Clean Bar Box Subscription Box Review – June 2015

Clean Bar Box is a subscription box that delivers you handmade artisan soaps that are free from preservatives, animal products, petroleum derivatives, parabens, and sodium lauryl sulfate.

This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

The Box: Clean Bar Box

The Cost: $14.99 (monthly; four 2.5 ounce bars), $19.99 (monthly; two 5 ounce bars and two 2.5 ounce bars), $19.99 (every other month; two 5 ounce bars and two 2.5 ounce bars).  Save with 6- and 12-month subscriptions.

The Products: Four new scents of seasonally-inspired soap every month.  All ingredients are sourced in the USA and handmade in Indiana.

This is a review of the large box, which you can purchase on a monthly or every other month basis.

Ships to: US (free).

Note: Lots of other countries are available in the drop-down list in the sign-up window.  I can’t tell how to calculate shipping for those countries, though.  I’d suggest e-mailing them if you are interested and live outside the US.

Check out the Beauty Subscription Box Directory for more great bath- and spa-oriented subscriptions!

Each box includes an information sheet with the month’s theme and descriptions of the included scents.

Blueberry Scrub Soap (5 oz.) – Value $6.99

Summer Citrus Soap (5 oz.) – Value $6.99

I tried the blueberry one first.  It’s got bits of ground up oatmeal in it for gentle exfoliation.  It smells pretty strong (think Strawberry Shortcake toys if you are a child of the 1980s…) but I like it.

The summer citrus soap is a bit lighter on the fragrance.  I am saving it to use later because I don’t have room for more than one bar of soap in my shower.  One thing to note is that the tub floor gets a little slippery if you are using these during a shower, so be careful with that.  (Apparently this is common with soaps where lye was used to saponify the fats, though!)

Note: Past soaps are available to purchase on the Clean Bar Box site, but the June ones aren’t up in the store yet.  I based the pricing on other 5 oz. bars in their store and linked to their order page.  (All the 5 oz. bars come in earth-friendly cardboard boxes.)

Cotton Blossom Soap (2.5 oz.) – Value $3.49

Cucumber Melon Soap (2.5 oz.) – Value $3.49

These (as well as the large bars) smell exactly like what you’d expect based on the names.  The cotton blossom reminds me of clean laundry and the cucumber melon is pretty soothing.  The 2.5 ounce bars come in cute little muslin bags (pictured).

I didn’t see any 2.5 ounce bars in the Clean Bar Box shop, so I just divided the price of the 5 ounce bars in half to get a value.

Customer service note: I reached out to Clean Bar Box with a question about ingredients (specifically fragrance and coloring) and they got back to me super quickly.  The fragrance does come from fragrance oil and the dyes are purchased here.  I appreciate the fast response and the honesty about ingredients.  I have skin that can be sensitive at times but the blueberry soap did not cause me any trouble.  (Your mileage may vary.)

Verdict:  I calculated a value of about $21 for the June Clean Bar Box.  I am happy with the value since that is just a little higher than the cost of the box and shipping is free.  I think they did a great job choosing summery scents.  I also like that you have the option of buying a smaller box or getting one every other month (they also have soaps for sale individually and a one-time, non-renewing box purchase option).  That way, the subscription can work for you even if you are a less frequent user of bar soap (I’m usually a shower gel girl, myself, but I’ve been trying to branch out).

For what it’s worth, although the soaps are not floral, they strike me as being a little on the feminine side.  (Take that with a grain of salt, though, as I have been living alone for 9 years and have no idea what men’s grooming products smell like.)

What did you think of the Clean Bar Box?  Do you get any soap subscriptions?