Disney Resorts H2O+ Beauty – Sea Salt Facial Soap

“Somewhat Alluring”

This little white bar of soap comes in a mildly Miami blue-green box with the “Disney Resorts” logo on top—though it's H20+ Beauty soap (a company whose website is as exciting as those selling wholesale event supplies). So the soap itself is made in “Indonesia”—distributed by H20 PLUS, San Francisco—and used at Disney Resorts (perhaps worldwide, but this one comes from Florida)—“Not For Individual Resale”—misappropriated and redistributed to Soap Exotica for review. I've already worked up a sweat, and so I'm happy to simply say that this soap was as lovely as the box says: “Gently cleanses face with an oceanside scent” (the fresh scent of the sea, not the rotting fish one, I might add). It makes me want to travel around the world, picking up hotel soaps as I go—would there be some really odd ones?

The immediate fragrance, somewhat pronounced, made me think of a “throw-back”—so maybe there's a nostalgia factor there? I'm thinking of an old soap from childhood, maybe, but I don't know. Later, the sharpness of the scent reminded me of one of those Chanel fragrances (I used to have several little bottles of)—I think it's Chanel Allure, one I wasn't crazy about, but I used it all, and now I do have a fond memory of it. Anyway, this soap could be a dead ringer for that, but without any to compare it to directly, I don't know for sure. But I did think about this again while walking into the place I've been eating lunch lately, during work. It's this mezzanine level area of the US Bank complex in downtown Milwaukee. This is an aside, but I thought for sure this space was called the “Galleria” (interesting to me because I once had a job in Cleveland in a building anchored by “The Galleria.”)—but when I tried to look up that name on the internet, I couldn't find it being used—so did I imagine it? Even weirder, I see a web page listing for “U.S. Bank Center – Amenities”—and clicking on it takes me to: “This site can't be reached.” Kind of sinister and disturbing! Is someone trying to make this place disappear? There is a Colectivo Coffee there, which seems to be on the up and up. And the place I eat lunch every day is called DK (though their logo looks oddly like “ck”—and their website repeatedly points out how they can accommodate “420” guests—like, is that a joke, or an invitation? And most strangely, there is a little store called “Stein Ltd.” that I have not been able to figure out—I really can't go into it—I've already digressed too much—but this store (and maybe mentioning the “mezzanine” level) made me think of novelist Nicholson Baker, and now I'm off on that tangent—all of this because when I walked into that public space yesterday (where all of the above co-inhabit, seemingly, peacefully), I noticed a strong, almost overwhelming, fragrance which I immediately identified as Chanel Allure. That made me think of this Disney Resorts soap, the last sliver recently having slipped down the drain, and my next soap review, which you possibly may still be reading with either delight or impatience. But that's the power of fragrance, and of the sixth sense, smell—I mean the sense behind the sense of smell—and that's why I do this, write about soap.

Soap Review No. 47