Ylang Ylang Soap Bar

Ylang ylang has a way of transforming the ordinary into something that feels considered and unhurried. A warm, deeply floral scent with a faint sweetness, it turns a morning shower into something you actually look forward to rather than simply move through. This cold-process bar from Friendly Soap carries that quality well, with real calendula flowers and shea butter alongside the essential oil, and the kind of clean, comfortable skin feel that a well-made Yorkshire bar reliably delivers. It also won Gold in the Free From Skincare Awards 2023, a recognition that reflects the quality apparent the moment you use it.

Key Facts

• 95g bar
• Key ingredients: coconut oil, rapeseed oil, shea butter, ylang ylang essential oil, calendula flowers
• Cold-process method, made in Yorkshire by Friendly Soap
• Vegan and cruelty-free
• No SLS, parabens, palm oil, or synthetic fragrances
• No plastic packaging
• Available individually boxed, naked (unwrapped), or in multipacks
• Gold winner, Free From Skincare Awards 2023

The Ingredients That Matter

Ylang ylang essential oil (Cananga Odorata) is distilled from the flowers of the cananga tree, native to Southeast Asia. The scent is warm, intensely floral, and slightly sweet, with a depth that synthetic floral fragrances rarely achieve. It has a long history of use in perfumery and skincare, and in a warm shower the steam carries it particularly well. It is one of those scents that people tend to either love immediately or find too rich, which is worth knowing before committing to a multipack.

Calendula flowers (Calendula Officinalis) are present in the bar both visually and for their well-established soothing properties. One of the most widely used botanicals in natural skincare, calendula has mild anti-inflammatory qualities that complement the cleansing action of the soap and make it particularly suited to skin that benefits from a gentle touch. The dried petals are visible in the bar and give it a warm, textured appearance.

Shea butter (Sodium Shea Butterate) provides the bar's conditioning quality. Its presence is felt in the lather and, more noticeably, in how the skin feels after rinsing: soft and comfortable rather than tight, even with daily use.

Coconut oil and rapeseed oil (Sodium Cocoate and Sodium Rapeseedate) form the base, as with the other Friendly Soap bars in the range. Coconut oil produces a firm, long-lasting bar with a dense, cleansing lather. Rapeseed oil softens the overall character and adds a mild conditioning quality that makes it suitable for daily facial as well as body use.

What This Isn't

Ylang ylang is one of the more potent essential oils in common use and is a known sensitiser for some people, particularly those with reactive or fragrance-sensitive skin. If you have had reactions to strongly floral products in the past, patch test before using this bar regularly on the face. For most people it is well tolerated, but it is worth knowing.

The scent is genuine and present during use, with a brief warmth on the skin after rinsing. It does not linger in the way a perfume would. If lasting fragrance is important, a complementary body lotion or oil would extend it.

This is a cleansing bar rather than a targeted skincare treatment. The calendula and shea butter contribute to comfortable, well-conditioned skin over time, but expectations of significant skin transformation from any rinse-off soap should be modest.

When It Works Best

This bar suits both morning and evening routines. The ylang ylang scent has a warmth and depth that works well as part of an evening wind-down, and the calendula makes it a sound choice for skin that needs a consistently gentle daily cleanser. It performs well on the face and body for normal to dry skin types, and the shea butter base makes it comfortable enough for daily facial use without a separate moisturiser for most people. The visual appeal of the calendula petals in the bar also makes it a well-presented gift straight from the box.

How to Use

Wet the skin thoroughly before applying. Work the bar into a lather between the hands or directly onto the face and body. Take a moment with the ylang ylang scent before rinsing, particularly in a warm shower where the steam amplifies the essential oil.

Rinse thoroughly and follow with a moisturiser if your skin tends toward dryness. The shea butter base provides good after-feel for most skin types without additional product.

Store on a draining soap dish between uses. A well-kept 95g bar lasts four to six weeks with daily use. The naked option performs identically to the boxed version and simply arrives without the cardboard sleeve.

For multipacks, store spare bars somewhere cool and dry. Cold-process soap hardens and improves with age.

Perfect For

• Anyone drawn to warm, deeply floral scents in their daily routine
• Evening shower or bath routines where a richer, more enveloping scent suits the moment
• Normal to dry skin that benefits from calendula and shea butter in a daily cleanser
• Daily face and body cleansing where a gentle, nourishing bar is preferred
• A well-presented gift for someone who appreciates natural, handmade bodycare
• Those building a collection of Friendly Soap bars who want a rich floral option
• Anyone moving away from synthetic fragrance shower gels
• Stocking up with the multipack options for consistent daily use

What Makes This Different

Ylang ylang is a relatively unusual choice for a soap bar. Most floral soaps default to rose or lavender, which are familiar but rarely surprising. The cananga flower oil here produces a scent with genuine complexity and warmth that stands apart from those defaults. The addition of whole calendula flowers, visible throughout the bar, gives it a visual distinctiveness that most soaps lack. Made by Friendly Soap in small batches in Yorkshire using cold-process methods, with no palm oil and no synthetic additives, it is a bar that has been thought about rather than assembled.

Realistic Expectations

The scent is the most immediately striking quality and is noticeable from the first use. The skin feels clean, soft, and comfortable after rinsing, with the shea butter content preventing any tightness. With regular use, the combination of calendula and conditioning oils contributes to consistently well-maintained skin over time. The ylang ylang fragrance is warm and present during washing but fades after rinsing rather than persisting on the skin. A bar lasts four to six weeks with daily use when stored correctly on a draining soap dish.

Buying Options

This bar is available in four configurations. A single bar in a cardboard box is the standard option and arrives presentation-ready. The naked option is the same bar without any outer packaging. A box of six boxed bars applies the buy-five-get-six saving automatically at checkout. A bundle of seven naked bars applies a buy-six-get-seven saving. All options contain the same 95g bar.

Additional Product Details

• Weight: 95g
• Made in: Yorkshire, England by Friendly Soap
• Ingredients: Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Rapeseedate, Aqua, Sodium Shea Butterate, Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) Flower Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower, Linalool*, Benzyl Benzoate*, Benzyl Salicylate*, Farnesol* (*naturally occurring in essential oils)
• Vegan and cruelty-free
• No SLS, parabens, palm oil, or synthetic fragrances
• No plastic packaging
• pH approximately 8 to 9, typical for cold-process soap

For external use only. Avoid contact with eyes. Contains naturally occurring Linalool, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, and Farnesol. Ylang ylang essential oil is a known sensitiser for some individuals. Patch test recommended for fragrance-sensitive or reactive skin before first use. If irritation occurs, discontinue use.