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The 5 Best Persimmon Soaps for Nonenal Odor, and the One I Keep in My Own Shower
That faint, stale smell that settles into pillows and collars somewhere after 40 isn’t about hygiene. Here’s what I’ve learned about the Japanese bars that actually deal with it.
Of all the letters readers send me, the most common one is also the most delicate. It usually starts with “This is embarrassing, but…” and goes on to describe a smell that wasn’t there ten years ago. It’s a little stale, a little grassy, and it shows up on pillowcases, in the car and on a favorite cardigan. Men write about it and women write about it, in equal numbers.
I’ll tell you what I tell them: it isn’t your fault, and it isn’t about how often you shower. From around 40, the oils on our skin oxidize more readily and produce a compound called 2-nonenal. Ordinary soap doesn’t remove it, and scented body wash and stronger deodorant only put a second smell on top of the first.
The Japanese have a traditional answer for this: kakishibu, or persimmon tannin, which binds nonenal so it rinses away with the water. Persimmon soaps have become easy to find over the last few years, and I’ve spent a good while working through the ones readers ask about most. They aren’t all the same, and one of them has earned a permanent spot in my shower.
What I looked for (and why one thing mattered most)
After twenty-five years of making and using soap, I judged these bars on the same handful of things:
- Persimmon tannin up front: is it the point of the bar, or a sprinkle for the label?
- Comfort on older skin: tannins are astringent, and skin past fifty has less oil to spare.
- How long the bar lasts in a daily shower before it turns soft.
- Packaging: would you be comfortable leaving it in a shared bathroom?
- Whether it has a scent, and whether that scent is doing any of the work.
That last point is the one I weighted most heavily: a nonenal soap should take a smell away, not add one. Fragrance doesn’t remove nonenal. It just sits on top of it, and by mid-afternoon you have two smells instead of one. A bar with no added fragrance leaves the tannin to do the job, and it won’t clash with anyone’s cologne, perfume or sensitivities. That single point decided my #1 pick.
“The best one doesn’t smell of anything. That’s the whole point.”
TanniBar Persimmon Tannin Bar
TanniBar is the one bar in this group built entirely around the idea of taking the smell away. It is completely fragrance-free, with persimmon tannin as the active and green tea extract alongside it. There’s no perfume anywhere in it, so nothing is left sitting on your skin.
Tannins can leave skin tight and itchy. TanniBar balances that with glycerin and shea butter, so daily use stays comfortable, which is exactly what those of us with thinner, drier skin need. It’s triple-milled and pressed hard, so it doesn’t turn to mush in a fortnight, and it arrives in plain packaging with nothing on the box saying what it’s for. That matters more than people think if you’re quietly putting a bar in a parent’s or partner’s shower.
It isn’t instant. The company says most people notice a change somewhere between day 10 and day 21 of daily use. Each box comes with a simple pillowcase check so you have a real way to tell, and there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee if it doesn’t work for you.
What I liked
- Completely fragrance-free: removes the smell rather than covering it
- Persimmon tannin plus green tea extract
- Glycerin & shea butter make it kind to dry, mature skin
- Hard, triple-milled bar that holds its shape
- Plain, discreet packaging
- 30-day money-back guarantee and free shipping
Keep in mind
- Low lather (no SLS), which takes some getting used to
- Needs a couple of weeks of daily use to judge fairly
- Unscented, so if you like your soap to smell of something, this isn’t it
Pat’s tip: work it up with a washcloth, and don’t forget the back of the neck and behind the ears.
Mirai Clinical Persimmon Soap Bar
Mirai Clinical is the bar most people find first, and it deserves its reputation. It pairs persimmon extract with Japanese green tea, has a lovely rich lather, and works on hair as well as body, which is handy because the scalp is where a lot of nonenal lives. It takes several days of steady use before it settles in, so don’t give up after one shower. My one complaint is practical: left sitting in water, the bar softens quickly.
What I liked
- Rich, luxurious lather
- Works on hair and scalp too
- Suits a wide range of skin types
- Long track record
Keep in mind
- Takes several days to settle in
- Softens fast in a wet soap dish
Pelican Family Kakishibu Soap
This little bar has sat in Japanese bathrooms for decades, and there’s a reason it never went away. It’s small and dense, with persimmon tannin and tea leaf extract, and it rinses clean with no film. It lasts far longer than its size suggests and handles body and hair odor well. Where it falls short for me is skin feel: there’s almost nothing moisturizing in it, and it carries a citrus scent, so you’re adding a smell as well as removing one.
What I liked
- Long-lasting for such a small bar
- Rinses clean, no residue
- Works on body and hair
Keep in mind
- Little moisturizing, so dry skin will want lotion
- Citrus-woody scent
Natrulo Persimmon Soap Bar
Natrulo goes the other way from Pelican. It’s a generous bar with goat milk and shea butter folded in, packed without plastic. On comfort alone it’s a pleasure, and skin feels soft rather than stripped afterward. The trade-off is physical: it’s slippery when wet and melts quickly, so it disappears faster than you’d expect from the size.
What I liked
- Goat milk & shea butter, gentle on dry skin
- Generous bar size
- Plastic-free packaging
Keep in mind
- Melts quickly
- Slippery when wet
Swarva Deodorizing Persimmon Soap
Swarva gives you the most pampering shower of the five. The foam is creamy and dense, there are extra moisturizing oils, and it comes with a wooden draining rack, which sounds like a gimmick until you see how much longer a well-drained bar lasts. It’s more heavily scented than the traditional Japanese bars, though, so it leans toward the “cover it up” side of the fence.
What I liked
- Creamiest lather of the five
- Extra moisturizing oils
- Comes with a draining soap rack
- Nice enough to give as a gift
Keep in mind
- More scented than the others
- Persimmon plays less of a leading role
My bottom line
Any of these five will do more for nonenal than the deodorant in your cabinet, and a few are a real pleasure to use. Swarva has the nicest lather, Natrulo is the kindest to dry skin, Pelican is the dependable old workhorse, and Mirai Clinical is a deserved bestseller that covers your hair too.
But the whole reason most of us go looking for a persimmon bar is that we don’t want to smell of anything, neither the problem nor a perfume trying to hide it. TanniBar is the one bar here that is completely fragrance-free, gentle enough for older skin to use every day, and discreet enough to leave in any bathroom. That’s why it has my #1 spot.
If you try it, write and tell me how you get on. I read every letter, and I’ll never share yours.
Warmly, Pat