Baked Apple: The fruity base of sweet baked apple blends with the delicate spice of cinnamon and cloves, as well as warm, sweet notes of gingerbread.

Whether as a small gift to bring to an Advent coffee party, a little token for St. Nicholas Day and Christmas, or a Secret Santa gift, this scented soap conveys your Christmas greetings. That’s because the label—designed to look like a postage stamp—features the phrase “Merry Christmas” beneath the motif. Above the illustration—which features a Christmas tree, snow rose, or baked apple, depending on the fragrance—the words “Walde since 1777” identify the manufacturer: the Innsbruck-based soap manufacturer Walde. Since 1777, the company—now in its eighth generation—has been producing high-quality soap products from natural raw materials. Walde is thus one of Austria’s oldest soap factories and, at the same time, one of the country’s most traditional family-owned businesses.

The nourishing base of the hand and body soap consists of coconut, palm, and olive oils, which are boiled in a 200-kilogram kettle according to time-honored tradition. After lye is added, the mixture is stirred until the glycerin separates and everything saponifies into a solid mass. The resulting glycerin remains in the soap and provides its moisturizing properties. Added essential oils and fragrance provide the respective scents. After saponification, the fragrant, substantial soap blocks are dried for at least two days; only then are they cut into slabs, bars, and finally into small soap pieces.