Pacha Soap Co. – Jasmine Gardenia

“Girlfren”

Ever since I had a gardenia scented soap (forgot which brand, now, offhand) I’ve kept on the lookout for a similar fragrance—not that you can ever match anything, exactly—especially a heightened memory. But you don’t see them every day—and one gardenia soap I had was kind of gross—in the way that floral scents can be cloying and overwhelming. But this one is just very pleasant, a pleasure to use in the bathtub. At first I thought it was too subtle, but then I realized that its restraint was part of the fragrance success. Maybe gardenia and jasmine are a fine combination, as well. You can pretty much count on Pacha soaps to come up with balanced and lovely fragrances, I think. I’ve not been unhappy with any I’ve tried. You can also count on them to shrink too fast—sometimes I wish they were larger. Or cheaper. Or, me, wealthier. But that’s just a small quibble. I always like how their soaps look, too—this one is a very attractive two-tone—light brown and off-white. I also like, as usual, that they don’t have any packaging. Jasmine Gardenia—that’d be a good name for a character in a story, as well.

Soap Review No. 198