed upon visiting Jergens website (Jergens is a division of Kao brands). Even though this hand wash is available next to nowhere as many of the reviewers here will attest to, the marketers at Jergens felt it deserved the same label revision that the remainder of their products have undergone. The result? The new packaging colors no longer blend so easily with one's decor and the beautiful flower illustrations, which look like they came from the hand of an artist instead of an Adobe Illustrator operator, are gone.

The good news is that Jergens has retained the same great cherry-almond scent and the soap feels and works just as well as ever. Just the same, I encourage everyone who knows and loves this product to contact Jergens directly. And if you want this hand wash to stop disappearing off store shelves, by all means give a few bottles to your friends — especially those who shop in those body store mall boutiques. There's no product costing double or triple this hand wash that can beat this one in scent or functionality. There's a reason folks are giving this product five stars, and it's not just the ones who are reliving nostalgic memories who will sing its praises. Try it!