When the Bath & Body Works store near me had an amazing 8 for $25 CAD sale that I blogged about before in my Haul of Shame post, I couldn’t resist adding the Bath & Body Works Orchard Walk Gentle Anti-Bacterial Foaming Hand Soap to my shopping bag.

(One of my dear readers, Becca, asked me to review this soap first. I was more than happy to oblige!)

Despite it being green, this packaging isn’t usually what I gravitate toward when I go for my usual go-in-and-smell-everything trips to Bath & Body Works. (Normally anything with a bakery picture gets my attention.)

But, since this was a scent that I think is new, I didn’t want to overlook it in case it was something amazing. And thank goodness I gave it a try.

Find out why I recommend this hand soap!

Bath & Body Works Orchard Walk Gentle Anti-Bacterial Foaming Hand Soap Pictures

Bath & Body Works Orchard Walk Gentle Anti-Bacterial Foaming Hand Soap Ingredients

Claims: TRUSTED

√ Soft melon, apple blossoms, honeysuckle, raspberry musk & sheer woods.

Key Notes

• Name: Bath & Body Works Orchard Walk Gentle Anti-Bacterial Foaming Hand Soap
• Amount: 259 mL (8.75 fl. oz.)
• What I Paid: 8 for $25 CAD (on sale)
• Where to Buy: Bath & Body Works stores & Bath & Body Works website

Bath & Body Works Orchard Walk Gentle Anti-Bacterial Foaming Hand Soap Review

Fragrance

You should’ve seen me in the store, sniffing away. Yup, I’m one of those people who goes into the store, pops off the lid of nearly every single candle and takes a good whiff.

Usually salespeople will come up and ask if I need any help, but usually I say that I’m “just browsing”. Maybe next time I should say that I’m “just sniffing”. And the only help I need is how to curb my candle addiction.

This hand soap didn’t scream out to me, but I thought, what the heck, I may as well just experience it. I literally gave it a double-sniff (the equivalent of a double-take when a cutie passes by).

For some reason, because of the dark-green packaging, I was expecting this to smell like evergreens or trees.

Bath & Body Works Orchard Walk actually smells a lot like apples, but it’s not a Fresh Market Apple kind of scent. In other words, it doesn’t smell like a fresh, crisp apple that you’d bite into. It’s softer and feminine instead of being tart.

I’m not sure exactly what kind of apple scent it is, but maybe along the lines of Red Delicious because it’s sweet and definitely not like a Granny Smith or Macintosh.

Okay, so Bath & Body Works says that it has the scent of apple blossoms. I’ve never smelled them, but I do smell some sort of apple.

Then to soften everything, I detected floral notes, but it’s very delicate. (I get bad headaches with a lot of moderate-to-strong floral scents, but this one didn’t give me a headache at all, so I can assure you that it’s very, verrrry light!)

I can also smell a bit of the melon they say it has, and again, this adds to the sweetness, which blends beautifully with the apple (or apple blossom) note.

The raspberry musk I can detect very slightly, and perhaps it’s more the power of suggestion because I didn’t initially pick up on it until I read the fragrance information.

As for the sheer woods, I do get a slight scent that reminds me of the way leaves smell. No, not Leaves from Bath & Body Works, but actual leaves on trees. For some reason, this soap reminds me a little of walking in a forest on a sunny summer day. (I rarely do that, but the few times I did, it smelled a bit like this soap, which is very odd…haha!)

I wouldn’t call this scent a typical ‘green scent’ because the woods takes a back seat to the floral and melon notes.

This soap is also mild. You can easily appreciate the scent when you’re lathering up your hands at the sink, and when you rinse it off, the scent lingers, but it’s not overpowering. And it won’t compete with your eau de parfum, if you chose to wear one.

Efficacy

This soap cleansed my hands very well, which is a given with Bath & Body Works soaps. Even if my hands were greasy, this cut through. Although, if they’re super greasy, you may need to lather up twice, but that’s normal.

Packaging & Value

I had no trouble with the pump. It dispensed the right amount of product, and I liked how it foamed up so well. Foaming soaps are fun to use, but you do burn through them faster than the gel-type soaps.

Seasonal

As far as I know, this scent is only available for a limited time. In the winter, you may not see it around because this is a fall scent. Also, I have no idea if they’ll bring it back next year, so my advice is to stock up on it during a sale if you really love it.

Pros Interesting sweet & mild scent that combines floral, melon & other notes Fragrance lingers after rinsing, but doesn’t compete with an eau de parfum Foaming hand soap is fun to use! Cleans well

Cons You use up foaming soap faster than typical gel soap Seasonal scent (Once it’s gone, it might be gone forever.)

Final Verdict: 10/10

If you like sweet scents (but not super sweet like gourmand-type fragrances), you may really enjoy this. It has an apple scent that’s mild instead of the usual tart varieties that are commonplace. Combined with melon and florals, I think this scent is extremely well-balanced.

Have you tried any of the new fall hand soaps from Bath & Body Works? What fragrance surprised you? Is there a scent that you’ve never liked?