The Soap Co.

Do you recall the DINKS* days? During this time I developed an unhealthy obsession with luxury smellies. Jo Malone candles were burnt in each room, and Molton Brown goodies were a staple. But, since the arrival of Daisy, these little luxuries have been relegated to place of, for guests only #firstworldproblems. So to my delight I recently discovered a minimalist luxury soap brand that is reasonably priced, and through it’s production transforms lives. The Soap Co. is a social enterprise, giving work to blind or otherwise disabled people.

66% of people of working age and with sight loss are unemployed, compared to 5.1% of the general population**. Many people come to The Soap Co. having been unemployed for long periods beforehand. The aim is to give training and support alongside employment, so they can build up their skills and confidence. The hope is that they can equip their workers so that they are able to move on to another job in a more “mainstream” organisation, so they can be fully engaged with their community. All the profits go back into the business, so they can create even more jobs.

The Soap Co. have 3 incredible scents; Black Poppy & Wild Fig, White Tea and Citrus. These can be bought as a hand wash, hand lotion and a bar of soap. They try to keep a low-carbon footprint, so where possible everything, ingredients, bottles and labels, are sourced from the UK. The products too are made here in the UK. The liquid soaps and washes are made here in London, E4 and the soap bars in Keswick by the traditional cold pressed method. They are all free from colour, parabens and nasties. I wanted to find out more so I caught up with Kate Watson their Social Enterprise Project Manager.

What inspired you to set up a luxury soap brand? We were inspired to talk to the general public in a way that hadn’t happened before. The charity began in 1854, with Queen Victoria as its first patron. Historically it has made products for other people, so creating The Soap Co. was an opportunity for us to talk directly to the general public and share our products and our values more widely. And luxury? We think it’s really important to create an amazing product first and foremost, with our story and social mission as an added bonus, so we went all out on creating the very best products and packaging that we could!

What are some of the biggest challenges since the launch in September? We’re a small team of 2 ½ people! Balancing our time between the essential work that’s needed to keep the business running, as well as finding time to pursue all our ideas has been a challenge! As a new brand it’s also difficult to find the right stockists to get our products out to as many people as possible, also to speak to the people who can make that happen. We know that more and more consumers are aware of the story and the ethics behind different brands. Also, that people want to buy our products, the response on social media has been phenomenal! From that feedback we know our customers want to see us in John Lewis, Oliver Bonas and in luxury hotels, so we’re making this our mission!

Can you give us a sneak preview of what’s next? Are there any new scents coming? As well as selling directly to the public we supply offices, hotels and gyms, and they have asked for a body wash, so that’s what we’ll launch next. There are exciting new scents and product types in the pipeline, too – we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as each is ready!

*Double income no kids

** Statistics from RNIB

For more information please visit – www.thesoapco.org

Twitter – https://twitter.com/_thesoapco

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thesoapcouk

Photos N4 Mummy & The Soap Co.