Nivea Creme Soft Liquid Handwash

I don't always put a great deal of effort into choosing hand wash, and I can't say I was expecting much from my recent purchase of Nivea Creme Soft Liquid Handwash from the local pound shop. The plain bottle design and branding as "creme soft" didn't suggest any particular smell at least, and I anticipated another generic 'fresh' floral scent.

And this is basically what the fragrance is - nice enough when smelled directly, if unsurprisingly a little synthetic. Products like this are designed to be functional however, and it is the gentle aroma perceived while using the soap for its intended purpose (hand washing) that caught my attention. The hand wash brings to mind a rose. Not the dense, sumptuous rose that is the staple of full-bodied floral fine fragrance - instead one that is sublimely fresh and unpretentious, with a touch of greenness reminiscent of rain-soaked petals smelt in the outdoors.

Perhaps don't rush to throw away your bottle of Rive Gauche just yet, but if like me you can't resist having a sniff when you pass through a rose garden, then Nivea Creme Soft might be worth a try. A genuinely enjoyable scented hand wash that says 'fresh' in a wholly pleasant and unassuming tone - certainly £1 well spent!