The last six months have found me getting more pleasure from home fragrance and bath products than from new perfume releases — I've spent LOTS of time washing off disappointing colognes, so I thought I'd report on some of the great soaps I've used to cleanse myself of dull or horrible liquid fragrances. All the soaps I'm reviewing are strongly scented, produce plenty of lather, and they don't turn to mush with use or disappear too quickly. A Google search will give you lots of purchasing options for these soaps. (Please share your own soap "loves" or recent soap discoveries in the comments section; I'm always in the market for great-smelling soaps!)
Svensk Dröm (Swedish Dream) Sea Aster Soap
Sea Aster Soap from Swedish Dream contains, yep, sea aster extract (aster tripolium), sea grass and heather (calluna vulgaris). These "wild" ingredients give the soap an outdoorsy, sporty, seaside vibe (without resorting to Calone or other ozonic perfume notes). If you appreciate fresh/clean and bracing aromas, Sea Aster Soap delivers (scent-wise it skews "manly" to my nose); it's invigorating to use in warm weather. Swedish Dream also makes Seaweed and Sea Salt soaps; all are about $7 a bar.
Bath House Cuban Cedar & Lime Soap
Somewhere in my past, the aromas of nutmeg, lime and cedar created an impression that lasts to this day; when I smell these ingredients (especially in combination) I think: "Caribbean." Bath House Cuban Cedar & Lime soap is at once zesty...and mellow and sultry (with listed fragrance notes of lime, grapefruit, bergamot, nutmeg, cedar, leather and musk). Post-shower, I almost always accent the tropical mood of this soap by applying a spritz or two of nutmeg-y Comptoir Sud Pacifique L'Eau du Gouverneur or lime-rich Rochas Moustache. Cuban Cedar & Lime soap is $9 a bar; the scent is also available in cologne, shaving products, bath soak, deodorant and body wash.
The English Soap Company Acacia Honey Soap
A great new discovery for me; I have a feeling I'll be exploring The English Soap Company's entire (large) range — has anyone tried their candles? Acacia Honey is a soap for true honey-lovers; it packs a rich honey aroma (floral and food-y). Rounding out the pronounced honey scent is a sweet "hay"/straw note...that makes me nostalgic (for what, I've not figured out yet). Acacia Honey's beautiful aroma lingers on skin (and clothes!...if you dress quickly after bathing). If I could find this scent in a cologne I'd buy it. (Suggestions for realistic honey perfumes are welcomed...sought!) Acacia Honey is about $7 for a large bar.
Nesti Dante Villages & Monasteries Soap
Robin Here at NST(R) bought a bar of this soap on a NST reader's recommendation (thanks, Jonas!); Robin had her hubby saw the bar in two and sent me half; it was love at first bath. Villages & Monasteries (from the Nesti Dante Emozioni in Toscana range) is an enchanting (LONG-lasting) incense soap that, for me, conjures the aromas of sitting outdoors in summer next to an ancient country church that exudes the perfume of soft, sweet-smelling incense ash. Using Villages & Monasteries is a great way to get your incense fix in summer, when many incense perfumes are too heavy to wear; its aroma lingers on skin long after your bath. Also highly recommended: Nesti Dante Broom (Ginestra) soap; large bars for about $10.
Kappus Pink Rose Glycerine Soap
I use rose-scented soaps all year, but as the weather gets warm, I switch to rosewater-type aromas with their mildly astringent/sprightly character. I just discovered Kappus Pink Rose soap and it gives me the zing I long for in a summer rose soap. This is a glycerine soap so it dissolves much quicker than other soaps on my list...but who cares? Kappus Pink Rose is less than $4 a bar.
Saponificio Artigianale Fiorentino Mughetto Toscano
What's a spring soap list without a lily of the valley entry? We grow lily of the valley in our shady back garden, and I'm looking forward to the smell of its powerful green-floral punch come late-April/early-May. Mughetto Toscano presents a "gentle" lily of the valley perfume; I'd categorize it as "sleepy" and dreamy in character (and a bit old-fashioned). Since this post is about asking advice as well as giving suggestions on ways for you to part with your money, let me know if you've found a sharp, liquor-y/GREEN lily of the valley scent — in any format — soap, candle, diffuser or perfume!
Happy Spring to all NST readers (and Happy Autumn to all our readers south of the equator!)
I have two! Whenever I need to wash off the hideous dregs of whatever sample combinations I just made in the Nordstrom fragrance department (usually Flowerbomb and Light Blue, god help us), I head next door to the Jo Malone counter and use their Nectarine Blossom and Honey soap. It smells SO PRETTY, and doesn’t go off on me the way the fragrance itself usually does.
Honey I Washed The Kids solid shampoo bar was obviously not meant to be a soap, but it’s way too drying for my (uncolored!) hair, so I like it much better as a soap bar. The only problem is that it’s perfectly hockey puck-shaped, which makes it a prime target for the cat to knock into the bath.
Ari: call me unobservant…but I never knew Jo Malone made soaps! I will certainly try Nectarine Blossom & Honey…and probably several more. (And I’ve washed a dog or two, and myself, with Honey I Washed the Kids! HA!)
Hi Kevin,
NB&H is not actually made in soap form. They have Acacia and Honey, English Pear, Lime Basil and Mandarin, Pomegranate Noire, and Red Roses. Jo Malone NB&H is my signature fragrance. I own every product they make in that scent. It would be nice to have a soap in this scent, though.
Auromere (not sure if I am spelling this correctly) Lavender and Tusli or Vanilla and Tusli are lovely and very inexpensive ($1.39 per bar). I also adore all the soaps from Inland Fog Soap Co, especially Hinoki Woods and Tuberose (and their patchouli bath/body/hair wash is outrageous! I actually use it as a hand soap and the scent lingers for ever). Pacifica’s Tibetan Mountain Temple soap for the winter and California Star Jasmine soap for the summer. I promised myself and my family that I would not buy any more bottles of perfume…so I have recently purchased soap from Jo Malone in order to get a free 9ml perfume with it! Haven’t tried the soap yet but I am sure it will be good…lime, basil and mandarin!
Bardot: Hinoki Woods and Tuberose…here I come! Thanks so much. I used to LOVE the Pacifica soaps, but they just don’t lather for me since I moved to my house (must be the water?…I’ve not tried their liquid soaps)
The liquid soap is from Inland Fog and I highly recommend it (Hinoki Woods also comes in a liquid version). The Pacifica soaps don’t lather up well in hard water, this is true 🙁 .
Oh wow! Kappus Pink Rose! I saw that in my husband’s aunt’s apartment in Germany; smells great. I have their Violet Lilac soap, which is also lovely for spring.
Eliz: Violet Lilac…will try for sure!
Oooooh, Violet Lilac!
Kevin, I’m glad you liked that soap. I’m on my second bar right now and I have a third one as backup.
Other favorite soaps lately: Pacifica Med Fig and Nesti Dante Cypress (from same series as ginestra).
I’m supposed to be on a soap no buy right now (4kg worth in my dresser, yikes!) But I’ll check my local drug store for Kappus Pink Rose.
I do have another recommendation for you. It’s another one from Saponoficio Artiginale Fiorentino. Their narcissus soap smells exactly like paper whites. I found a bar at Winners but I didn’t buy it because paper whites kind of make me nauseous. I was struck how by how realistic the scent was though. Quite dirty smelling to my nose.. They also had a lily scented bar which was very realistic as well. I guess I’m just not a fan of white florals.
Jonas strikes again…I could sleep on a bed of paper whites without a problem…will buy that soap TODAY if I can find it online. Thank$.
Adding my thanks for telling us about the ND bar, Jonas. I adore it. I have gotten out of the habit of using bar soap so even my half will last me for ages. And now I want the broom one, and has anybody tried their iris soap?
You’re welcome Robin. I haven’t tried the straight up iris soap but I did give my Mom a bar of their Dolce Vivere Firenze soap two Easters ago. It is fragranced with iris and laurel. It smells very sophisticated. I think of it as rich old lady soap and I mean that in the best way possible.
Ah, then I might need that too 🙂
Oh, and Dolce Vivere Capri sounds very tempting too — orange blossom, mandarin, basil. I need to stop soap shopping now.
That’s a good one too. More citrussy than floral though.
Jonas: LOVE the scent of laurel (blooming now!)…added to “The List.”
Hi, R. I’ve tried ND’s LE Gold Leaf soap that’s supposed to be infused with Florentine iris. Don’t know how or if it differs from the regular iris one, but it’s gorgeous.
Thanks Dusan!
The ND Cypress is fantastic and so powerful, I keep it in my drawers and it scents some of my clothing – I haven’t had to reach for my bottle of Tom Ford Italian Cypress for a while because of it.
Nathan: I second your endorsement of this one…very potent!
I’v been meaning to get the Nesti Dante Monastries! Another I tried from the series has a stone bath on the picture and I think its meant to smell like a thermal spa: really gorgeous!
The Nesti Dante Lavender smells lovely in the package… Has anyone used it?
At the moment I’m using Crabtree & Evelyn’s Vetiver and Juniper berry. I got it on a sale so not sure whether its still available. It’s really thick and creamy. The Claus Ponto Vetiver smells unbelievable, in the packaging but its out of my soap-budget 😀
Oh, and of course – Body Shop Satsuma. For a citrus ho like me – it’s BLISS.
Merlin: somehow, the Satsuma has escaped me! My only constant Body Shop purchase is their great Cocoa Butter Lip Care Stick…bought in bulk.
Merlin, I’ve used their lavender soap and it pains me to say that although it smells divine in the packaging and in the shower, the scent all but disappears with in minutes. I now use it (well, the half I haven’t used up) to scent my wardrobe.
Dusan, thank you so much for letting me know. This has happened to me with other soaps and it’s always SO disappointing!
Kevin – I love a good smelly bar of soap. There is nothing like it. The TJMaxx nearby ususally carries tons of those Italian Saponificio Artigianale Fiorentino soaps, and I’ve never used one that I didn’t like. There was one I tried the other year that was something like “garden” and it was mostly a very refreshing orange blossom smelling thing. They last forever too. I’ve horded boxes of the different incarnations of roses that they make and given them away for presents. I had one of the LOTV ones that my mom loves.
Other good soaps: Caswell & Massey’s Elixir of Love #1, which has jasmine, passionflower, artemesia… the bar of soap is about as beautiful as it gets. http://www.caswellmassey.com/elixir-of-love-bath-soap.aspx?DepartmentId=135
C & M’s verbena soap is really good too. They used to have a nice honeysuckle, but I think that may be gone now.
I also like L’Occitaine’s “Milk” soap. Mystral makes a wonderful Lychee Rose bar soap that I really enjoy too.
AnnS: Caswell-Massey’s NYC store was the birthplace of my soap obsession…I was 18 and thrilled with all those soaps they carried from around the globe. I used to go to the Beverly Hills shop, too…a very cute space on a leafy street.
I would love to actually visit a CM store- I’ve only shopped online or via catalog. It seems like a good place to begin a soap obsession. I’ve been wanting some of those cute animal soaps they carry too!
Anns: they are cute, but TINY…and I’d hate to see a “pug” or “chicken” or whatever disappear. HA!
😉 Duck, duck, whoops!
Some nice picks here for sure. L’Occitane makes some nice soaps. I especially like their Bonne Mère range. Have you tried Pré de Provence? They have a near dead ringer of the milk soap for a fraction of the price.
Yes, I have tried the PdP Milk. My hubbie used to love using that one, and I’d tease him about it. Oh, you want the fancy soap, etc etc…. Now you are making me want one!
I have been exploring Pre de Provence soaps lately and am smitten! I impulse bought one in Rose de Mai from drugstore.com because I needed new soap and it was on sale. It was wonderful! I just picked up a Linden soap (also from drugstore.com) to replace it. I think I’m going to have to try out their whole collection because they seem to be great quality at a good price!
thisismyname: yes, a great line…love the linden soap…fig
I was in Italy recently and came back with two soap bars. Possibly everyone knows these, but since they are really excellent, I cannot resist mentioning them:
Alighiero Campostrini — Ireos di Firenze (quality soap for iris fans)
Valobra (from Genova) — Sapone Reseda (I have rather difficult skin but this performs so well + its packaging is lovely)
morgana: I’ve used the Valobra for ages, but have not heard of the other! My list of to-try soaps is growing and growing….
I am not surprised that you know these! So, when I am done with Sapone Reseda, which is the next one from Valobra not to be missed?
Morgana: Fougere! But I also like the Carotene, and Cocoa Butter soaps (all for dry/sensitive skin).
Thanks; very much looking forward to trying these!
Thank you for the summary, these soaps sound great.
My current favorite is Mysore Sandal Soap from India, which Victoria recently reviewed on Bois de Jasmin. It smells wonderfully of sandalwood and is reasonably priced as well. I’ve been using it for months in the shower, the downstairs powder room, and with woolens in numerous dresser drawers and I’m still in love with the scent. I bought mine on Amazon.
bastet: I love that one…and have been using it since “baby-hood”…easy to find in Canada compared to the U.S. (“sold out” is something you see often when trying to order it).
I’m interested in trying this one. Where do you get it in Canada? (I’m in Montreal)
Vanie: ah…I get it at several Indian supermarkets in the Vancouver BC area…(Amazon.com has it on occasion….)
Nothing too exotic here, but I’m currently using Dr. Bonner’s almond castile soap – great on my dry skin and it smells like old Jergen’s lotion. Once it warms up, I’ll switch to Pre de Provence lemon verbena for its gorgeous scent.
Great post, Kevin.
Thanks, Rappleyea. I MOURN the discontinuation of Pre de Provence Rosewood soap! I used to love that one!
Liberty used to sell a soap called Seaweed and samphire. It was lovely and I tried to get a bar whenever I was in London. I think it was a private label soap. I’ve tried to find it again by googling but to no avail…
Do any London perfumistas know if it’s still made?
Nancyg: I think Samphire & Seaweed is long gone…they had quite the range of products in that scent. Maybe just log-on to Liberty and send them a note asking about its status…they are good about responding.
Thanks, Kevin. I will check in with Liberty – though it’s probably been 15 years…
Not many perfume houses mentioned here so maybe I am out of line mentioning these, but I highly recommend the Hermes Jardin sur le Nil soap and the Atelier Grand Neroli. The JslN lathers nicely and is ultra highly scented, but it doesn’t conflict with my daily fume. The GN smells stronger than the other Ateliers but doesn’t linger at all on skin, sadly. I used to use Mistral soaps but these two are sooooo much nicer. Both are a real luxury product and not too expensive when you consider how much use you get. Plus they scent the bathroom nicely and are really complex scents.
GVILLECREATIVE…not at all! Any line is fine…and the Hermes line, Diptyque, Atelier are all great ones that come to my mind.
When I chose Nesti Dante lavender over the incense one I clearly made a mistake. As I said to Merlin, the lavender smells great but is horribly short-lived, and so it got relegated to scenting my wardrobe.
Dusan: Nesti Dante’s line is enormous! And you went for lavender. (HAHA! … just joking…I always choose VANILLA ice cream, pudding, cake, icing, you name it…nothing beats vanilla bean!)
Any great soaps from your part of the world that you could recommend?
Actually the ND lavender smells really amazing through the paper, I’m glad Dusan has warned me!
The Animale range also smells really sophisticated…
Merlin: ha..I was just foolin’ around with Dusan. Some lavenders DO smell fantastic…but lavender “upsets” my skin so I rarely wear it anymore.
I used to abhor lavender (just like I abhorred vetiver), and then somewhere along the line I became obsessed with both! Sounds like you have an unpleasant reaction to it, but luckily your love for vetiver dispels all other needs 🙂
Or was it vetiver AND tobacco that you loved?
Merlin: yes, love vetiver and tobacco and tons more…but am worried that some ingredients that never bothered me before are now making me itch: lavender, rosemary, whatever is being used for “carnation” these days….
I’m always glad to be reminded that I am not the only one with a soap fetish 🙂
Kevin, I enjoy the beeswax note (very honeyed) in Fox by Sweet Anthem. It is available through the Archive page at http://www.sweetanthemperfumes.com/collections/the-archive. Edith (also available through the archives) sounds good — it features Beeswax, Bitter Orange, Lilac, Rosewood, and Rosewood Leaf.
Oh, and Fox was originally listed as having a gardenia note, not lily of the valley, as it says on the Archives page.
KC: thanks…didn’t know there was still a Sweet Anthem online shop!
Kevin, re your LOTV request, I used to love Coty Muguet des Bois. I think of it as sharp and green. I have no idea what it smells like now, but the vintage bottles I bought on ebay were fine. It would smell good on a guy, too.
That Nesti Dante soap is great, and now Jonas is back with more temptations… I always end up with far more soap than I can use. 😉
Noz: agree…the Coty is sharp and green; I need to get another bottle (I use it as room spray and it’s great)…wish they made a soap.
I see my list (from today’s suggestions) now stands at around 13 soaps! But believe me…I’ll use it all!
I m really liking L’Occitane creamy honey hand wash and a cheaper Australian organic brand BX Earth Desert Lime and Coconut.
I second the honey!
Cockatoo: I’m still “mad” at L’Occitane for discontinuing their great honey soap (the one in the shape of a honey bee!)
I’m not sure if the Bonne Mere honey in the pump dispenser was discontinued but it did go on sale at some point and I grabbed about four!
What are the best online sources for the soaps recommended in this thread? Ty
I order from well.ca.
great, thanks!
James: I think Smallflower has all the soaps I reviewed and then some…(maybe not the lily of the valley).
merci encore!
Oh! Smallflower! I used to live blocks from their actual store, Merz Apothocary. I am going to have to stop in! Thanks!
You’re welcome!
My husband and I have a weakness for nicely scented soaps (a drawerful.) His favorite is Lime Zest by Pre de Provence. My favorite for spring / summer is Blanc Lila. Stunning lilac that just smells like summer to me. I have the body mousse also.
Lizzie: Hmmmm. I’ll have to look for that Lime Zest! Don’t think I’ve ever seen it where I buy Pre de Provence soaps!