Bamboo Soap

I'm going to be honest - I had no idea what to expect when I purchased a slab of this nondescript soap from the Japanese Lush Kitchen. Having never heard of it before, I envisaged a grassy-green aroma - one that would compliment the warmer weather as the spring began to merge into summer. What I experienced was something far different...

Bamboo Soap is one of those Lush products that doesn't get mentioned very much, and one I wouldn't expect to see very often in the Lush Kitchen. For this reason, I knew I had to obtain a slice when I saw that the Japanese were offering it in their kitchen - even if it meant paying over the odds for the privilege to do so. 

Firstly, it should be said that this soap is perhaps the most boring and uninspiringly named soap - a title that was agreed upon because the Lush team couldn't think of anything else to name it during the creation process. With it's thin, green, cylindrical design, as well as the inclusion of bamboo shoot in the ingredients list, there really wasn't any other name as fitting as the one it was given... 

This soap was designed to be used by consumers of all walks of life - a family soap to appeal to people of all ages and gender. With both mimosa and cassie absolute, as well as a generous helping of vetivert oil, this soap smells like a forest after a morning shower; a crisp, slightly-smoky collaboration of green that promises to wake you up first thing, or cleanse and clear your mind after a long and busy day. 

What surprised me the most with Bamboo was that it possessed a burnt aroma that reminded me of a gentler version of Exhale Liquid Perfume. It was a refreshing woody concoction of tree bark and leafy entrail - a note that was softened and complimented by the inclusion of the bamboo shoots, but heady enough that it lingers on the skin for a good hour after you've exited the shower.

The inclusion of bamboo not only adds an interesting natural smell to the soap, but gives it a slightly rough texture when it's being used in the shower. This makes Bamboo a soap with scrubbing power - a great combination of smooth and coarse that will leave your skin feeling both really clean and impressively smooth. 

What I liked about this soap was that it worked as a gentle exfoliator while also being really generous with its lather. While a lot of soaps can be quite stubborn when it comes to producing the liquid to wash yourself with, this soap created lovely, creamy suds that were easy to massage across the skin. Although it needed the water to stimulate the lather to begin with, once it was wet enough, it continued to work well without the constant need for holding it under the running tap. 

Unfortunately, despite its productivity and scent, it wasn't a soap that blew me away and not one I would rush out to purchase again anytime soon. However, this isn't a reflection on the product itself - just on my personal preference for certain fragrances and the fact that I prefer gels and jellies over soaps. 

If you're someone who enjoys clean, crisp, neutral smells, Bamboo Soap will be right up your alley. And while I hate to genderise a product based on its scent, this is definitely a soap that will appeal to men a little more than most women. I think this would work really nicely as a body lotion - especially as its fragrance has a slight cooling effect on the skin. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Propylene Glycol, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Bamboo Shoot Decoction (Bambusa), Cedarleaf Oil (Cedrus atlantica), Mimosa Absolute (Mimosa tenuiflora), Cassie Absolute (Acacia farnesiana), Styrax Resinoid (Storax), Vetivert Oil (Vetiveria zizanoides), Glycerine, Sodium Chloride, Perfume, Gardenia Extract (Gardenia jasminoides), Colour 42045, Tetrasodium EDTA.

Vegan?: Yes. 

2015 Price: £4.10 for 100g. 

Year Of Original Release: 2000.