by Tony Ndakoh

Created on: December 20, 2009

Today's society is more inclined towards flashy things, than those that actually work. It is sad, but that is the path mankind is taking. If someone just comes up with some crappy but beautifully packaged product tomorrow, it is obvious the market will rush for it, irrespective of how well it meets the need(s) its creators sought to satisfy. Shower gels are a whole lot of bragging, but to be honest, they really don't provide any real 'cleaning' advantages over our more subtle soap bars. Why then do people love them so much? I'll tell you why.

Firstly,  shower gels come pretty much more customized and beautifully packaged than soap bars do. Imagine the different bottle shapes, sizes, colors, labels...these all catch the eye. Like I said earlier, people are more inclined to pay attention to the physical features of a product, than its actual attributes and abilities, on first meet. It's a reality in life. Soap bars come mostly in their traditional card-box cases. I want to believe the eyes are just too tired of having the same thing time and time again. Over time, innovation has brought about soap bars with different shapes, sizes and all that, but the packaging has pretty much been the same (apart from a few plastic cases, which have caught quite a handful of eyes). Therefore, I have good reason to believe people go for gels firstly on the basis of their physical attributes, and this of course puts soap bars at a disadvantage.

Secondly, gels have another 'great advantage' over soap bars: their wide range of colours and fragrances. It's kind of a series of spontaneous actions: nice colored gel in an attractive bottle - first reaction: pick up the bottle, just to hold and feel it. How lovely! Next, how does it smell? Open it up, smell it, either love or hate it. That's how it works. People who use bars use pretty much the same brand every time. Adventurers go for gels. If they get a better fragrance tomorrow, the previous one is ditched, simple. Shower gels may leave some pretty refreshing after-bath/shower scent and feel, but on the basis of the basics: better cleaning, bars are on the ball.

Thirdly, bars are generally more cost effective: on production, usage, and environmentally friendly bases. If a bottle of gel takes a week to use up completely, a bar usually will take about twice that long. Also, I normally will shower/bathe faster using a soap bar, than gel. Gels are pretty much for lazy and slow people who love spending ages in the shower/bath. I

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