Aesop Reverence Aromatique Exfoliating Hand Wash | Exfoliating Hand Soap with Finely Milled Pumice | Gentle Cleansing & Skin-Smoothing Formula with Vetiver, Petitgrain & Bergamot | 500mL / 16.9 oz

Why it's worth it

Aesop's exfoliating hand wash sits by the sink in amber packaging that people notice and compliment. It's a genuine luxury they'd probably never buy for themselves, and in a few months it's gone — no shelf space claimed, no guilt about regifting it.

A consumable is the safest gift you can hand a minimalist, and this is the nicest one. Their whole objection to presents is permanence. Soap solves that. It gets used, it runs out, and the only thing left is the memory that you picked well. Aesop has been running the same amber-bottle, plain-serif look since it started in Melbourne in 1987, and it's won multiple Wallpaper* Design Awards for that packaging alone.

The formula earns the bottle. Finely milled pumice gives it a light grit, so it actually scrubs off garden dirt or bike grease rather than just smelling nice. The scent is vetiver, petitgrain and bergamot — woody and smoky rather than floral or sweet. That's a meaningful advantage for gifting, because a lot of people who'd wrinkle their nose at a perfumed soap are fine with something that smells like a woodshop.

From our review of 8 gifts for minimalists

What we like

• +A consumable is the safest gift you can hand a minimalist, and this is the nicest one
• +The formula earns the bottle
• +It's vegan, paraben-free and cruelty-free, and Aesop says the bottles use at least 97% recycled plastic
• +It also unwraps well, which matters more than people admit

What to know

• –It's expensive for hand soap, and everyone knows it
• –The bottle is plastic, not glass
• –Scent is always a coin flip