Below is information on some of the ingredients we most commonly use in our products. Though extensive, it is not exhaustive of every ingredient we have ever used in every single product. Ingredients lists for products currently being sold are available both on the product labels as well as the product description pages, and, in order to foster a community of informed consumers, we highly promote researching more about these fantastic ingredients for yourself. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with us via our Contact Us page. We hope this gives our customers a little insight into the purposes and benefits of some of our most-loved ingredients.

Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal has many purposes in the making of soap and skincare products. It is noted for its detoxifying and clarifying properties. It may also be used as a very gentle exfoliant as well as a natural colorant.

Aloe Extract

Aloe barbadensis Leaf Extract is renowned for its ability to soothe and moisturize and is used in many skin care products.

Apricot Kernel Oil

The oil of Prunus armeniaca is cold pressed from the pit of the apricot fruit. It is very similar to sweet almond oil, but it is more suitable for sensitive and mature skin. It’s a moisturizing oil that is readily absorbed into the skin without leaving any residue or oily feeling behind. It is very high in fatty acids, particularly Oleic Acid at 62-76%.

Argan Oil

This oil is well-known in the beauty industry. Argania spinosa is extracted via cold pressing of the Moroccan Argan Tree kernel. Argan oil is a very light oil and is easily absorbed by the skin, making it a crucial ingredient in moisturizing skin and hair care products. It contains tocopherols, phenols, carotenes, squalene making it a truly luxurious oil, and it is also very high in fatty acids, particularly in Oleic (43-49.1%) and Linoleic (29.3-36%).

Avocado Oil

Persea gratissima oil is cold pressed from the green flesh of the avocado fruit. Avocado oil is an emollient and a highly penetrating oil rich in vitamins like B1, B2, E, and A. It contains unsaturated fatty and essential fatty acids, making it an ideal ingredient for inclusion in skin care recipes intended for dry, dehydrated and mature skin.

Babassu Oil

Orbignya oleifera oil is expeller-pressed from the native Brazilian babassu palm tree found throughout the Amazon. It is an important resource to communities that rely on it for food, cosmetic, and traditional uses. This oil can be used in place of coconut oil or palm oil in cold process soap, adding the same firming and cleansing properties and large, fluffy bubbles in the lather. It readily melts into the skin making it a highly sought-after ingredient in skin-care products.

Bentonite Clay

Also known as Montmorillonite, this is a fine-grained, powdered clay that ranges in color from off-white to gray found in volcanic ash sediments and deposits. Bentonite is very unusual in the fact that once it becomes hydrated, the electrical and molecular components of the clay rapidly change and produce an electrical charge. It is often used in masks, muds, as a hardening and binding agent in bathbombs, and in shaving soaps to provide a lubricating and protective “slip” for the razor blade on the skin.

Castor Oil

Ricinus communis oil is expeller pressed from castor beans. It is a thick, sticky oil that acts as both a mild humectant, drawing moisture to the skin, and as a protective layer helping to keep moisture already present in the skin in place. It is used in soapmaking to provide a boost to the lather of soap.

Cocoa Butter

Theobroma cacao seed butter is an expeller-pressed solid plant fat from the seeds of the cacao tree, the same tree from which we get chocolate. Unrefined cocoa butter even has the mild scent of chocolate! It is a luxurious and moisturizing butter, high in fatty acids and antioxidants. These help fight off free-radical damage to the skin making it a ubiquitous ingredient in a vast array of skin care, hair care, and soap products.

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is often added to soaps and cosmetics, such as face masks and milk baths, because it is both a gentle cleansing agent and a hydrating moisturizer. It is packed with nutrients like potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C, E, and B, and it is a source of proteins and fatty acids. The sugar in the milk also provides a boost to soap lather.

Coconut Oil

Cocos nucifera oil, made from the seeds of the coconut tree, is primarily cultivated from Southeast Asia and the Philippines. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature and melts to a clear liquid oil at 76 ° F. It’s made up of various fatty acids, including saturated and non-saturated. In particular, coconut oil contains a large amount of lauric and myristic saturated acids. The unique fatty acid composition of coconut oil gives it fantastic cleansing properties, as well as moisturizing properties that act as a protective layer, retaining moisture in the skin. It is the number one lather-producing agent in soaps, generally used at a rate of 20-30% of the recipe. Coconut oil is a super cleansing addition that produces big, copious bubbles.

Colloidal Oatmeal

Avena sativa kernel flour, also know as colloidal oatmeal, is super-finely ground whole oats. It makes a soothing addition to soaps, masks, milk baths, and lotions and acts as a very gentle exfoliant.

Dulse Extract

Dulse is a red seaweed that typically is snacked on for its nutritional properties. It is harvested in the cool waters along Atlantic coast of Canada and also along the shores of Ireland and Norway. Its fronds grow in tidal areas on rocks, shells, and the larger, longer, brown seaweeds. Dulse is used for its natural antioxidant properties and abundance of vitamins B6, B12, C, E, and A. It’s an excellent source of phytochemicals and minerals, and a superior source of iodine. It also contains Alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, calcium, chromium, cobalt, iron, lutein, manganese, magnesium, niacin, phosphorous, potassium, riboflavin, selenium, silicon, sodium, tin, and zinc.

Evening Primrose Extract

Oenothera biennis is a common yellow wildflower found in North America, Europe, and parts of Asia, and it has been used throughout in Europe since the seventeenth century. With astringent and softening properties, it promotes the look of a clear, rejuvenated complexion. It is moisturizing, an emulsifier, and gentle enough for use on sensitive skin, making it an ideal ingredient in formulations for mature skin.

Glycerin

Vegetable-derived liquid glycerin is a multi-purpose ingredient that is used in many different soap and skin care recipes. Known as a humectant, this thick liquid protects the moisture in the skin, and its emollient-like properties can soften and soothe.

Goat’s Milk

Goat’s milk contains alpha-hydroxy acids such as lactic acid which help remove dead skin cells from the skin’s surface. This leaves new cells on the surface of skin that are smoother and younger looking. The alpha-hydroxy acids are so effective because they break down the bonds that hold the dead skin cells together. It’s high in Vitamin A, minerals, and in fats that give it a creamy, lush feel on the skin. The sugars in the milk also provide a boost to soap lather.

Grapeseed Oil

Light-weight, thin, and silky-smooth, Vitis vinifera oil is high in linoleic acid (at 65-85%) and antioxidants. It is cold pressed, absorbs into skin easily, and does not leave a greasy or oily feeling behind. It is great for use in facial creams and serums, lotions, and massage oils.

Honey

Honey is a wonderful, natural additive for soap that acts as a moisturizing humectant, contains antioxidants, and contains natural sugars that help boost lather in soaps. It has been used in beauty concoctions throughout history by figures from Cleopatra to Madam du Barry to Queen Anne. We use locally-sourced honey in our products.

Jojoba Oil

Simmondsia chinensis is a cold-pressed liquid plant wax made from the beans of a shrub-like plant. It is similarly structured to our skin’s own naturally-produced sebum and therefore absorbs easily and thoroughly without feeling heavy or leaving an oily residue. It is moisturizing and contributes to a stable lather in soaps.

Kaolin Clay

This clay is most commonly used in mineral makeup recipes but can also be used in a wide variety of bath and body products. It is the mildest of all clays and is suitable for people with sensitive skin. It helps stimulate circulation to the skin while gently exfoliating and cleansing it. It does not draw oils from the skin, so it can be used on dry skin types without negative results.

Kokum Butter

Garcinia indica seed butter is expeller pressed and refined and is indigenous to the Western Ghats region of India. It is often used as a substitute for cocoa butter due to its uniform triglyceride composition. Due to its high stearic acid content of around 40-45%, it’s commonly used as a thickener for lotions, creams, and body butters. It is also used in soaps, cosmetics, and toiletries. It is a dry, flaky, light-weight butter that is ultra-moisturizing and leaves your hair and skin feeling soft and silky.

Loofa

Loofa is the natural structural material of the Luffa cylindrica gourd and is a commonly used exfoliant. It is often found shredded or in “rounds” (slices of the tubular-shaped gourd).

Mallow Extract

Malva sylvestris is a Swiss apline flower that was cherished by the Ancient Romans for its soothing and protective properties to dry and sensitive skin. It is very rich in mucilages, polysaccharides, and tannins. It is prized for its moisturizing properties.

Mango Butter

Mangifera Indica seed butter is expeller pressed from seeds of the Mango tree and has a composition resembling shea and cocoa butters (with a slightly different fatty acid content). It has natural emollient properties and has traditionally been used in the rain forest and tropics for its moisturizing and smoothing properties. Mango butter is a great source of essential fatty acids, has beneficial moisturizing properties for lotions, and acts as a mild lubricant for the skin.

Olive Oil

Olea europaea is a cold-pressed oil and one of the oldest known culinary oils. It has been used in foods and beauty products around the Mediterranean Sea for millennia. The Egyptians and Ancient Grecians used olive oil for softer, shinier hair and to fight the early signs of ageing, as it contains four major antioxidants, including vitamins A and E. One of the most ancient of soap recipes, the pure Castile soap, is made of 100% olive oil and is one of the gentlest soaps a person can use.

Optiphen/Optiphen ND

Paraben- and formaldehyde-free, Optiphen protects against mold and bacteria and is a must-have for people who sell handmade bath and body products for any water-based product with a pH of 6 and lower. Optiphen ND is typically used in oil-based products with a pH of 4-8.

Palm Oil

Elaeis guineensis oil is used in soap to make a harder, whiter bar. When paired with coconut oil, it makes better, more stable lather. The use of palm oil can be controversial in soapmaking and environmental communities because of the destruction of wildlife habitat in Southeast Asia. That is why we partner with suppliers who ensure that any palm oil we purchase is sustainably sourced from members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil which supports growers who use responsible practices and offers education to growers and consumers alike on sustainable farming, harvesting, and consumer-purchasing practices. They also support movements to increase deforestation-free supply chains in Southeast Asia.

Phenonip

Phenonip is a formaldehyde-free liquid preservative used to inhibit a full range of microbial growth in creams, lotions, scrubs, etc and is a must-have for people who sell handmade bath and body products for any water-based product with a pH of 6 and lower and manufactured up to 200°F.

Polysorbate 80

Polysorbate 80 is a water-soluble emulsifier. It is a must-have product for bath bombs and bath oil. It helps moisturizing oils, essential oils, and color additives to mix into the water in the tub rather than pooling on top. It also helps prevent color from sticking to tub surfaces.

Poppy Seeds

Papaver somniferum seeds are harvested from the poppy flower. While most commonly used in the food industry, they are also used in soapmaking to provide intense exfoliation, especially for “rough” areas such as feet and elbows and should be used very gently on sensitive areas such as the face.

Rice Bran Oil

Oryza sativa oil is produced from the outer coating, or bran, when milling rice grains. In soapmaking, it’s a moisturizing oil that contains vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants such as tocopherols, tocotrienols, gamma oryzanol, phytosterols, polyphenols, and squalene. It also has a range of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. It contains proanthrocyanidins which protect collagen and elastin which in turn play in a large part in maintaining the suppleness of skin.

Rose Clay

Rose clay is considered a type of mild kaolin clay that is commonly used to clean and purify the skin. It has mild exfoliating powers and like all clays, helps to detoxify the skin by drawing impurities from pores.

Sea Buckthorn Extract

Hippophae rhamnoides extract comes from the berries, leaves, and seeds of the sea buckthorn plant, which is a small shrub that grows at high altitudes. It's moisturizing, full of vitamins C and E, and great for those with sensitive or mature skin. Its berries contain potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, folate, biotin, and vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, and E. More than half of the fat found in sea buckthorn oil is mono- and polyunsaturated fat, and many of its skin benefits come from its omega-3 and omega-7 content.

Shea Butter

Vitellaria paradoxa is an expeller-pressed, ivory-colored butter made from the nut of the African Shea tree. It has been loved for centuries in Africa for its skin-loving properties, where it has been used to hydrate skin which has been exposed to extreme elements. Shea butter is naturally rich in vitamins A and E as well as essential fatty acids and other vitamins and minerals, and it can be used either in conjunction with, or as a substitute for, cocoa butter. It has emollient properties and contains a high level of both oleic acid (40–60%) and stearic acid (20–50%).

Silk (Liquid or Tussah)

This additive gives soap more shine, more lather, and a nice "silky" feel. The silk we use is cruelty free as the fibers are collected from the leftover cocoons after the silk worms have emerged.

Sodium Lactate

Sodium lactate is a liquid salt derived from the fermentation of sugars found in corn and beets. It is added to the lye water solution in soapmaking for the purpose of hardening the soap faster making it easier to remove the soap from its mold.

Stearic Acid

Stearic Acid is derived via a hydrolysis extraction process. It is a white, waxy, natural acid found in animal and vegetable fats. We use SA derived from coconuts. It is used as an emulsifying agent in creams, lotions, deodorants, and most natural body care recipes, and it is used in soap (most often, shave soaps) to boost creamy, stable lather.

Sunflower Oil

Helianthus Annuus seed oil is a cold expeller-pressed, light-weight oil. It’s high in oleic acid (70-88%) and vitamins A, D, and E. It also has beneficial amounts of lecithin and unsaturated fatty acids, making it nourishing and conditioning for the skin.

Sweet Almond Oil

Prunus amygdalus dulcis oil is an expeller-pressed almond nut oil. It is a fantastic carrier oil and also makes a superb addition to body care products. When used in soap making, sweet amond oil saponifies easily and yields a mild soap with good lather. It contains fatty acids (especially high in oleic acid at 50-86%) as well as vitamins A and E, and it penetrates easily into the skin. It is an effective emollient for moisturizing the skin and hair.