31 Flavors of Tova

If you aren't already familiar with the big Tova perfume brewhaha, you can catch up here. You might also want to read about what keeps her husband Ernest so young here (and it ain't perfume or vitamins, y'all! Definitely not for the faint of heart.)

Tova now believes that any perceived change in the fragrance of the perfume is due to the fact that the spray pump doesn't spray as much perfume as it used to in a single squirt and a change in the bottle,

"When I celebrated the fragrance's 25th Anniversary I introduced a new art deco bottle. The original had a frosted, opaque finish and the new one is completely transparent. With a new bottle, it's easy to perceive the fragrance differently. It's like eating ice cream from a bowl you don't usually eat it from - you think it tastes differently!"

I will concur that most drinks do taste better out of a glass than out of a plastic cup, so I can see how the container could change the scent, which only leads me to believe that she (or QVC) should never have changed the bottle! Keep your hands off the Tova!

NSFW: Ernest Borgnine Comes to Grips with Himself

Tova's husband, Ernest Borgnine, who is 91 years old, was asked on Fox & Friends what his secret was to staying so young and energetic.

Let me tell you, it has nothing to do with perfume.

Watch the clip below to find out Ernest's secret to such a long life ... FAIR WARNING: THIS IS NOT SAFE FOR WORK!!! And if you are easily offended, this ain't for you either!

You were warned.

Tova: "It's Like Giving Up a Child."

Here's an interesting article from the New York Times about Tova:

"It’s like giving up a child,” said Tova Borgnine, the founder and chief executive of the Tova Corporation, a cosmetics and fragrance company now owned by the televised home shopping company QVC. In March 1977, Ms. Borgnine, who is married to the actor Ernest Borgnine, started a mail-order company in Los Angeles selling a perfume called Tova Signature.

By 1987, she had 65 skincare products and 80 employees. In 1990, she began selling her wares on QVC, and 12 years later QVC bought the Tova brand for a seven-figure sum. Tova Signature is QVC’s top-selling perfume.

It was, she said, an accomplishment she was proud of, but still an adjustment. “In a massive corporate structure you have bureaucracy that you must be able to get through,” said Ms. Borgnine, who divides her time between Beverly Hills and Malvern, Pa., near QVC’s headquarters. “All of the products are the same as when I created my company; I’m in on every strategy meeting, but now there’s a collective voice. That’s a luxury, but you’ve also got to be able to let go.”


Here is what QVC President/CEO/King Mike George had to say about the smelly Tova Signature controversy.

Is everyone satisfied now or are there still noses out of joint???

QVC Denies Tova Foul Play

Mike George, QVC President and CEO, (and reigning QVC King) finally addressed Tova-gate in the most recent online chat. Apparently he has heard our cries of Tova foul play and swears that the fragrance has been fixed.

In a nutshell, last year the formula was changed. No one thought the changes would affect the fragrance. It did. Customers felt hoodwinked and Tova-gate was born.

QVC went back to the original formulation and tried to make amends with the Tova loyalists by sending out a free bottle of the new stuff (with the old formula).

However, not all the Tova customers were convinced that the scent was the same as the original. So,Tova-gate continues. Is the scent really different or is this simply a case of too little, too late???

BTW, just for funsies, check out Tova on The Soup’s Tales from Home Shopping here.

From the June 13th online chat transcript:

Vicki: Can you address what has happened with the Tova Signature fragrance. Many, many customers feel it is a different product than the original and are very vocal about wanting a chance to purchase the product they loved for years.

Mike: Thanks for your question Vicki. We know there are many loyal Tova fans who are very disappointed with the fragrance. Let me give you the background on what happened and what we are doing about it: Last year, the manufacturer of the Tova fragrance made a very slight change in the formulation. They did not think at the time that that change would have any impact on the scent. However, we heard from many customers that they felt the scent had changed. So we and Tova went back and took apart the formulation and concluded that, indeed, we had made a mistake and had inadvertently changed the scent.

We believe this affected her signature product starting around May 2007. We believe we completely corrected the formulation in fall 2007, and at that time notified all the affected customers that they could get a new version of the corrected product on our nickel. Since then, we have continued to receive complaints from customers who feel that the product is not back to its original standard.

We continue to monitor the Tova threads, as we do all threads. There is talk on the forums of a Tova-gate, and underhanded attempts on our part to trick our customers. All I can do is tell you the truth, which is we believe that we have been able to restore the formulation to its original version. This was never done in an attempt to lower the cost. In fact, the cost to make the product has not decreased at all.

We are at somewhat of a loss to understand why some customers feel it has changed. I believe they are totally sincere in their beliefs; we just cant find anything to indicate the product is not back to its original standard, In fact, the majority of customers are satisfied with it. I have had several discussions with Tova over the last year, and I can report to you how upset and disappointed she has been because she loves her customers and is so proud of her 25 year history with this fragrance. So please continue to give us information if you feel the product has changed. We will continue to monitor the situation. But again, all I can tell you is that we are totally committed to the original Tova fragrance and to the best abilities of Tova and the manufacturer, we believe the current fragrance is the same as the original formulation.

Purity Made (Not So) Simple

Philosophy's Purity Made Simple is one of the products that made the Philosophy brand what it is today. It's up there with Hope in a Jar, which was so famously made famous by being one of Oprah's Favorite Things.

Over the last few months, many customers have noticed that the product seemed different: thicker, runnier, smelly, and drying. Do the noticeable changes have anything to do with that fact that founder and on-air spokesperson, Cristina Carlino, sold the company to the Carlyle Group last year? Isn't that what usually happens when beauty companies get bought out? (I'm looking right at you, Tova!)

A very helpful poster on the QVC message boards emailed Philosophy about the problem and got a very long and rather confusing response from customer service detailing multiple mismatched ingredient labels, viscosity, and (new and improved) surfactants--all while trying to be very reassuring that nothing has actually changed. Read it for yourself here--just be sure to strap yourself in first because your head is gonna spin!

Heed the warning of Tova, corporate suits at the Carlyle Group--do NOT screw around with the formulas! It's called Purity Made Simple, not Purity Made as Clear as Mud!

On a side note, although I haven't seen it on the Q (could have been there and sold out quickly though), the new Hope in a Jar with SPF 20 sunscreen is available on Amazon.

Tales from Home Shopping: Tova Takes One for the Team

E!'s The Soup set their sites on poor Tova this week. Of course, her long-time fans believe she deserves this and so much more since letting QVC cheapen and destroy her fragrances.

After buying and sending back bottles of the "new" formula and being assured that nothing has changed (when clearly it was a different fragrance), loyal customers have been left scrambling for bottles of the original on eBay.

[high horse] Quit trying to trick your customers. It never works! If you want to sell a cheaper version, then sell a cheaper version as a different scent (Tova II or something), but keep the original intact! Brand loyalty--like any reputation--is hard to grow and easy to lose. [/high horse]