Almost nine years ago, our little company started making bars of soap. It was our first product and, not to brag, but it was pretty great (okay, bragging a little bit). We started with a simple recipe of olive oil, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil. We only used certified organic ingredients and scented the bars with essential oils - most of which were also organic. Folks fell in love with our soap and over the years we've sold tens of thousands of those bars.
In time, we came to the conclusion that while we loved that original recipe, we could and should do better. We have always been an eco-conscious company and our inclusion of palm oil in our soap never sat well. We made an effort to seek out sustainably sourced palm but this never felt like enough and it became increasingly hard to find. If you aren't familiar with the ecological effects of palm oil, take a minute to learn more.
So, at the beginning of 2018, we began experimenting with new soap recipes. While going palm-free was a major focus, the reformulation was also about what we were adding to the bar and not just what we were taking away. We wanted a richer lather, more vitamins & nutrients for your skin, and we wanted new packaging that did a better job of telling our story.
After many iterations, we settled on a wonderful recipe that we believe is a significant evolution for our bar soap. We started with old favorites like organic coconut oil, organic extra virgin olive oil, and organic shea butter. Then we added new rich ingredients like sunflower, jojoba and avocado oils - all organic as well. You may recognize these from our body oil and hand salve products. These oils are full of skin loving vitamins and are incredibly moisturizing. Finally, we added organic castor oil to help create a fuller, longer lasting lather.
To top it off we worked with the folks at YourBoxSolutions to develop a holster style box for the bar (goodbye paper labels and glue sticks). These beautiful boxes provide better protection for the soap during shipping, they give us more room to tell our story, they look fantastic on a shelf, and they allow us to be creative with styling the tops of the bars.
The result is a luxurious bar of soap that is more durable in a retail environment, more sustainable and eco-friendly, and more engaging for your customers.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions about our bar soaps or any Whispering Willow products.
Be Well,