Editor’s pick: This bar soap smells like a forest

Bar soap is back and it’s better than before—better for your skin and better smelling!

I’ve long been a fan of Toronto-based Province Apothecary’s skin care. I’ve spoken to founder Julie Clark many times and am always impressed with her from-the-earth, sustainable and holistic approach to skin care. The fact that everything that comes out of the shop smells amazing is just a bonus.

This has partly to do with the ingredients. Aromatic herbs and extracts make up the bulk of these concoctions and so everything smells fresh in that green, herbaceous way. My favourite. Though I missed the boat to tell you about the brand’s amazing Sweet Orange + Bay Incense (look for it around the winter holidays—it’s my favourite home fragrance) I have to say that the brand’s new Boreal Forest Soap is another great-smelling pick.

The Boreal Forest of Canada spans across the country and is packed full of trees and wetlands—including the fragrant Balsam Fir, Black Spruce and Jack Pine trees.

The soap itself is composed of olive oil and Canadian essential oils including Black Spruce, Fir, Pine and Cedar Wood. The olive oil is great for keeping skin soft and hydrated (the main argument against bar soap being that it is drying and harsh on the skin), and with all-natural ingredients, you can bet this stuff is good for your skin.

The smell? Distinctly Canadian. Like a forest on a brisk walk, when the air is slightly chilled but you’re warm from walking. Like a peaceful and private moment in the woods before you join your friends back at the campfire. Like the scent of damp greenery on the breeze as you paddle across the water. In short, it’s good.