Bienaimé Bath and Beauty: The Parisian Luxury Soaps, Hand Creams and Body Balms Worth Gifting This Christmas
Some of the most beautiful luxury in life is the everyday kind. The hand cream you reach for on the bus, the soap that scents the whole bathroom, the lip balm that lives in your coat pocket all winter. That is exactly the philosophy behind Bienaimé, the Parisian perfume house founded by Robert Bienaimé in 1935, and it is why we are so excited to welcome the full Bienaimé bath and beauty collection to Fiole.
If you already love Bienaimé fragrances like Jours Heureux, Vermeil or La Vie en Fleurs, this is your chance to wear them from the moment you step out of the shower. And if you are new to the house, these pieces are one of the loveliest (and most giftable) ways in.
Who is Bienaimé?
Bienaimé was born in the Art Deco Paris of the 1930s, and that era still shapes everything the house makes today: fluted soap bars cast in bespoke moulds, shell shaped ceramic dishes, gilded and marbled details. The perfumes are soft, powdery and romantic, built around iris, violet, rose, heliotrope and creamy musks. Think vintage glamour, reimagined for now.
Just as important, the bath and beauty range is made with real craft. The bar soaps are handmade in France by natural saponification in a soap works founded in 1926. The liquid soaps are made in Provence using the traditional Marseille method. The Dream Balms are handcrafted in the South of France. Packaging is designed to be kept: boxes double as jewellery boxes, liquid soap comes in refillable glass, and the balm jars are made to be reused.
Choose your scent first
Most of the collection comes in three of Bienaimé's signature fragrances, so the easiest place to start is with the scent that sounds most like you.
Jours Heureux: soft, floral and warm
Almond, carnation and tonka bean over violet, rose and vanilla. Tender and comforting, this is a powdery floral to be worn like a soft knit. If you love cosy, skin close scents, start here.
Vermeil: powdery, floral and warm
Aldehydes and carrot seed open onto iris, violet and rose, settling into sandalwood, tolu balsam and heliotrope. Like a stroke of red lipstick and a dusting of rice powder, Vermeil is the most classically glamorous of the three.
La Vie en Fleurs: floral, powdery and fruity
Raspberry and mandarin, then peony, violet and rose over iris, heliotrope and white musk. A real spring bouquet that makes you see life in pink, and the brightest, most joyful choice.
Want the perfume too? Explore Jours Heureux, Vermeil and La Vie en Fleurs Eau de Parfum.
The Bienaimé bath and beauty collection
The Bar Soap (£32)
A 150g fluted bar enriched with sweet almond oil and shea butter for a soft, creamy lather that cleanses without drying. The ridged shape gently massages the palm, and each bar arrives in a gift box you can keep as a jewellery box. This is luxury soap the way it used to be made, and it scents a bathroom beautifully even when it is just sitting on the side.
Shop: Jours Heureux | Vermeil | La Vie en Fleurs
The Liquid Soap (£42)
Made in Provence with the Marseille method, with a fine, creamy texture and no synthetic surfactants. Coconut and olive oils with vitamin E cleanse and nourish without drying, leaving hands softly scented. It comes in a 200ml refillable glass bottle with a pump, so it earns its place by the sink for years, not weeks.
Shop: Jours Heureux | Vermeil | La Vie en Fleurs
The Hand Beauty Cream (£28)
La Crème Beauté des Mains is a fluid, light hand cream that absorbs in moments and leaves hands silky and supple, winter and summer alike. The 30ml recyclable aluminium tube is made for handbags and coat pockets, and it doubles as a gentle top up of your favourite Bienaimé scent through the day. One of our favourite stocking fillers of the season.
Shop: Jours Heureux | Vermeil | La Vie en Fleurs
The Dream Balm (£85)
The showstopper. Two oils are hot poured into the jar, where they meet and crystallise together into a natural, glittering texture. On the skin the balm melts into a dry oil that absorbs quickly, leaving a delicately iridescent, luminous veil and lightly prolonging the trail of your perfume. Wear it alone, or layer it under the matching Eau de Parfum for a scent that lasts from morning to night.
Shop: Jours Heureux | Vermeil | Fleurs d'Été | La Vie en Fleurs
The Lip Balm (£20)
A rich, melting lip balm with a delicate almond scent and a silky, non shiny finish. It is formulated with 99.9% natural ingredients around plum kernel oil, rich in vitamin E, with shea butter for lasting comfort through the coldest months.
The Geisha Ritual (£15)
A booklet of 100 aburatorigami, the traditional Japanese blotting papers once used by gold leaf artisans and adopted by the geishas of 17th century Japan. Press one onto the forehead, nose or chin to lift shine in an instant without disturbing make up. Small, clever and endlessly useful.
For the home: soap dishes and the Bienaimé Lighter
Complete the ritual with the handmade ceramic soap dishes, crafted in small batches in Portugal. The Oval Soap Dish (£45) brings a touch of 1930s Parisian elegance to the bathroom, and the Art Deco Shell Soap Dish (£45) is a nod to the year the house was founded. Both make beautiful trinket trays for rings and earrings on a dressing table.
For candle lovers, the Bienaimé Lighter (£145) is a refillable jewel of a lighter with a marbled body and gold tone finish, made to turn lighting a candle into a small daily ceremony.
Bienaimé gift ideas at every price
Christmas is coming, and these are some of the most thoughtful luxury beauty gifts we stock this year. Here is how we would put them together:
- Under £30: The Geisha Ritual, the Lip Balm or a Hand Beauty Cream. Perfect stocking fillers, Secret Santa presents and thank you gifts.
- Under £50: a boxed Bar Soap paired with the Lip Balm, or a Liquid Soap for the host who has everything.
- Under £100: the Oval Soap Dish with a Bar Soap to sit in it, or a Dream Balm for real wow factor.
- The ultimate gift: an Eau de Parfum with its matching Dream Balm and Hand Beauty Cream, for a complete scent wardrobe in one fragrance.
How to layer Bienaimé for a longer lasting scent
Because the bath and beauty pieces share their fragrances with the perfumes, they are made for layering. Start with the Bar Soap or Liquid Soap in the shower, smooth on the Dream Balm while skin is still slightly warm, then finish with a spray of the matching Eau de Parfum. Keep the Hand Beauty Cream in your bag to refresh the scent through the day. Each layer is light on its own, but together they give your fragrance far more depth and staying power.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Bienaimé made?
The bar soaps are handmade in France, the liquid soaps in Provence, and the Dream Balms in the South of France. The Geisha Ritual blotting papers are made in Japan, and the ceramic soap dishes are handmade in Portugal.
Which Bienaimé scent should I choose?
Choose Jours Heureux for soft and cosy, Vermeil for powdery and glamorous, and La Vie en Fleurs for bright, fruity florals. If you are buying a gift and unsure, Jours Heureux is the most universally loved.
Is the packaging reusable?
Yes. The bar soap and hand cream boxes are designed to be kept as jewellery boxes, the liquid soap comes in a refillable glass bottle, and the Dream Balm jar can be reused once finished.
Is the Bienaimé bath and beauty range a good Christmas gift?
It is one of the best. Every piece is beautifully packaged and ready to give, with options from £15 up to show stopping sets.
Ready to treat yourself, or someone you love? Shop the full Bienaimé bath and beauty collection at Fiole, or explore everything from Bienaimé.
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