Why Do Handmade Soaps Cost So Much? (And why they're worth it.)

As someone who makes handmade soap, let me tell you why it costs a bit more and why it's absolutely worth it. 

When it comes to handmade soap, you’ll tend to find great ingredients that are carefully chosen and blended together in unique recipes. This means you're getting a luxurious product that's both effective and gentle on your skin. The only down side is that these high-quality ingredients do cost more than what's used in mass-produced soaps.

So, why do the ingredients cost more for handmade soaps? You might be thinking, "soap is soap, right?" Well, yes and no.

Firstly, of course the ingredients are going to cost more if a small batch soap maker is only able to buy in small amounts of 100g essential oils at a time whilst the big players will be buying in bulk of 100's of Litres or more.

Not only is the this a factor though, more importantly is the fact that there's huge differences in the ingredients used in supermarket and a handmade soap! Although all soaps are designed to cleanse your skin, handmade soaps made using the traditional cold process method are in a league of their own.

Because these small batch artisan soaps are crafted using a blend of butters and oils and are high in glycerin, they gently remove dirt and impurities from your skin without stripping away your body's natural oils. 

Take a look at the ingredients list on the back of a high street soap bar and compare it to what you'll find in a high-quality handmade soap from an artisans market. You'll likely see a bunch of synthetic chemicals and detergents in the big-brand soaps, like Olay, Dove, and Imperial Leather. In comparison, a handmade soap will contain a variety of nourishing oils like olive oil, sustainable palm oil, coconut oil, and even luxury ingredients like avocado oil, mango butter, hemp oil, cocoa butter, shea, and more.

Many small soap companies which moved into mass production such as Faith in Nature, The Little Soap Company and Eco Warrior have been able to do so by reducing their costs and simplifying the manufacturing process. They’ve done this by tweaking their formula to one which is (almost) entirely palm oil. Palm oil is a really good ingredient to have in soap - it bubbles, cleanses and moisturises all in one but you miss all of the benefits given by all of the other lovely ingredients available. Some other soaps might have a really high amount of coconut oil. Again, this is a lovely ingredient, it produces amazing big bubbles and has a really high cleansing quality - but it's so cleansing that most people find that this kind of a soap bar, without a careful balancing of oils and butters can be drying on the skin. 

So if you want a soap that's gentle, effective, and made with only the best ingredients, go ahead and try a small batch handmade soap. Ask the soap maker what’s in it and about the process - I bet they’d absolutely love to tell you all about it. 

In conclusion, the reason why handmade soap costs more and why it's totally worth it is because making handmade soap involves a lot of work and attention to detail. Your local artisan will have spent time formulating the perfect recipe, complying with legal labeling requirements, and creating beautiful packaging. Plus, factor in energy costs, high quality ingredients, curing time and storage space - you can see how it starts to all adds up.

If you’ve yet to try a handmade soap because you’re not sure that it’s worth it - throughout the month of June and July everyone who orders online will get a small sample in their parcels.

Our incredibly kind and gentle soaps are suitable for use all over the body.

Your skin will thank you and this small business thanks you too :)