Pumpkin Soap

Halloween is definitely growing in popularity in the UK, and I read recently that it has now become the third biggest celebration in this country after Christmas and Easter. While I love the imagery and excitement that comes with the wintery festival, a small part of me wishes that it had been more prominent when I was growing up so I could have enjoy the magical side of it a little more.

Nevertheless, I was very excited to get my hands on a couple of Pumpkin Soaps when they came out in the Kitchen a couple of weeks ago, and knew instantly that they would be a firm favourite when I experienced the first whiff of them through the box upon their arrival. 

Sharing its scent with Jacko Bath Ballistic, this seasonal edition has changed somewhat since it was first released back in 2008. While this gorgeous looking product was originally scented with mandarin, lime and cinnamon - giving it the same fragrance as Almond Buttercream, the shape and design of the soap has remained the same.

Although I wasn't immediately sold on the description, and given what I already thought about the fragrance of the bath bomb, I wasn't expecting to like this soap as much as I did. However, in my opinion, the scent of this is much more suited to the soap than it is the ballistic. 

Containing fresh orange juice, pumpkin puree, cardamon, clove bud and spearmint oils, Pumpkin is the perfect remedy for a winter shower. It's a warming and very comforting soap - one that not only wraps you in a blanket of fragrance that stays with you for long after you exit the shower, but the inclusion of both rapeseed and coconut oil means that it also leaves your skin ready to face the day, no matter how cold it may be. 

As soon as you remove this beauty from the packet, you can immediately detect three main notes; the clove buds give this soap a very strong, spicy element - one that wakes you up and works with the spearmint to invigorate your senses. Thanks to its stimulating and warming properties, clove bud can be used to help alleviate muscular aches and sprains as well as clear the mind, so its the perfect companion for those unwanted early morning rises.

The inclusion of spearmint oil not only gives Pumpkin a distinctive minty element to it, but also supports the cloves in helping to thwart aches and pains, reduce stress levels as well as refresh and enliven the skin at the same time. The orange juice adds a sweet, citrus element to the overall smell and works on bringing a little radiance to your skin whilst cleaning out your pores.

Altogether, this soap offers a strong and very unique smell - one that shouldn't really work but does. The inclusion of the pumpkin puree really helps to give this product a creamy element, something that I think is what makes it all the more appealing than Jacko.

What is great about the soap is that it's rather soft and slightly sticky to begin with so it lathers up a treat when in contact with water. On the positive side, this means that it's really easy to clean yourself with and it doesn't take a lot of massaging to heed a thick, creamy lather. On the negative side, the ease in which this soap works means that it does tend to shrink a lot quicker than Lush's more robust soaps.

While it's not a soap I would naturally gravitate towards, there is something about Pumpkin that really sits well with me. There is something rather 'autumnal' about it that makes it my go-to product whenever the weather looks as if it's about to dip below zero. A great seasonal release that keeps on giving. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Rapeseed Oil and Coconut Oil, Glycerine, Fresh Orange Juice, Pumpkin Puree, Perfume, Cardamon Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Spearmint Oil, Gardenia Extract, Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Sodium Hydroxide, Cinnamon, Eugenol, Limone, Colour 15510.

Vegan?: Yes

2015 Price: £4 for 100g.

Year Of Original Release: 2008.

Scent Family:

Jacko Bath Ballistic

Pumpkin Soap