By Matt, founder of Heli Botanica
Our five soaps are named in Welsh after a journey from the mountains to the sea: Awyr (air/sky), Coed Du (black wood), Afon (river), Pridd (earth) and Twyni (dunes). Each name comes with its English meaning, and each scent is a layered blend of pure essential oils, made to smell of that part of the landscape once the bar has cured.
We make our soap in North Wales, between the mountains and the sea, so it seemed only fair to let the place name them.
How do you pronounce the Welsh names?
A simple guide for English speakers.
| Welsh name | English meaning | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| Awyr | Air / Sky | OW-ir ("ow" as in "cow") |
| Coed Du | Black Wood | koyd DEE |
| Afon | River | AV-on (the single "f" sounds like "v") |
| Pridd | Earth | preeth ("dd" as the "th" in "this") |
| Twyni | Dunes | TOO-ee-nee |
What does each scent smell like after curing?
A note before we start. Every bar is cold process and cured for six weeks, and cold process changes scents. Not every essential oil lasts, which is why we layer them: the descriptions below are of the cured bar, not the mixing bowl. Every scent comes in both a tallow and a vegan version.
Awyr (Air): what does the unscented bar smell like?
Awyr is the top of the mountain: clear air and a still mountain lake. It's our unscented bar, so there are no essential oils and no added colour: the tallow version is near white, the vegan version more cream coloured. The tallow version smells of nothing. The vegan version has a slight cocoa smell, from the organic unrefined cocoa butter. Find it as Awyr tallow or Awyr vegan.
Coed Du (Black Wood): what does it smell like?
Coming down the mountain, into the forest. Coed Du is orange, pine and patchouli, coloured with charcoal. It starts zesty with orange and settles into a zesty patchouli, with the pine and orange anchoring and toning the patchouli. In Matt's words, it's "more apothecary than 1980s goth". Find it as Coed Du tallow or Coed Du vegan.
Afon (River): what does it smell like?
Out of the trees and along the river. Afon is lemongrass, rosemary and mint, coloured with nettle. The lasting scent is mint, but not in-your-face toothpaste mint: a subtle, rounded mint with a slight lemony tinge, while rosemary adds depth. Find it as Afon tallow or Afon vegan.
Pridd (Earth): what does it smell like?
Pridd is the ground itself. It's petitgrain, lavender and pepper, coloured with pink clay. The lasting scent is lavender; petitgrain softens it, and pepper adds a spicy depth, so it's lavender with a little more to say for itself. Find it as Pridd tallow or Pridd vegan.
Twyni (Dunes): what does it smell like?
And finally the coast. Twyni is lemongrass, benzoin and cedarwood, coloured with turmeric. Lemongrass cuts through first, then benzoin and cedarwood bring a deeper, resinous woodiness. Resinous, but not heavy, much like a warm afternoon in the dunes. It also contains oats, mainly to fix and stabilise the scent, which add a very light texture. Find it as Twyni vegan or Twyni tallow.
Why do the scents follow a journey from the mountains to the sea?
Because that's the landscape the soap is made in. North Wales has mountains and sea within easy reach of each other, and the five bars follow that line downhill: air, forest, river, earth, dunes. It also gives the range a shape. You can start at either end.
Why use Welsh names with English meanings?
The Welsh names belong to the place the soap is made. The English meanings are there so nobody has to guess what they're buying. We use both, side by side, everywhere.
How were the scents chosen?
Each blend is built around one of the most-loved scent families: mint, lavender, lemongrass and patchouli. Then it's layered so that the scent is never overpowering but lasts through the cure. There's more on that in how our soaps should smell.
Frequently asked questions
What do Heli Botanica's Welsh scent names mean?
Awyr means air/sky, Coed Du means black wood, Afon means river, Pridd means earth and Twyni means dunes. Together they follow a journey from the mountains to the sea.
How do you pronounce Coed Du?
"koyd DEE".
Which Heli Botanica soap is unscented?
Awyr (air/sky). The tallow version smells of nothing; the vegan version has a slight cocoa smell from the organic unrefined cocoa butter.
What does Afon smell like?
Afon is lemongrass, rosemary and mint. Once cured, the lasting scent is a subtle, rounded mint with a slight lemony tinge, with rosemary adding depth.
Does every scent come in tallow and vegan?
Yes. All five scents are made in both a tallow and a vegan version.