This all started with a bar of artisan soap given to us as a gift …
This all started with a bar of artisan soap given to us as a gift. That single bar of soap was transformative in the sense that it showed us what good soap truly was, but it was more than that. In this one beautiful bar of soap, a seemingly simple cleansing product, we saw how soap could be harnessed to provide a much more holistic experience, appealing to the body, eye and nose as well, compared to the major store-bought brands.
This led to experimentation within our own kitchen to make our own soap. What makes a good recipe? What is the general process? How do you make the pretty swirling patterns? As we learned more, we experimented with other products as well...driven by a desire to make good and beautiful handcrafted products where we know what they contain, and that also evoke an experience for the user. We believe that color and smell evoke emotions and memories. Standing in the shower in the winter months with a bar of lilac soap may remind someone of their grandmother’s garden from their childhood days and for others, the reminder that spring will return with a flourish of smells and colors. We find great joy and inspiration in nature and its power to rejuvenate the soul. Our mission is simple...to share this joy with you and what we have learned along the way.
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Nature + Science,
meet the body
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Our mission is simple...to share this joy with you and what we have learned along the way.
We each have over 25 years of experience engaged in the practice of science. This has taken many forms particularly in education where we have participated both as students and educators in the fields of chemistry and biochemistry. Our laboratory experience extends broadly from synthesis to analysis to new product development in many different industries. Always central to these activities has been the application of knowledge gleaned from nature in order to make human lives richer and more healthful. We are excited to now be leveraging these experiences towards producing everyday products that make people’s lives more healthy and fulfilling.
About the Ingredients We Use
Our soaps are handcrafted using cold-process techniques. Most of our soaps have a foundation composed of coconut oil and lanolin. Coconut oil is a good cleanser, produces a nice lather, and adds hardness to the soap. Lanolin is a wax secreted by sheep that has water-proofing properties that help sheep shed water from their wool. In cosmetics, lanolin can be used to protect and beautify the skin.
Beeswax
Beeswax is a natural wax produced by honeybees that has a long history of use by humans. In our products, it serves as both a superior wax for our candles and a barrier cream in our lip balm and salve. These properties originate from the unique blend of long chain fatty esters produced by the bees. Candles produced from beeswax are known to be among the cleanest burning of typical waxes producing a cleaning living environment.The water proofing and moisturizing properties of beeswax in cosmetic products are unparalleled. And most of all, the terroir of beeswax is just a delight to smell.
Color + Pigment
The world around us is full of vibrant colors that we try to emulate in our products. With that said, we use oxide pigments and micas to color our products while avoiding the use of lakes and dyes. Lakes and dyes are small organic molecules that are typically occluded onto an inert binder like a salt. While useful in many products and generally considered safe, they are not generally very stable, can leach (water soluble) into materials other than what is desired and carry the liability of being an organic molecule with potential biological properties. The oxide pigments and micas we use tend to be very stable and safe because they are essentially ground up rocks. While they are generally synthetic (lab-made) to avoid issues of contamination, they are associated with little concern of leaching and toxicity due to low water solubility.
Fragrances
Let’s talk about fragrances for a moment. Essential oils are the natural scents that are isolated from things in nature through extraction processes like steam distillation. Fragrance oils are synthetic...man-made. Most of our soaps will use these synthetic fragrance oils simply because they tend to be more stable in cold process soaps and there are a lot more options from which to choose for beautiful aromas. We do use essential oils in some soaps, but more so in our bath bombs and shower discs. Keep in mind that often the fragrances from these essential oils fade more quickly, which is why bath bombs and shower discs are typically made to order. If an essential oil is used in one of our products, they will specifically be listed as an ingredient in the product whereas synthetic fragrances are listed simply as “fragrance”.
Charcoal
Charcoal has a storied association with purification. In the laboratory, we use it to remove color and impurities in various processes. This property is due to the absorptive properties of this material. Essentially things like to stick to the surface of finely divided charcoal and not come off. This cleansing property has made charcoal a favorite for cosmetics in recent years.
Epsom salt
Epsom salt is a common name for the salt, magnesium sulfate, named after the area in England where it was first isolated. It has a long tradition of being used in relaxing bath soaks. The magnesium is absorbed to some extent through the skin and is often touted to provide a wide range of soothing effects. We like to add other goodies into our bath salts to provide an experience rich in aroma in addition to soothing the muscles.
Coconut + Lanolin
Our soaps are handcrafted using cold-process techniques. Most of our soaps have a foundation composed of coconut oil and lanolin. Coconut oil is a good cleanser, produces a nice lather, and adds hardness to the soap. Lanolin is a wax secreted by sheep that has water-proofing properties that help sheep shed water from their wool. In cosmetics, lanolin can be used to protect and beautify the skin.