I've got to admit, I'm a big fan of Russian brand Nevskaya Kosmetika, despite the fact that their kids' soap often ends up in my eye when I'm not paying attention, leaving me with a burning, itchy sensation. I used to wonder how kids' soap could cause such a reaction. I thought maybe it was the fragrance, but that's no excuse. This time, I decided to go for a kids' soap without any added fragrances or perfumes - just a classic, straightforward soap.
The packaging is nicely lacquered and feels nice to the touch. I've seen some people get into the 'soap collecting' thing, but for some reason, they tend to avoid Nevskaya Kosmetika's kids' soap. Too bad, because the packaging is really nice - it has a pleasant crunch to it and opens easily. What caught my attention, though, was the addition of a cardboard insert inside the packaging. It's an interesting touch, but I'm not really sure what it's for.
This soap is also advertised as hypoallergenic, which I was hoping would mean it would be gentler on my skin - no drying out, no stinging in the eyes, and so on. The packaging is a bright yellow with a cute little rabbit on it, just like all their kids' soaps. The soap itself is a standard white oval with the NC logo on it. It weighs 90 grams and is small enough to fit in a soap dish and still be easy to handle. Unfortunately, it doesn't lather well without a loofah.
This is probably more of a plus than a minus, though - since it doesn't lather much, it must be low on harsh chemicals that promote foaming. So, it looks like the manufacturer isn't lying about it being free of toxins. On the other hand, with a loofah, the soap produces a great lather - enough to fill a whole tub!
I don't usually pay much attention to ingredients, to be honest. I've never been one to trust labels, even if they do claim to be 'all-natural.' In practice, most cosmetics still manage to dry out my skin. I do check the ingredients for kids' products, though - and in this case, the ingredients really surprised me.
I had no idea what mink was, so I did some research. It turns out that mink oil is a natural, eco-friendly ingredient that moisturizes the skin. I was shocked to see that this cheap kids' soap for 63 rubles actually contains mink oil. Animal rights activists might not like it, but from a cosmetic perspective, it's a great addition. I took a closer look at the ingredients of other kids' soaps I buy, and none of them have mink oil. If they do, it's either not for kids or it's expensive.
As for the scent, the soap barely has any smell at all. It's not flowers, not milk, not vanilla, not a plant - nothing. There's a faint smell of cardboard, but that's not a fragrance. Someone left a comment here saying the soap smells like honey. I'm surprised - it didn't smell like honey to me at all. No scent, no problem. I think it's fine for kids and people with allergies.
The soap changes shape after a few days. The engraved letters disappear after 2-3 contacts with water. The thick and sturdy 'rock' turns into a mushy mess. The soap gets all over the soap dish, turning it into a white mess. That's what it looks like after washing - if I managed to dry it quickly enough.
This soap is easy to break and move back into place. When it's wet, it sticks to your hands and gets stuck under your nails.
Anyway, this soap holds its shape a bit better than the others from Nevsky Cosmetics. The others turn into a disgusting gloopy mess. But look at how it lathers up with one hand. The lather is sparse. I just spun it around in my hand a few times and squeezed it to get some out. Tiny white bubbles. The soap produces a sparse lather.
Now, let's look at another example - I really got a grip on it with both hands and spun it 10 times, then started lathering it under hot water. Finally, a big cloud of white, thick lather appeared. It still doesn't have any scent. The lather is gentle and gave me a creamy effect on my hands.
This stuff looks and feels amazing at first - it's like a gentle snowfall on your skin. But don't get carried away. I'm not sure how long it takes to get the moisturizing benefits from this beaver fat soap, but it didn't exactly leave my hands feeling like silk. The palms still had those annoying white lines from drying out. On the rest of my body, it was fine, but my hands were still parched. As for washing with water, I'd recommend using warm water, not scalding hot. Hot water gave me some nasty sensations - it might be the water or the soap itself, but my skin started itching and scratching.
By the way, I use this soap for my face and for, ahem, more sensitive areas. For the latter, it was fine, thankfully. But for my face, I had to be super gentle - I applied a thin layer and didn't rub it in too much. If I overdid it, my face would start burning and flaking, especially around my nose, forehead, and cheeks.
All things considered, I'd give this soap a solid 5 stars. It's convenient, looks great, and gets the job done quickly. It even disinfects and doesn't dry out my skin - unless I overdo it and start scrubbing like crazy.