Are Soaps a Dirty Gift?
How to Transform a Questionable Gift Into Something Special
We've all been there. You receive a beautifully wrapped…bar of soap. Your smile freezes and brain starts spinning. Do they think eucalyptus is my scent? Do I come off tense, hence the lavender? Or worse, was this a gentle hint that I need to upgrade my hygiene routine?
Let's be honest about why soap often misses the mark. It can feel deeply impersonal because choosing a scent is incredibly personal. Even those gorgeous $30 artisanal bars can fall flat if the recipient secretly hates patchouli. No matter how pure the intention or how Instagram-worthy the packaging, soap has this unfortunate superpower of sending completely unintended messages. And as a standalone gift? It just feels...lacking.
I don’t recommend soap as a gift. There, I said it. But I recently saw these lemon soaps that looked like real lemons. It got me thinking. Instead of soap being the awkward gift everyone politely accepts, what if it became the clever surprise element.
Challenge accepted.
Enter the Bees Knees Cocktail Gift. What? Have I already started drinking? Stay with me on this one. This is where soap gets a glow up.
The inspiration. Look above at the picture of that gorgeous lemon from Rennes. It’s not a real lemon! It’s soap. While they obviously can't go into the actual cocktail, the visual impact of seeing these perfect "lemons" nestled among real ones creates that delightful "wait, what?" moment.
The ingredients. Add high quality honey like this one, a solid gin—Plymouth is always my go-to—and plenty of real lemons to complete the illusion. Don’t forget the Bee Knees cocktail recipe. This one from Food & Wine is a good one.
The grand finale. Finish this cocktail gift with a couple of lovely coupe glasses or this lemon cocktail shaker from Anthropologie.
See? Soap doesn't have to be the gift that makes people wonder what you really think of them. Sometimes it just needs the right supporting cast to become memorable.
P.S. If you think my lemon cocktail theme is a bit whacky, check out this lemon themed wedding from Wisteria Flowers & Gifts. Lemon soaps could have worked as a guest gift option.
From left to right: Rennes lemon soap; Plymouth Gin; Bees Knees Meyer Lemon Honey; Gatsby Coupe Glasses from Viski
Top image: Rennes sheep milk bar soap