Mistral Bar Soap is a dense, triple-milled vegetable soap made in France, cut as a full-size bar that sits solid in the hand. The base is glycerin, grapeseed oil and grapeleaf extract, made without animal tallow and free from parabens, phthalates and alcohol. Three passes of milling give a tight bar that wears down slowly and holds its scent from the first lather to the last sliver.
Mistral is a French maker of men's soaps, and each bar is scented with fragrance from Grasse, the town in Provence long known for perfume. The range reads like a small cologne wardrobe. Black Amber pairs amber and black patchouli with citrus and warm woods, Bourbon Vanilla leans on smoked bourbon cask and golden tobacco leaf, Cedarwood Marine brings Atlas pine and sea air, and Salted Gin mixes grapefruit, juniper, white musk and a splash of saltwater. The Bourbon Vanilla bar also carries ground shell powders for light exfoliation.
Set one on the shower shelf or beside the sink and lather up, rinse, towel off. The bar is generous enough for daily use, and the scent stays with the soap rather than the room. It sits well in a guest bath next to a stack of dark towels, and it wraps easily as a gift.