Godrej Cinthol Deodorant & Complexion Soap

godrej soap smells great lathers ok but not as well as tallow based soaps .99 cents a bar at my local indian grocer does not leave my skin overly dry love the old school package definately recomended

Excellent soap, one of my faves alongside Mysore Sandal.
Very good as a shower soap and as a facial soap, doesn't over dry and helps control oily skin.

Excellent review Kevan.

This is my fav bath since a long long time and Godrej knows it !! It has done little to change the paper packaging, the scent and the presentation. Even if younger Cinthol bath scents have come around in attractive packaging to appeal to the new generation, this along with the Godrej Shave Round has managed to freeze time...

A really good value and as you rightly mention, an awesome scent. The scent has memories right from my childhood when a hot bath with Cinthol were the norm in our household.

Godrej makes some good stuff. Their shaving cream punches well above its weight and the shaving round delivers consistently solid results, and both are at a price-point that make them an amazing value. But Godrej has also been making bath soaps for over a century.

Their Cinthol Deordorant and Complexion Soap in particular has been around for nearly sixty years and it's a well-known commodity in India. I've never been to the Subcontinent, but Cinthol is everywhere: I've seen it in Indian movies; it's referenced in books; it's online and in conversation. It's one of those things that's stood the test of time and countless attempts at brand repositioning. Today they market it in a similar vein as Old SPice here in the US...targeted to youth, with newer, ancillary products. There are newer varieties and body sprays and talcs. But the original Cinthol remains as a classic.

I've read that it was originally intended to be a men's soap until EVERYONE started using it through the years, but I think I would still call it a men's soap based on its frgrance alone, which is in my opinion its strongest feature. In all other ways it's...serviceable.

Price: I don't know. It should be cheap at an Indian grocery if you can find it, but it's expensive and hard-to-find online. The only shop that I could find that carries it is Smallflower (they have it, but it's not on the site...you have to ask). With their insane shipping charges, two bars put me back $11, hence the low rating.

Quality: It's Godrej, so it's good. It's on par with any other grocery store soap you'd buy here, and it's a "Grade 1" soap in India with a Total Fatty Matter figure of 76%.

Latherability: Doesn't explode with creamy lather, but gives plenty of "slimy" suds.

Moisturizing: Doesn't dry my skin and leaves it unexpectedly soft for a vegetable oil soap.

Scent: Here's the kicker....I love the scent. It's got a VERY spicy and heady aroma that's like Old Spice without the florals. I can identify Cinnamon, vetiver, maybe a little sandalwood...but there's more there. It's a very complex, masculine, clean scent that's moderately strong. I didn't give it a 10 though because it doesn't linger on the skin. In fact after the shower, there's almost no scent left behind.

Efficacy: Cleans and refreshes. There's a blurb on the wrapper about 24 hour odor control or something. Seems fine to me.

Packaging: A simple red wrapper that's nice and old school.