No. 003 Forest | Green Clay Wild Mint Soap by OUMA

A fresh walk through the woods, condensed into a bar of soap

No. 003 Forest is the green and invigorating one of the OUMA family. Made with French green clay and poppy seeds, it helps to gently cleanse, exfoliate and refresh the skin, leaving it feeling smooth, cool and wonderfully renewed.

The scent is fresh and woody. Peppermint brings a crisp, cooling lift, while juniper berry adds a bright, aromatic sharpness. Beneath it all, cedarwood and pine create a deeper evergreen warmth, evoking the feeling of breathing in cool forest air just after rain. The sort of scent that makes you feel you should be wearing sturdy boots and carrying a basket, even if you are actually standing in your bathroom.

The rich, creamy lather leaves the skin feeling clean, smooth and refreshed. More forest air, fewer notifications.

Handcrafted in the Netherlands using the traditional cold-process method, each 125 g bar is made in small batches and cured slowly to create a dense, long-lasting soap. Every bar is hand-cut, so slight variations are part of its artisanal charm.

Why Go Back to Soap?
Somewhere along the way, washing became surprisingly complicated. We traded a simple bar of soap for bottles, pumps, gels, foams and an impressive amount of packaging. And yet, sometimes the old-fashioned way still has a certain charm.

A good bar of soap does exactly what it is meant to do: it cleans. No plastic bottle to squeeze, no pump that stops working when there is still product trapped inside, and no slippery puddle of half-used shower gel slowly making its way across the bathroom shelf.

Solid soap is also wonderfully economical with space and packaging. Because it contains little or no added water, it can be made into a compact, long-lasting bar rather than being transported in a bottle full of water. Once finished, there is very little left behind.

And then there is the pleasure of using something simple. A beautifully made bar of soap is tactile, fragrant and quietly satisfying. It sits on the edge of the sink looking rather more like a small sculptural object than a piece of bathroom clutter.

Perhaps the real luxury is not having more products, but needing fewer of them.

Vegan, palm-free and coconut-free | 125 g