Thread: Institut Karite

obie.. thanks for the suggestion.. the Provence Sante Verlaine is sold by the refill for only $10 at wcs.. so i'll have that be my new trial.. could you describe the scent any?

also.. is there an official dish for it? i'm vain.

Hello, Victor:

Thank you for your note.

Yes, Provence Sante Verlaine does come in its own mug. You can get it here:
Shaving Soaps

The soap also has a tea version. I have not tried that. Provence Sante Verlaine has a light floral fragrance that I find clean and refreshing. It's quite pleasing. By the way, I wrote a review of Provence Sante Verlaine for SRP.

Good choice of soap.

Regards,
Obie

thank you very much.. i'm off to read the review..

also. i don't mean to stray too far off topic.. but have you used Pre de Provence? i like the idea of have a sage scented soap in my collection.

Hello, Victor:

Yes, I have Pre de Prevence, both soap and cream, in the regular rotation. It's an excellent soap — lather, cushion and glide — and the fragrance is light floral and delightful.

Regards,
Obie

this is the second time i'll be bumping this thread back up.. it seems i can't really get a solid description on the scent of institut karite.. some say it's basically scentless with maybe a hint of "soap" smell.. and earlier post says lilac.. and yes a google search brought up a likening to fresh bedsheets drying in the sun. what the heck scent is it?

also.. is there an official dish for it?

Hello, Victor:

If you are looking for the perfect description of how something smells, then you will have to accept different versions. People describe scents differently. The best thing to do is to go with the general consensus.

For me, Institute Karite has a light floral and soap fragrance. I find it quite soft and pleasant. Others might describe the scent differently. By the way, it's good soap.

The best thing is to give it a try and find out for yourself what the fragrance is.

Regards,
Obie

thanks obie.. i myself have a miserable nose.. i'm one of those guys that thinks all wine smells the same.. perhaps there is a class i can take or something.. i'm just going to go ahead and get the institut karite.. it's got to smell better then my homemade clove scented kiss my face cream i have been using.

Hello, Victor:

You are very welcome. There is a book that might help your nose, so to speak. "A Natural History of the Senses" by Diane Ackerman cover all the senses, with a big section on the sense of smell. It's an excellent book on the topic. Give it a read.

Institute Karite, Pre de Provence and Provence Sante Verlaine (my favorite of the French soaps) all have similar floral fragrances and are quite pleasing to my nose. They are also loaded with shea butter. Good stuff.

By the way, I have the Institute Karite soap in rotation at home. The cream version stays in my wet pack for travel.

Regards,
Obie

I'm surprised to read such negative views of IK. It's fresh, lathers almost buy itself and is 25% shea which beats the pants off anything else for moisturizing. I used it almost exclusively for a whole year using a DE.

I think the shea oil slows down the edge. Maybe that did it? For a french soap it provides lots of protection.

the shea butter does add a very nice thickness to the lather that it seems cannot be beat.. i know the soaptopia soaps didn't go over that well.. but i was very lucky with producing great lather with them.. i got in the habit of loading my brush with soaptopia's almond and then droping a pea sized amount of shea butter to my brush before face lathering.. the result was amazing.. however.. not as amazing as my new lathering with pre de provence.. i'm putting provence sante verlain and institut karite on my list of next soaps to purchase.