Phebo – Raiz do Oriente

“Ruby My Dear”

Friends brought this soap back from Brazil for me—I'd never seen it before—it's easy to find online, of course—but I've never seen it in a store. I saw a website where nine different varieties were for sale—each with the same packaging, but different colors—and that's kind of charming. I like the heavy paper wrapper—it looks kind of old-fashioned, or from another era—or country—and it is both of those—“Desde 1930,” it says the label—so I guess this company has been around for 90 years! This version is “Raiz do Oriente”—Internet tells me “raiz” translates from Portuguese as “root”—so, Eastern root, or Oriental root? You would never see a soap in English described as “root”—what would that even mean? So I'm thinking Raiz do Oriente must mean something more specific—maybe the fragrance will tell me. I kind of love and am repulsed by this fragrance—at the same time. It reminds me of when you have a tent stored in an attic and then get it out for camping—that particular smell of the inside of the tent—I've never been able to figure that out. I guess the one word that comes to mind is “medicinal”—but it also makes me think of some kind of disinfectant or cleaning fluid. But this soap has something else, too—entirely lovely, perhaps edible and delicious—but just beyond my ability to recall. This is a glycerin soap, so it's clear, and feels like a glycerine soap. It's an intense, deep red color, and looks like the world's most valuable ruby (or else a giant red Gummi). This is a fun soap. If I happen to see any of the other varieties in a store (which, now, I will notice), I'll definitely try them.

Soap Review No. 93