I have, over the past few years of fairly constant travel, let lapse what used to be an integral part of my daily skincare ritual. Having re-started it recently upon the release of the reformulated Bath Essences, and remembered the soothing and uplifting effect it has on not just my insanely sensitive skin but my whole being, I am definitely wondering why I let it slip out of my routine.

Because the secret is that the Bath Essences are not only an aromatherapy experience for baths – which they most definitely are – but the magic of them is as part of the cleansing process, to steam the skin & open the pores while cleansing as well as deeply breathing in the heavenly aroma. It’s so easy to skip this when you’re in a hurry but the skin and soul-healing benefits every morning cannot be overstated. As I now remember.

This video uses two hot compresses wrung out from the warm water with essence added, but I use three – just because it smells so damn amazing, really – and breathe them in for a minute or so each, before the cold compress.

If you’re just discovering these, the Bath Essence Sampler Set is great to work out which your favourites are. Thanks to the lovelies at Dr Hauschka, these reminded me of what I adored in the old formulations and introduced new twists in the scents. There are four of the essences in the sample pack, and the remaining two, Sage Purifying and Spruce Warming (perfect for winter) can be purchased separately.

The essences in the sampler pack are an exact match to the wonderful body washes mentioned previously and also some of the body oils and body moisturisers, all created by the unparalleled Dr Hauschka perfumer, Jörg Zimmermann.