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I'm assuming that when one showers / bathes and uses a bar of soap but isn't concentrating on the smell, he would not need to make a bracha. (There is a similar M.Y. question about needing to make a bracha when entering a coffee shop.)

However, if one intentionally smells a bar of soap to enjoy its fragrance, what bracha should he make? Body soap has a combination of some natural products - sometimes aloe (a "fruit" plant - normally would have the bracha for smelling fruits); could be honey, might be oatmeal, wheat germ, and mostly it has chemical fragrances (is there any bracha ever made on synthetic fragrances?)

In short, what bracha should you make on bar soap?

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    Probably akin to a brachah on mugmar which a brachah isn’t made (OC 217:3).
    – Oliver
    Commented Nov 23, 2018 at 2:52
  • @Oliver I am unfamiliar with that term. However, the end of the paragraph says ולא על שמן העשוי להעביר את הזוהמא - Not on oil made to remove sweat. Soap is similar. So I think this may answer the question. You probably should post that as an answer, unless you're uncertain.
    – DanF
    Commented Nov 23, 2018 at 3:02
  • I’d compare your quote from סעיף א to your first paragraph. OTOH when you soap/lather to be clean and to be redolent of its fragrance my impression is that it’s closer to scented detergent.
    – Oliver
    Commented Nov 23, 2018 at 3:28
  • 2
    I learned there was no bracha on artificial smells, only on natural ones, i.e., no bracha on perfume for instance, see also here and there
    – mbloch
    Commented Nov 23, 2018 at 4:28
  • 1
    related: Bracha on Synthetic Smells
    – mbloch
    Commented Nov 23, 2018 at 4:29

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