Jo Sandal & Turmeric Soap Review

In my quest to find a cheap bathing soap,  I had chanced upon Jo Sandal soap sometime back and gingerly made a purchase.

So without much ado, here's my detailed review of Jo Sandal and Turmeric Soap.

Jo Sandal and Turmeric Soap Claims:

Jo  sandalwood and Turmeric soap  soap is supposedly enriched with the wonder ingredient turmeric known for its antiseptic property and other beauty benefits -- it also contains glycerine that keeps the skin moist and supple. The enchanting sandal fragrance allegedly  leaves your skin glowing and feeling fresh

Jo Soap Price:

For just 30 INR, you get a pack of 4 soap bars of 50g or to be precise, 48g each. Each soap costs ₹9 individually, but as a pack of 4, you get the whole thing for  just ₹30.

Jo Sandal and Turmeric Soap Ingredient List

As you can see from the the picture, this is a Grade 3 soap with a Total Fatty Matter or TFM of 60%. A grade 3 soap is supposed to have TFM in the range of 60-70%; so Jo soap does seem to  have the right amount of TFM. 

In case, you are not able to decipher the ingredients from the  picture, here's the complete list mentioned. Take a look.

Sodium palmate, Aqua, sodium palm kernelate, calcium carbonate, sorbitol, / glycerine, perfume, sodium sulphate, sodium chloride, sodium c14-16 Alfa Olfein Sulphonate, Titanium dioxide, Disodium EDTA, Disodium Etidronate, Curcuma longa root extract, Cl 11680, Cl 12490

Hey, what do I see? Lots of chemicals - some not-so-good ones also! And I get that curcuma longa is the scientific name of turmeric but where is Sandalwood which has the scientific name of santalum album? 

Am I missing something?

 

Oh, perhaps it could be that sandal is included in the perfume or as some extract without mentioning it explicitly! Now that's kind of weird - mentioning it's a sandal soap but no mention of the ingredient sandalwood in  the ingredient list! 

That means, do we have to just assume that sandal is just used for fragrance? Maybe Jo officials or PR should shed some light on this.

My experience with Jo Sandal & Turmeric Soap

As I opened the wrapper and took out the bar, I could smell the pleasant fragrance. The packaging is quite ordinary - what more can you expect from a soap bar for ₹9, anyway!

As you can see, the soap is golden yellow in color and has the logo of Jo embossed in it. Also the shape of the bar is quite ergonomic and easy to hold.

It glides smoothly over your skin as you apply it all over your body. It works up a gentle lather - not too much of it,  which is good.

The very first use in the shower had left my skin feeling soft, smooth, and moisturized with a lingering fragrance of sandalwood.  

Benefits (Pros) of Jo Sandal and Turmeric Soap

• Easily available
• Cheap price
• Value for money
• Works well on most skin types.
• Pleasant fragrance  that lingers on for sometime after bath also
• Doesn't dry out your skin - in fact, it's moisturizing.

Cons of Jo Sandal and Turmeric Soap

• No mention of the sandalwood in the ingredient list, despite the claims of being a sandal soap.
• Does have a few not so good chemicals in it -  but considering it's price - I feel it's not much of a con as most soaps contain such ingredients.

My Verdict about Jo Sandal & Turmeric Soap

I feel that Jo Sandal and Turmeric Soap is one of the cheap and best bathing soaps that keeps your skin moist and fragrant at such a low price. I've bought it  and used it several times and I'm not at all disappointed. 

So if you are on the lookout for a cheap bathing bar that doesn't dry out your skin and moisturizes it well, Jo sandal soap is the way to go. You may try other variants of  Jo soaps as well. The details are mentioned below.

Other Jo Soaps that you may like

There are several other variants of the Jo range of soaps -- Jo Rose, Jo Lime,  Jo jasmine, Jo lavender, Jo Herbal and Jo Almond & Cream.  

You can check the Jo Soap Official website here for more details

All the  variants contain the humectant glycerine, well-known for its exceptional moisturizing capabilities.

These soaps are available in 50g, 75g, 100g and 125g and are available across India at all the retail outlets.

Jo lime : 

It's a freshness soap that effectively cleanses the skin of all the dirt and grime and glycerine works to maintain moisture balance.

 

Jo Rose / Jo lavender / Jo Jasmine:

With the moisturizing properties of glycerine, these soaps  have the pleasant floral fragrance of rose, lavender and jasmine respectively.

Of these, Jo Jasmine and Jo Lavender seem to have been recalled and hence are no longer available.

 

Jo herbal: 

It's a special soap with the goodness of natural, wonder herbs like neem, Tulsi and aloe vera that are extremely beneficial to the skin.

 

Jo Almond & Cream: 

This is a newly introduced variant that is rich in nutrients and vitamins derived from almonds and also has the goodness of a hydrating cream in it.

{Updated on Feb 4, 2021}