Bar Soap Revisited
An environmentally-responsible soap that feels indulgent and looks good enough to eat.
In the aspirational spirit of zero-waste, green beauty, bar soap makes a lot of sense. From raw material production to packaging to consumer use, bar soaps have a much lower environmental impact than their liquid counterparts (less packaging, less water, less space, less footprint). Still, the idea of replacing a decadent, expensive-scented, pump-endowed bottle of Malin & Goetz rum body wash with its bleak bar equivalent – or worse yet, a bar of Pears, is way too sad. Enter: decadent, expensive-scented, bonbon-colored, translucent glycerin soaps. These ones from Sicilian brand Ortigia look edible and this sampler set is as good a gift as any box of chocolates.
There is little more aesthetically soothing than tinted transparent or translucent things. PVC jackets and cellophane rolls, sea glass and gemstones and bright jello molds, glycerin soap boxes tied up with string – these are a few of our favorite things. We, at Takamichi Beauty Room, have a feeling that this feeling is a universal feeling.
Most often, colored clear stuff is shamelessly and gloriously artificial–like… plastic! Except for gemstones. And glycerin soap! A more affordable fix. Glycerin is a product of the hydrolysis of plant and fats* and is a naturally effective, gentle, and hydrating cleansing agent for almost everyone, except for the unlucky allergic few. Ortigia uses organic dyes and fragrances to make its soaps look and smell so beautiful – very welcome tampering! Their glycerin soaps come in seven different varieties – each scent derived from the indigenous flowers of Sicily and inspired by its splendid colors. This soap may be the last relic, or at least the best and most accessible contemporary distillation, of The Leopard’s Donnafugata gardens.
When natural looks this artificial, and not wasting feels so decadent, why want for anything else?
*For our vegan friends, Ortigia also makes lovely olive oil soap!