The warm, woody fragrance composition opens with frankincense and myrrh; the heart notes feature cypress, sandalwood, cedarwood, and cinnamon, all resting on a base of frankincense and amber. The soap is purely plant-based; enriched with moisturizing, nourishing shea butter, it cares for the skin and ensures it feels soft and supple.

If you’d like to give the Nutcracker soap as a gift, you can use the space on the beautiful packaging to write the recipient’s name and your own. But here’s what we’d actually like to recommend—based on our own experience: You’d be better off ordering two bars right away, because the festive scent is so pleasant that you’ll want to keep one by your own sink, too.

When it was founded in 2000, The English Soap Company had only a few requirements: pure vegetable oils, traditional production methods and exquisite fragrances - that's what their soaps should be all about. Bob and Juliet tinkered for several years until they were satisfied with the results and the soaps had a smooth, silky texture, moisturizing the skin instead of drying it out, and a luxurious fragrance that lasts until the last soap residue. Finally, the Sussex couple were able to fill the old soap molds they had found in a machine shop in Kent - and which had been the impetus for their small soap boiling business in the first place. The business grew and the boiling shop was moved from their own kitchen in Sussex to Silveroaks Farm in Waldron. Her son and his wife now run the business. He expanded the product range to include hand creams, shower gels and perfumes - which are still made to the same few but high standards: pure vegetable oils and exquisite fragrances, created especially for The English Soap Company by experienced perfumers. To this day, all products are made by hand and the soaps are triple-milled. The motifs are thermally (not chemically) printed onto the paper packaging using plant-based inks.