Marcel’s Green Soap Body Bar Argan & Oudh Review

I was moosepecting Marcel’s Green Soap Body Bar Argan & Oudh to smell good because I’ve already tried quite a few products by this brand and this scent has been the best so far. Spoiler alert! My moosepectations were met.

Other than the scent, this vegan body bar only seemed nice at first. Let’s start with not-so-natural ingredients first though.

Ingredients

100% vegan, 97% biodegradable, plastic-free formula and microplastic-free formula. According to the ingredient checkers, it’s also free from sulfates, alcohol, parabens, silicone, oils, fungal-acne-safe, and reef-safe. It does contain fragrance and colourants.

Marcel’s Green Soap Body Bar Argan & Oudh contains ingredients that can trigger eczema, rosacea, and acne, and cause dry skin. I find it quite interesting that actually only two ingredients are marked green: water and glycerin. The rest are red, orange, and grey and are cosmetic colourants, stabilizers, and masking agents.

Googling those C-somethings I found this:

“CI 12490 is a slightly toxic ingredient and has high restrictions because of the side effects it has.” (SpecialChem)

“CI 47005 is considered safe for use in cosmetics by the USFDA however, it is known to be irritating to the skin and eyes, and may be an endocrine disruptor affecting the hormone production in the body.” (SpecialChem)

“CI 77266 is safe to be used in cosmetics as long as it is in a concentration of not more than 10%. Since its only function is to add color to makeup products, there are no concerns regarding CI 77266 safety, and is also halal.” (SpecialChem)

“CI 77891 titanium dioxide is vegan, halal, non-toxic, and overall safe to be used in cosmetics. Its particles are large enough to not penetrate healthy skin and pose any dangers. However, CI 77891 is dangerous if inhaled and has shown an increased risk of lung cancer in animals.” (SpecialChem)

Not quite natural, is it now?

Full ingredients list:

Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Aqua, Glycerin, Parfum, Palm Kernel Acid, Sodium Chloride, Ci 77891, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Tetrasodium Edta, Ci 12490, Disodium Methylene Dinaphthalenesulfonate, Ci 47005, Ci 77266

Smell and Consistency

Marcel’s Green Soap Body Bar Argan & Oudh smells nice. Not quite the same as Marcel’s Green Soap Shower Gel Argan & Oudh, which is better in my experience, but still nice. Can’t complain here!

The body bar isn’t somehow different from a soap bar. It’s essentially a soap bar. Just a hard soap bar in a quite bright red colour.

Usage

Using Marcel’s Green Soap Body Bar Argan & Oudh is pretty straightforward. Go direct, go hands first, whatever foams your butt!

It does get quite foamy. Foamier than a regular soap, which is nice. It’s also just as slippery as a regular soap when wet.

This vegan body bar also works great as a… you guessed it! A simple hand soap. Using Marcel’s Green Soap Body Bar Argan & Oudh as a simple hand soap might be even better. Less cleaning and less dryness.

I found that it’s not that gentle and can even irritate certain body parts if used too much. Also, it does dry the skin. Maybe not as much as some other regular soaps, but still! Marcel’s Green Soap Body Bar Argan & Oudh coats both the body and bathtub (or shower) in this white film. This was especially visible on my dominant hand which always gets extra soapy during showers. My bathtub needed cleaning more often and looked like it hadn’t seen any cleaning for months in less than a week. Definitely not practical.

The brand’s website claims that this body bar “lasts as long as 3 bottles of shower gel”, but I disagree. Maybe they haven’t tested it with power users like me.

Packaging

Marcel’s Green Soap Body Bar Argan & Oudh comes in a recyclable cardboard box that has this drawer box thingy where the body bar is in and it slides out. Pretty neat! Just be careful not to drop it. It can slide out on its own from the weight when held vertically.

The box design is nice and colourful and holds a 150 g body bar. That’s the only variation available. No smaller or bigger options were made.

Price

Marcel’s Green Soap Body Bar Argan & Oudh is priced well, but the statement made on the brand’s website saying “The body bar lasts as long as 3 bottles of liquid shower gel. Yes, count your profits!” is just not true for me. Sure, it’s cheaper than a bottle of shower gel, by the same brand at least, but it doesn’t last that long with the way I use and how often I use it.

This is true in March 2025:

Price at Nula shop: €5,50
Price on Marcel’s Green Soap website: €4,99

Cheaper on the brand’s website, but counting the shipping costs, buying local is better for me anymoose.

Where It’s Made

The Netherlands.

Summary

🟢 100% vegan.
🟢 97% biodegradable ingredients.
🟢 Plastic-free and microplastic-free formula.
🟢 Free from sulfates, alcohol, parabens, silicone, oils, fungal-acne-safe, and reef-safe.
🟢 Smells nice and gets pretty foamy.
🟢 Can be used as a body bar and a regular hand soap.
🟢 Comes in a nicely designed recyclable cardboard box.

🔴 Contains fragrance, cosmetic colourants, stabilizers, and masking agents some of which can be toxic.
🔴 Can trigger eczema, rosacea, and acne, and cause dry skin. It did dry my skin a bit and irritated some more sensitive body parts.
🔴 Still 3% shy of 100% biodegradable ingredients.
🔴 It doesn’t last as long as claimed for me at least.
🔴 Leaves white residue on skin and bathtub.

Great idea, but not a great execution. This product seems like a bar of contradictions if we look at some of the ingredients that are pretty much toxic. All those unfavourable ingredients that are not even natural. It also made my skin quite dry and irritated certain body parts, so that’s not a great choice for me.

Would I Buy It Again?

No. Unless they change their ingredients.

#NOTSPONSORED

Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, a health expert, or some other kind of expert in ecology, medicine, or whatever. I’m just a regular dude (albeit smart and amazing) reviewing stuff based on my personal understanding, research, opinions, worldview, and unique experiences. Therefore, do your own research and consult any professionals if you, for whatever reason, have to before making any decisions. Also, what works for me might just not work for you, and that’s okay. Try it for yourself and you’ll know.