Mistral Soap Brings French-Crafted Items to Highlands Town Center

The Del Mar Highlands Town Center celebrated the opening of Mistral Soap, a new fragrance and body care boutique, on Black Friday weekend.

Del Mar is now home to just one of three Mistral Soap shops. The Solana Beach-based soap store opened a second location in Los Angeles in 2001, but its products can be found in fine stores and boutiques across Canada and the U.S.

Mistral Soap was created from unlikely beginnings. Founder and president Mathew Tilker first began selling the soap in 1994 out of his mother’s home after he took a trip to Europe for a fellowship to study alternative cancer therapies. During a stay in Provence, France, Tilker crossed paths with a 70-year-old master soap maker who made handcrafted, natural-ingredient soaps according to a 300-year-old tradition. 

Over the next few years, Tilker returned to Provence many times to learn more and develop his own line. The company has grown to include a full line of Mistral-scented personal products including massage oils, bath gel, and lotions, and 30 different soap fragrances, still crafted with traditional techniques and natural ingredients.

Tilker believes the Del Mar clientele presents a great market for the new 700-square-foot boutique in the Highlands Town Center. The new location will sell Mistral, Diptyque, Nuxe, Caudalie, Annick Goutal, Creed, and Mariage Frères product lines as well as linens and kitchen items.

“The look and feel of the store is completely different from Solana Beach,” said Tilker. “We took our inspiration from designers like Jacqueline Morabito, who have a more contemporary view of Provencal design.” 

Mistral is currently in the process of hiring, accepting applications and resumes of those interested in the store. A grand opening celebration is tentatively planned for after the holiday season, but that does not mean you have to wait to enjoy Mistral products. Soaps and fragrance products will make great holiday gifts and stocking stuffers for men and women. 

• Address: 12925 El Camino Real, Suit J-0, San Diego, CA 
• Phone:  858-755-1675
• Website: mistralsoap.com
• Email: info@mistralsoap.com
• Facebook: Facebook.com/mistralsoap
• Twitter: @mistralsoap
• Hours: Temporary and subject to change, opens at 10:30 a.m., closes at 6 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, and 5-6 p.m. Sunday
• Payment Accepted: Cash, Debit, American Express, Discover, Visa, MasterCard
• Parking: Highlands Center lots
• Handicap Accessible: Yes
• Owner: Mathew Tilker
• Opening Date: Nov. 28, 2012