Mallorquin Gourmet Soap

Ever since Lush first opened the doors of their flagship store, I have been fighting to get my hands on all of the vegan gourmet soaps that have been advertised in their Lush Times. While I have been in there numerous times since the unveiling of the shop, I have never been able to get my hands on many of the soaps that are on offer - a predicament that is proving to be rather frustrating for someone who likes to get their greedy mitts on 'all things Lush'. 

Thanks to the generosity of the Lush community, I was able to obtain a slab of Mallorquin Gourmet Soap quite recently, and have since spent my mornings relishing in the pleasure of being able to share my showers with such a rich, decadent and highly unique soap.

After my tenth attempt to pick up some of the gourmet soaps, I was beginning to get a little irate - I don't enjoy travelling across London only to find the shelves empty and the staff unsure when the next batch is due in. However, after a very informative discussion with some of the wonderful employees in the store, I discovered the reason why the soaps are not always readily available, and I'm now much more understanding about the situation.

How gourmet soaps stand apart from regular soaps is partly due to the effort that goes into making them, both physically and ethically. On the one hand, the ingredients used are in themselves the reason why the soaps are so much more beneficial for the skin - the impressive range of oils and butters that are included in all of the soaps work to clean, replenish, nourish and moisturise the skin to a very high standard.    

The base of each of the six different soaps is the same - containing a mixture of extra virgin coconut oil, Fair Trade Cocoa Butter and Organic castor oil - the cocoa butter helping to solidify the soap while also offering fantastic moisturising properties; the coconut oil working on creating a good-quality lather while also replenishing the skin; the caster oil helping to not only make the soap itself creamy, but to also offer silky-soft soap suds to clean yourself with. 

On the topic of ingredients, all of Lush's gourmet soaps are also designed to help and support communities across the world - offering them fair working conditions as well as a fair wage. As these ingredients come from smaller companies - often independent family-run businesses, it cannot always be guaranteed that the materials will be available regularly, hence the lack of gourmet soaps in the shop for the most part of the year. Lush have to wait patiently for the ingredients to be ready, which means that purchasing a slab of any of the gourmet soaps seems much more like a privilege than a simple investment. 

Mallorquin Gourmet Soap sounds even more succulent on paper - a product that features all of the wonderful ingredients mentioned above, as well as an impressive amount of almonds to give it its fragrance, consistency and productivity. Containing almond milk, ground almonds and almond syrup, this soap is super soft and sticky - almost like a fresh slice of banana bread with an extra helping of golden syrup. 

While the scent of this soap is definitely dominated by the almonds, it has more than just a nutty smell. The inclusion of granulated sugar gives this product an extra sweet element to it, while the sandalwood and cedarwood offer a light and very subtle smoky note that sits in the background and gives this soap a multi-layered effect. 

Compared to all of the soaps I've tried from Lush, this is definitely one of the softest, yet it also contains flakes of nuts threaded throughout that allow it to work as a gentle exfoliator as well. Under the water, this soap is very easy to lather up - creating a thick, silky lather that glides over the skin with ease and leaves it feeling instantly smooth to the touch. 

After massaging it across my body and rinsing it away, I was left with really smooth and wonderfully fragrant skin. While I didn't think it was as moisturising as most of Lush's shower gels are, and my skin wasn't as soft as I would expect from other products, it definitely wasn't drying at all, and not as parched as regular soaps make me feel.

I loved the fact that the fragrance of this soap lingered on my skin for a while after use and I found the nutty aroma to be very comforting - especially after a long, hard day at work when I was looking for something to soothe my skin before bed. Although this soap will not be a regular purchase for me, mostly because it was difficult to acquire a piece in the first place, it's definitely one I would be happy to buy again, and if you're a fan of Lush soaps to begin with, I think you'll find this one rather delightful. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Ground Almonds (Prunus dulcis), Glycerine, Fair Trade Olive Oil (Olea europaea), Almond Oil (Prunus dulcis), Granulated Sugar, Sodium Hydroxide, Perfume, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (Cocos nucifera), Almond Milk (Prunus!dulcis), Almond Syrup (Prunus dulcis), Coriander Oil (Coriandrum sativum) Almond Essential Oil (Prunus Amygdalus Amara), Cedarwood Oil (Juniperus virginiana), Sandalwood Oil (Santalum austro-caledonicum vieill), Organic Castor Oil (Ricinus communis), Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, *Citral, *Farnesol, Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2015 Price: £5.25 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2015.