Denara Bali – Coconut

“Mild Soiree”

This is a very simple, rectangular bar of soap, without much scent, but it has a subtle soap smell which is pleasant. It came with a wooden soap-dish, kind of elegant, which is pretty nice, though won't really let water drain, so I can't actually use it as a soap dish. It's weird to me that stores sell soap dishes where, if you put a wet bar of soap in it, the water puddles in the bottom and then the soap gets all soft. What's with that? Soap dishes like that should come with a warning sticker: “Not for actual use.” I suppose some people have so many bathrooms they have some that never get used. Anyway, the only packaging is some string, and a little tag printed on brown paper, folded, with the description and ingredients in English, and the company name and address (Bali, Indonesia). Also a stamped-on “batch number” and expiration date. This stuff seems to be pretty good quality, to me. It has a very soft feeling to it—very lush, good lather. The ingredients put coconut oil first, and then a few other oils, and other stuff, but not a lot of chemically bullshit. It does say fragrance, but it's nothing too strong. The smell of the soap is very subtle. I guess if you're someone who wants a non-fragrant soap—and sometimes that is exactly what I'm in the mood for—this is your soap. Pretty much no smell. Though, also, I suppose if you take a trip halfway around the world you kind of want “a party of the senses,” and what is the most evocative, heightened, and emotional of the six or seven senses we're possessed with? That's right: smell.

Soap Review No. 44