Aveiro is built on a lagoon also known as the ria. In the 1900s the town’s economy grew, partly as a result of the yields of salt drawn from the canals and salt flats which can still bevisited today. The beautiful Art Nouveau buildings that line the canal in Aveiro were constructed at this tim, a sure fire sign of the growth in wealth of the city. Today, they house shops, museums, bars and hotels, but at one point they were homes as well as business headquarters.
Art Nouveau buildings along the canal
Salt or salt flower (flor de sal) is still available here and, of course, it’s widely used in cooking. For me, though, one of the more innovative uses is in the products made by a small local company known as Beleza do Sal (roughly translated this means the Beauty of/from Salt). Of course, their wonderful pink and white candy striped packaging caught my eye immediately. Yes, I’m a big fan of pink. If it’s not your colour, it shouldn’t put you off their products which I’m now a convert to, as are several friends and family as I buy them before every trip to England and include them in presents at birthdays and Christmas.
Their range includes olive oil and salt soaps fragranced with rosemary and lavender, cinnamon and coconut. The soaps lather up well, last a long time in the bathroom and smell great. Plus, the olive oil content is great for dry hands. There’s a stonkingly good face cream which only needs to be applied in small doses (budget friendly and beautifying!) as a little goes a long way. The fragrance of this facial moisturiser is quite simply divine. As the sun has come out for the first time this year in Aveiro, it’s reminded me that the summer months are approaching and it’s time to think about getting beach ready. Beleza do Sal’s exfoliating scrub really gets in under the skin, slewing away the untouched winter dry skin we all loathe. With its pretty packaging, this range is a wonderful start to summer in Aveiro with time spent on the beaches at Barra and Costa Nova.
Beleza do Sal’s products are available from their factory shop on Cais São Roque as well as in a number of shops in Aveiro.
Product images from Beleza do Sal’s facebook page.
potteringaroundportugal 
Love your products and bought some this summer in Aveiro but would like to buy more. Do you ship to California?
Abrigado,
Hi,
I don’t actually work for the soap company, I just love their products.
I’m not sure if they ship abroad but their email is belezadosal@gmail.com and they reply quickly on facebook https://m.facebook.com/belezadosal?ref=stream&sk=posts_to_page. Postage from here is pretty reasonable.
Hope that helps.
Thank you for responding and I will check with facebook.