Satsuma Soap

My memory is starting to fail me. Whether it's because I'm getting older, or simply because there are just far too many Lush products to fit inside one brain, I found myself the other day struggling to think of the Christmas soap that shared its scent with this little newbie. It took me a good ten minutes to figure it out.

While its original in design and shape, Satsuma Soap has graced our presence before in the form of Santa's Post Box Soap: a gorgeous little concept that just  didn't end up doing much in the way of impressing me back in 2016. While this latest rendition is perhaps a little cuter, there wasn't much else that I could really say had improved with the updated format.

Sharing its scent with the Satsuma Bath Bomb, not to mention both Satsumo and Dashing Santa as well, this seasonal soap seems more in-keeping with the name and its siblings than the initial rendition of the soap two years ago. Shaped to look like an actual satsuma, and pretty accurate when it comes to its size as well, this limited edition promises to be super fruity and super softening.   

Containing Brazilian orange, tangerine and bergamot oils, the ingredients of this version read differently to Santa's Postbox, which initially gave me hope that I would prefer this soap to its older sibling. However, I discovered very quickly that there little else that had changed.

One problem I have with this scent family is that the smell itself is rather weak. If Lush were in some way to strengthen this, I would automatically be much more enamoured with the soap. However, I found myself having to really strain to smell much at all to begin with, and the problem didn't go away when I took Satsuma Soap into the shower with me. Having said that, the scent featured in this soap was definitely far more prominent than with previous renditions. I only hope that Lush continue to strengthen this aroma over time, as I can imagine it being so incredibly beautiful. 

As I stated in my review of the older version of this soap, the aroma here is like a gentle fruity kiss. You can smell all three key ingredients in the soap, which work in unison with each other to great a delicious orangey aroma, with a very gentle note of green underneath it all. However, there is something about this fragrance that just doesn't allow it to elevate itself in any way possible, and you end up having to strain your nose just to catch a whiff. As someone who prefers the stronger smelling products, I wasn't overly impressed by how little the fragrance was present with me before and during my showers. I didn't feel as if the aroma of this was elevated all that much by the hot steam, and I was slightly frustrated by its lack of presence when being used.

For someone who isn't particularly keen on strong, citrusy soaps, this might be an option for them. Consumers who also prefer the 'quieter' smelling products might appreciate how gentle this is on the senses. However, I found myself fighting to smell something that just wasn't all that present, and it wouldn't be a soap I would purchase in a hurry. 

In its defence, this soap is the perfect shape and size to wash with in the shower, and I found that it lathered up easier between my hands because of its design. Having said that, the inclusion of the extra cocoa butter meant that Satsuma didn't lather up as quickly as other soaps, unless I was in the bath. When it did lather up however, it produced a thick, creamy foam that I was able to wash myself with.

While the cocoa butter makes Satsuma very slightly more gentle on the skin, I've never found soaps to be particularly moisturising, and ultimately I nearly always need to use a body lotion afterwards to replenish the skin. The same could be said for this one, even though I did notice that my hands felt rather smooth and supple after I had towelled myself down. As I said above, this is definitely a step in the right direction: it just wasn't enough for me to be bowled over by.

To add to this, I couldn't detect the scent on my skin afterwards at all, which was not surprising given how weak this was to begin with. And if Satsuma hadn't disappointed me enough, I also found that the soap began to shrink rather quickly after using it for a full week. For £6.95, and the size it was, I was expecting it to be one of the most robust soaps that Lush have ever created, but it was not.

Ultimately, this is probably my least favourite product from the Christmas range, despite how cute it might look before its in use. As an ornament, this would probably go down super well, but I would much rather have a real satsuma to smell and enjoy, than a piece of soap that doesn't really seem to cast the right light on the actual fruit itself.

Quantitative Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Fair Trade Organic Cocoa Butter, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Castor Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, *Limonene, Glycerine, Perfume, Brazilian Orange Oil, Tangerine Oil, Bergamot Oil, Peach Kernel Oil, Titanium Dioxide, Citric Acid, Sodium Bicarbonate, *Citral, *Linalool, Colour 45350, Colour 15510, Colour 45410, Colour 42090.

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £6.95 each.

Year Of Original Release: 2018.

Scent Family: 

Dashing Santa Bath Bomb

Santa's Postbox Soap

Satsuma Bath Bomb

Satsuma Soap

Satsumo Bath Bomb