Clear Ground Cleansing Bar

Clearing isn't the same as stripping.

Clear Ground is Acquavena Organics' third cleansing bar, and its most purposeful. Built for oily, congested, and combination skin, it works at the surface and below it: drawing out impurities with kaolin clay, regulating excess sebum with jojoba's largely unsaponified wax esters, and supporting the skin's own clearing process with a concentrated burdock root complex at twice the strength of any other bar in the collection.

Dandelion root. Burdock root. Green tea. Three roots simmered separately into deep botanical infusions, strained, and chilled before they ever touch the soap batch. The lye dissolves directly into these infusions, drawing the plants into every molecule of the bar at the most fundamental level. There is no plain water in this recipe. There never has been.

The result is a bar that works without announcing itself. Clean and direct. A substantial lather, a thorough rinse, and skin that feels settled, not stripped, after. The scent opens with eucalyptus and peppermint: bright, green, awake. Tea tree grounds the mid-note. Steam-distilled lemon carries the dry-down to something clean and quiet.

It wears like a window left open on a clear morning.

How It's Made

Clear Ground is handcrafted in small batches at the Acquavena Organics studio. The saponification process is completed during the cook, which means the kaolin clay, botanical extracts, rosehip superfat, and fragrance blend are added only after all lye activity has ceased. Nothing is lost to the chemistry. Everything added at the mashing stage is fully preserved.

The lye doesn't dissolve in plain water. It dissolves in a blended infusion of green tea, dandelion root, and burdock root, each simmered separately, combined, and chilled before use. The kaolin clay that follows at the mashing stage adsorbs what the botanical water prepared the skin to release.

Cure time is a minimum of two weeks. At four weeks, the bar reaches its peak: harder, denser, with a richer lather and a cleaner rinse that lasts significantly longer.

Learn how every bar is made →

The Botanicals

Burdock Root (elevated) (Arctium lappa)

A deeply clarifying root long valued for congested, oily, and blemish-prone skin. In Clear Ground, burdock enters the formula twice and at higher concentration than in any other bar in the collection: as a simmered infusion forming the lye water, and as a standardised glycerin extract added post-cook. The elevated rate reflects the bar's skin purpose.

Dandelion Root (Taraxacum officinale)

Rich in vitamins A, C, and K. Forms part of the botanical lye water at the foundational stage, and re-enters as a concentrated post-cook extract at the mashing stage.

Green Tea (Camellia sinensis, 50% EGCG)

The most antioxidant-dense botanical in the formula. Used as part of the primary lye infusion and again as a concentrated powder extract added post-cook. Supports the skin's defense against environmental stressors and contributes the bar's fresh, green undercurrent.

Kaolin Clay (cosmetic grade, white)

Added post-cook in a slurry with rosehip oil to prevent clumping. Gently adsorbs pore-level impurities without disrupting the skin barrier. Gives Clear Ground its pale, matte finish and contributes a noticeably lighter, cleaner rinse feel.

Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis)

Technically a liquid wax ester, not an oil. A significant portion remains unsaponified in the finished bar, depositing on skin as a light, non-comedogenic film. Its wax esters are structurally similar to human sebum, making jojoba a regulating ingredient rather than simply a moisturising one. Particularly relevant for oily and combination skin.

Rosehip Seed Oil (Rosa canina)

The sole superfat, added post-cook and fully intact. Rich in essential fatty acids and naturally occurring vitamin A precursors. Conditions skin after cleansing without adding heaviness.

The Fragrance

Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia): clean, herbal, clarifying. The backbone of the blend. Australian origin. Eucalyptus(Eucalyptus globulus): sharp, camphor-green, opening. Australian origin. Lemon Peel Oil (steam-distilled): bright, clean, citrus-sharp. Always steam-distilled for photosafety. Peppermint (Mentha piperita): cool, bright, fleeting top note. Fades first during cure; holds in the first lather.

Opens eucalyptus-bright and cool. Tea tree rises through the middle. Lemon carries the dry-down to something clean and still. It smells like clarity.

How to Use

Wet skin with warm water. Rub the bar between palms or directly onto skin to build a lather. Massage in gentle circular motions, focusing on congested areas, then rinse thoroughly. Pat dry and store on a draining soap dish between uses. Suitable for face and body.

Key Details

• Bar weight: 4 oz (113g)
• Process: Small-batch crafted
• Cure time: Minimum 2 weeks; 4 weeks optimal
• Superfat: Rosehip seed oil (2%), post-cook and fully preserved
• Skin type: Oily, combination, and congested skin
• Free from: Parabens, sulfates, synthetic phthalates, artificial dyes

Oil Blend: Certified organic virgin coconut oil · RSPO-certified sustainable palm fruit oil · Unrefined fair-trade shea butter · Organic cocoa butter · Cold-pressed organic jojoba oil · Cold-pressed castor oil · Organic rosehip seed oil (superfat)

Full INCI: Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Palmate, Sodium Shea Butterate, Sodium Cocoa Butterate, Sodium Castorate, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Taraxacum Officinale Root Water, Arctium Lappa Root Water, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Kaolin, Rosa Canina (Rosehip) Fruit Oil, Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Arctium Lappa Root Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Taraxacum Officinale Root Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract.

Clear Ground is part of the Acquavena Botanical Cleansing Bar collection. Each bar is built on a distinct botanical identity and skin purpose.

 Explore the full collection →