No. 1 – Coconut and Neem Beauty Soap

“No. 67”

This is an inexpensive bar soap from the company, Godrej, which you might be able to find at your local Indian grocery store—it's pretty common, and not very exciting—but I like it infinitely better than any of the major giant company soaps at the supermarket or big chain drugstores. The package says “No. 1”—which means, “No. 1.” There is a picture of a split open coconut on the package, which just makes me want to eat coconut. There are also some pictures of leaves, which I assume are depictions of “Azadirachta Indica” (Neem) (Indian Lilac) which has medicinal qualities, for skin, and you name it. The ingredients also list Tulsi. The oval bar has a kind of boring green color, almost blue-green, and its fragrance is a little harsh, maybe kind of institutional, whatever that means. It's pleasant enough, as soap, but not very interesting or inspiring, or recalling of anything else. Just Soap. If this was the only soap I was allowed to use, I'd be happier soap-wise than 99 percent of the world—there's nothing to complain about. But alas, in the last 3 or 4 years I've tried out over a 100 bars of soap. It's impossible, really to rank them. There are about 10 that could easily be considered No. 1—but this isn't one of them. I could say, okay, I'll put this at No. 67—though that's admittedly a bit arbitrary. If they changed the name to No. 67—it would be the same soap—probably not sell as well—but I'd give them some points for sense of humor.

Soap Review No. 105