I don’t take Palativm too seriously when it says its line of bath foams and oils was inspired by the bathing culture of ancient Rome. Ancient Romans were a pretty dirty (and smelly) bunch, and Roman public baths, no matter the opulence of their construction and decoration, were bacteria factories that made lots of people ill. I’m betting modern bathers wouldn’t find the ritual sweating-oiling-skin scraping sessions the ancient Romans endured very refreshing either.
Palativm Replenishing Foams are modern takes on the “Roman” bath; they contain Tuscan olive oil, chamomile, aloe vera and Vitamin C ester. (Vitamin C is good for skin, inside and on your body, but it’s not effective in bath products since it’s destined for the drain.) I’ve tried and enjoyed Palativm’s three bath foams: Arancia Dolce/Sweet Orange (grapefruit, lime, orange, lily of the valley, jasmine, orange blossom, cedar and musk); Fico Speziato/Spiced Fig (fig, “rain” accord, green notes, magnolia, rose, jasmine, woods and musk); and Mare Myrteus/Sea (myrtle berries, bergamot, lemon, “ocean breeze,” jasmine, lily of the valley, ginger, blond woods, amber and musk).
Arancia Dolce is sweet and semi-gourmand, with orange and vanilla notes dominant. If you love a “pert”/green fig aroma (not a milky fig), Fico Speziato is a good bet; this is my favorite fragrance in the line. For those of you who may be 'alarmed' by that “rain” accord, I didn’t detect even a molecule of ozone or its ilk in Fico Speziato. Finally, for fans of “marine” scents, there’s Mare Myrteus; with its “salty” bergamot-ginger accord; it’s a higher-quality “sport” (gladiator?) fragrance.
All the Palativm Replenishing Foams foam well (there is no calf-high lather in the tub when you are finished showering). The foams leave skin feeling good: clean and soft. The Palativm fragrances are subtle (think “spa” scents) and won’t interfere with your perfume of the day — even if you apply it soon after your bath.
Products are available at the Palativm website. Palativm Replenishing Foams are $45 for 500 ml.
Oooh. These would be lovely Father’s Day gifts. Of course I’d have to try them as well just to se how high quality they are.
Thanks for the review, Kevin. Do they make other products in these fragrances i.e. aftershave and the like?
AbScent: so far, they only make bath foam and bath oil.
Ah, the Romans – those were the days of Imperial-sized personal hygiene challenges! I am imagining Atia of the Julii from the HBO Rome series bathing in refreshing Arancia Dolce to remove all the blood after sacrificing that huge ox to protect Octavian…
Thanks, Kevin. I do love a good bath oil and the Arancia Dolce sounds wonderful.
Nozknoz, yes, I loved that show! I imagine Titus Pullo would have worn Mare Myrteus and Cleopatra using the Fico Speziato bath oil before her attempts to seduce her way into Roman politics and parties.
Excellent matches!
Noz: yes, those sacrifices were MESSY! But there was a BBQ afterwards….
I have pretty severe arthritis and truly enjoy my baths and showers both as relaxation and as therapy, so I love to discover new bath products. These do sound nice, and i enjoy finding products that don’t dry my skin. Thanks for the good review! (the Fig sounds especially yummy…)
Maggie: you’re welcome!