Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)... this being a huge bar of soap lavished with a great amount of lavender oil for fragrance.
... this being a bar of soap that is throughly embedded with real lavender buds that yield even more fresh scent and create a mild exfoliating effect.
... this being a bar of soap made only with natural ingredients such as olive oil and shea butter and herbal oils.
The result is a soap that is far more soothing to the skin and the nose and the soul than any bottle of gel goo you'll get off your grocery store shelf. This product will cause you to look forward to every shower.
This company and others like it vend at least a dozen scents, but as far as I can tell, it is Provence lavender that is overwhelmingly preferred in French soaps.
Many soaps in this genre claim to be a product of France, tripled-milled according to the ancient tradition of "Savon de Marseille" (soap of Marseilles.) I did a little research and Googling and here are some facts I found interesting:
* According to the Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur Tourist Board website "Today, only a half-dozen soap factories remain in Marseilles and Salon de Provence."
* According to French law, only 45% of a product's added value must be sourced in France for it to be labeled "Product of France."
* I was unable to locate a website for the Pre de Provence company or anumber of other popular French soap brands listed at french soaps .
* The trademark for Pre de Provence is held by a small distributing company in Washington state.
* The tourist board website also says that the traditional Savon de Marseille process yields only soaps that are light green or wheat in color.
* That website and others show that a traditional Savon de Marseille is typically cubic in shape and has a distinctive and odd debossing.
* a somewhat similar product to this one sells in my local supermarket and it (unlike this product) does come labeled with a list of ingredients: "100% vegetable oils (palm, coconut a/or oil), shea butter, mineral, pigment and clay, natural fragrance, and or essential oils." I watched a TV show about soap making in Marseilles and, as far as I can tell, this list mimics well the ingredients in classic Savon de Marseille. Next time you are in the grocery store, take a moment to read what's in mass-marketed soap. Makes you wonder why you haven't wondered before.
Even with those facts giving me a bit to wonder as to exactly how or where Pre de Provence is produced, the product is nonetheless fantastic. I've tried several products of this genre and, so far, this seems the very best. And it's a bargain compared to many other products in the genre.
Sure, it's more expensive than supermarket soap. And because of the volume of buds, it goes quicker. But on a per day basis, this does not cost that much more. Like I said, if you are willing to fork out what amounts to about $2,000 per pound for coffee at S***bucks, or $5 for a bottle of mass market body scrub gel, then you can certainly afford to treat yourself to a few bars of this stuff.
Then, if you like it, The Frenchy Bee will sell it in bulk, bringing down the cost even more.
Besides, you get to tell everyone at work that you were late again because you were rinsing all the lavender buds out of your tub.
Give it a go.
UPDATE (12/2009): This now comes in a lavender bar WITHOUT the lavender buds. Oui!
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Pre de Provence Lavender Soap, 250g wrapped bar. Imported from France. With shea butter and natural herbs and scents.Product Description: Pre de Provence is the finest line of soaps made in the world today. Manufactured to exacting old-world standards by skilled craftsmen with the heritage of centuries to guide them, these French-made soaps use only the purest ingredients, including genuine herbal poultices and the finest essential oils. Every Pre de Provence product is aromatherapeutic, and every Pre de Provence product brings a satisfying and pleasant touch to your home and your day.
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