Bath and Body Works: where Santa buys deodorant
Ava Bourdeau, Co-Opinion Editor
Picture this: you’re walking through the mall, dragging your feet past the endless red sale signs and department store displays. Suddenly, you feel a tingle in your nose. You find yourself led by a strong aroma, one part vanilla, one part floral and another fruity. You arrive at a brightly lit gingham storefront, a beacon of hope advertising a buy 3 get 3 free sale, shimmering with rows of sparkling packaging. You have found yourself at Bath and Bodyworks during the holidays. Their products can be divided into five main fragrance groups:
Woodsy
Winter wonderland is a key theme in Bath and Bodyworks’s holiday collection. From Sweater Weather to Fresh Balsam, the smell of snow-covered trees and forests blanketed by white powder evoke a calming holiday atmosphere. Arguably the least polarizing scent category, the Woodsy family can be best enjoyed in its candle form, allowing their various pleasant notes to fully permeate an area. The star of this category is Under the Christmas Tree, a refreshing fragrance featuring wisps of juniper, sage and eggnog. Its forest-esq essence instantly transports one to a cozy cabin in an evergreen forest.
Fruity
More often associated with the summer collection, the fruity scent family is nevertheless a wintertime staple. Most of these products are long standing favorites, such as Winter Candy Apple. This classic fragrance is crisp and sweet in its candle and lotion forms. However, when delivered in other ways, such as perfume or hand sanitizer, it becomes overwhelming and mingles poorly with the alcohol-based formulas. A winner in this category is Frosted Coconut Snowball, a pleasantly demure scent that works for the holidays, yet is also appropriate year-round. Other fruity items include Frosted Cranberry and Sweet Christmas Berry.
Fresh
The gentle members of this group are characterized by notes of champagne, cotton and cashmere. These fragrances are perfect for the holidays—when you’re getting comfy under a blanket with a good book, lighting a candle from this family will complete the soothing atmosphere. A lovely recommendation from the Fresh group is Snowflakes and Cashmere, boasting tones of fresh clementine and vanilla. A less cozy, classier option is Pure Wonder, smelling of champagne and cotton. Pure Wonder especially shines in its perfume form, and is a fantastic stocking stuffer.
Sweet
The most controversial category, the Sweet family, includes such classics as Vanilla Bean Noel. A relatively mild smell compared to other members of this group, it is a favorite among fans of Bath and Bodyworks who eagerly await its re-release each winter. Less enjoyable is Christmas Cookies, a sickenly sugared scent that emulates the feeling of having one’s head shoved into a baker’s oven. Another Sweet scent to avoid is Hot Cocoa and Cream, which smells more like Santa’s sugared farts than the beloved holiday beverage.
Herbal
Peppermint, peppermint, peppermint! Where it lacks in diversity, the Herbal category makes up for in festivity. Peppermint is arguably the most recognizable, versatile flavor of the holiday season. From the classic Twisted Peppermint, a strong, candy cane-esq aroma, to the more toned-down Peppermint Sugar Cookie, products in this family are both soothing and merry. The Bath and Body Works holiday lineup can be overwhelming, with its rows of glittery packaging and similar scent names. When in doubt, the peppermint-based options are arguably the way to go. Whether they be in the form of lotion or perfume, the Herbal family are the stars of the holiday season.
No matter how many triumphs and flops are produced by the company, Bath and Body Works will undoubtedly remain an essential stop for holiday gift shopping. Whether you prefer the more concentrated scent of baked goods or want the essence of a cozy cabin wafting through your apartment, this fragrance giant has it all.