Future Primitive Soap Spring collection out now

If you are looking for a UK based independent artisan soap and body care brand along the lines of Haus of Gloi or Paintbox Soapworks, Future Primitive Soap Co is my recommendation.

The Spring 2012 collection launched mid February, and I've bought a couple of bits from it.

Green Room is a blend of rosemary, spearmint, mandarin and ho wood essential oils. As you can imagine from the oils, it is a fresh, clean blend that does invoke the spirit of the ocean even though it doesn't contain the ozone/seaweed notes that marine blends typically do. It smells clean and cool, like breathing in at the seaside on a clear spring morning. This is quite an invigorating essential oil blend though, and not one I'd personally recommend to a very sensitive skin.

Green Room is fantastic in the Bubbling Sugar Scrub, giving a fresh, wake-up scent as you scrub with it. I think the scrub has been reformulated since I bought it last Autumn, as the sugar particles are smaller and gentler on the skin.

The Body Whip doesn't have quite enough slip for my taste and I do prefer the application of creams from Haus of Gloi and Paintbox Soapworks, but it sinks in and moisturises well. Green Room works well in the Body Whip, and after the initial mint/herb notes evaporate it leaves a fresh, slightly spicy-woodsy fragrance that lingers gently on the skin.

The Shire is a floral/herbal essential oil blend. It's very feminine and pretty. I don't get a lot of the lavender in the Whipped Soap - I sniff more of the floral gardenia/ylang ylang, with added pretty greenness from the geranium. The Whipped Soap is now lighter and more whipped than the winter collections, and I prefer the new formulation. It works very well indeed as a shaving cream.

Future Primitive Soap Company products can be bought from www.futureprimitivesoap.bigcartel.com. They do ship internationally, but the big benefit of this brand is for folks in the UK who can avoid international shipping costs.