The other day I messaged a few soap makers that I follow on Facebook, wondering about their homemade soap business – Soap SUDuction and Unforgettable Soaps.
So, I interviewed Marissa from Soap Suduction, and Lily and her husband Dana, who own Unforgettable Soaps.
They explained to me the process of how they make their soap, how they got their start in soap making, as well as how it’s going for them.
They told me about why their soap is much better for your skin than commercial products and the reasons their business is such a success!
I was amazed at how important each step was in the process, and why it’s so crucial to select quality ingredients. While I have made a batch or two of homemade soap in the past, it doesn’t compare to how high-quality these soaps are!
How did you get started making soap?
Tell me a little bit about your background, how you got into soap making, and what process you use to make your soap.
Soap SUDuction: “It all started in 2014 when I was frustratedly searching for wedding favors. I’ve been to weddings, we’ve all been there, so I wasn’t surprised by the number of cheap, plastic, junk-drawer materials selling like wildfire online.I just couldn’t see myself giving these disposable trinkets to our guests, which I knew would end up in a landfill for eternity.
So, I refined my search to ‘handmade’ and ‘healthy’ and soap popped up. I was mesmerized by the colors, fragrances, and textures. And so began my love for watching soap-making videos. The more soap-making videos I watched, the more I was drawn to the Soap Maker’s autonomy over the entire process; altering the technique, aromas, exfoliating properties, and raw ingredients.
After nearly a year of research, I created my first three batches (lavender, orange, and coconut) and gave them away as gifts for our wedding. Jump forward to two months later and I start getting a few random texts and calls, weekly. “I need to order 2 dozen lavender with oatmeal… do you ship to Arizona?” “I need a batch for my infant. She arrives in 3 months.” I tried for a few months to explain that I wasn’t a “real” Soap Maker. This isn’t serious…
I just wanted something special for my wedding guests. In the back of my mind, I thought – ‘if I ever get an order from Alaska or Hawaii, it’s on – I’m starting my own small business!‘Word-of-mouth spread over the Pacific Ocean and a beloved woman in Alaska heard about my handmade soaps from my dear friend here in the States.
I realized I was going to start my small soap-making business when I got my first soap order from Alaska and Norway!Now, I am a proud cold-process, vegan Soap Maker. I create handmade soaps from scratch in my kitchen using huge buckets, raw oils and butters, an emersion blender, and other useful tools to texturize and store my soaps.”
Soap SUDuction’s workspace
“My small business found me first, really, and using my master’s degree in business administration, I was able to create a sustainable business model around a dedicated following of people that were formerly suffering from skin conditions and medication side effects. They were now relying on ME to help them!”
Unforgettable Soaps“I was in the financial field for over 30 years before I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. My wife, who is a massage therapist with her own business, Somacentric, has very dry sensitive skin. We decided that we wanted to make a soap for her that was as organic as possible, and that’s where our journey began!We purchase most of the ingredients we use in our products locally. Our soaps are made using the cold process method.”
What is the cold process method for making soap?
The cold process of soap making is actually fairly simple. As long as your ingredients are measured properly, you just combine your oils, fats, and butters with your sodium hydroxide (or lye).
However, these two must be combined at just the right temperature. For most soap makers, this temperature is between 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit. Because sodium hydroxide heats up when added to water, it must cool down. And because oils, fats, and butters are often solid when cool, these must be heated up.
Once combined at the right temperature, these must be thoroughly mixed. After everything is mixed, a chemical process takes place. This is called saponification.
Saponification bonds all of the little molecules together, and because there are more oil molecules than sodium hydroxide molecules, there is no sodium hydroxide left over. This means that soap is perfectly safe for your skin! So really, the process of making soap is a science. How cool is that?!
Is soap making difficult, and what about it do you find most rewarding? What is the most difficult or least favorite part of soap making?
Soap Suduction“I would like to think that soap making is like most skills; it’s difficult if you don’t practice. The more you practice, the better you will be. Cold-process soap making is not rocket science, but it does require a lot of studying, patience, and intentionally incorporating lessons learned.”
What do you love most about soap making?
Soap SUDuction“I love challenges, which is probably why I love soap-making. You can mess up a batch in an instant because the success of your batch depends on the combination of your soap recipe, fragrances or essential oils, climate (temperature and humidity), technique (hand stir versus electric tools), timing, and so much more!
Everything must go right for you to create a successful batch, and if it doesn’t go right, you need to know how to respond effectively and efficiently to any misbehaving. Messing up a batch is costly, so learning is critical.
I’ve seen so many soap-making tutorial advertisements these days and I’m not sure they’re relaying the challenges that most soap makers will experience. There is no ‘one size fits all’ because of the endless combinations of inputs. Meaning that each soap recipe is uniquely different from the next.”
Unforgettable Soaps“The most rewarding part about soap making is having repeat customers coming back and telling us that our products not only look and smell great but make them feel great.”
What do you find difficult about making soap? What is your biggest struggle?
Soap SUDuctionMy biggest struggle is having a package lost by UPS. Because this is something I have no control over, it does make me anxious at times. I have found that I am very proud and attached of the artistic products I make, so if my products are ever ‘lost in transit’, I do become a little anxious.” 
Soap SUDuction mailing out her latest orders!
Thankfully losing products in the mail isn’t a common occurrence. But, it can a struggle for any business owner who ships their products.
How much time do you spend daily and weekly on your soap-making business?
Soap SUDuction“I spend roughly 10-15 hours each week, which is divvied between researching new soap-making processes, ordering supplies, marketing, soap-making, beveling, and sending out orders.”
Do you make a full-time income from your soap-making business, or is it just a profitable hobby?
Soap SUDuction“I am not able to rely solely on income made from my soap business because I work full-time. I am, however, looking forward to running this business full-time in retirement!”
Unforgettable Soaps “Because our business is only a year old, we don’t make enough to live solely on the income. My wife is able to supplement our living costs with her income as well. But, as our small business grows and we are able to market our products to ‘brick and mortar’ stores, making soap will become our primary source of income!” 
Unforgettable Soaps market stand
Soap SUDuction“If you want to start your own soap-making business, you should learn as much about it as possible. Talk to other soap makers about their experiences, and also ask yourself why you want to start a soap-making business in the first place. I think there are a lot of different directions you can go when you ask these questions.” 
Soap SUDuction soap bars!
Unforgettable Soaps“Start by watching videos of people on YouTube or other free online videos. YouTube is an endless source of knowledge that is free to everyone. I’ve found advice for things on how to change your car’s oil all the way to how to make the best macarons.
There are a lot of fantastic videos out there of people who break down the entire process of soap-making to very easy steps. Then just keep trying until you find something you like. The process of Trial and Error is key.
It will take a little bit of investment in both time and money to get started as every business does. You have to purchase everything from materials, ingredients, packaging, a website, and more. You also need to have lots of room to store everything. Like a LOT.”
But if you want to start a small business, then you will need a website, your own tools, plenty of materials, packaging, branding, and more. So before you do decide to jump into starting your own soap business, make sure you do all the research and learning before you get started.
What do you typically charge for each soap bar?
Typically you will see soap bars range from $4-6, or more, depending on the labor and materials required.
If you are interested in how to price your homemade soap, you can read more about the process of pricing soap, and you can even use my Soap Pricing Calculator to make the process even easier.
What other products do you sell besides soap?
Soap SUDuction“I make whipped lotions and solid lotions.“
Soap SUDuction whipped lotion
Unforgettable Soaps“Currently, we also sell lip balms, foaming sugar scrubs, and body butters in addition to the soap bars, soap massage bars, and specialty soap bars we sell.”
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How do you decide which ingredients to use, and where to buy them?
Soap SUDuction“I am selective about the ingredients I use because I am conscious of toxic chemicals on the skin and in the environment. All of my soaps are vegan; coconut oil, olive oil, and responsibly sourced palm oil (RSPO).
I made a decision almost immediately when beginning soap making to only use sustainable palm oil, as opposed to palm oil, because palm oil is destructive to the environment and the beautiful animals that rely on certain climates.
“Unforgettable Soaps”We’ve tested our ingredients through trial and error, and we came up with a recipe specifically for dried skin that contains hemp oil along with several other oils and butters that are meant to moisturize and hydrate the skin without being too oily.
The full list of ingredients is on our website as well as the back of all our products. We also make soaps bars that are hemp free.We try to keep our ingredients organic and natural, and we love to support out local community vendors/small businesses by buying from them. “
Why is this important?
Soap SUDuction“Despite the higher cost of RSPO, I made the decision at the beginning of my soap-making business to only use this type of palm oil. Because of the animal cruelty that occurs most often to orangutans from farming palm oil for big-box brands, I only use RSPO. The cost and competition may be higher, but it isn’t a tough decision.
My business thrives on sustainability, cruelty-free, and high-quality products. And I wouldn’t have it any other way! Fortunately, my business savvy and innovation allows me to cut unnecessary costs that won’t hurt my product or the environment, or negatively impact my customers. So they are getting the best price, and the best product on the market!
“Unforgettable Soaps“This is important to us as we are a small business too and understand the difficulties of staying aloft in a tumultuous economy.“
How do you package your product?
Soap SUDuction“When I first started selling soaps, I used plastic shrink wrap to package each soap. I am proud to say that I have worked hard to find the best sustainable alternatives to plastic . And I’ve stayed away from it for 4 years now!
Everything I package now is paper or recycled paper product. I have my signature pink Soap SUDuction box with my stamp on the inside. Plus a piece of purple tissue paper to gather the soaps together, and a thank you card for marketing purposes.“
Unforgettable Soaps“We are environmentally conscientious, so our soaps are packaged in cardboard which is biodegradable. Our body butters and foaming sugar scrubs are packaged in reusable plastic containers. We encourage our clients to recycle, and we’ve also recently started asking our customers to return their plastics to us for a discount.“
Unforgettable Soaps packaging
How and why is homemade soap better than store-bought? Why should someone purchase your soap?
Soap SUDuction “I have maintained a 5-star rating for over 8 years because my soaps are handmade by me in small quantities. This allows me to have full control over every aspect of production to ensure the highest-quality soap for your skin.I have worked really hard to create my own signature blend of oils and butters that help clean, heal, and protect skin from dryness, eczema, psoriasis and other sensitive skin issues.
I didn’t know my soaps would be so beneficial for those with sensitive skin, but now I have a huge following of people that have literally dumped their medications and replaced them with Soap SUDuction soaps. Many of these people have trusted Soap SUDuction soap bars and products post-surgical and even with their newborns.
My soaps have 5% Superfat (meaning there’s 5% oils left over after using my soap) and I use coconut oil, olive oil and sustainable palm oil.My soap is also outstanding on hair and for shaving because the lather is incredible. I am very close to my customers and love to be involved in creating custom orders for their special events; wedding showers, baby showers, open houses, and more.”
Unforgettable Soaps“Our soaps are not as harsh as mass-produced soaps can be on the skin. They are tailored to be moisturizing and hydrating for people with dry skin. In addition, our soaps are more fragrant and more decorative. Most importantly, our soaps do not contain chemicals or preservatives to make them last longer. So while the shelf-life may not be great for the apocalypse, they do last for quite a while and are more natural.”
Where can we find your store to purchase your products? And where can we find you on social media?
Soap SUDuctionCustomers are welcome to shop at my Shopify or email me directly to order.Shopify: (click the link below to go to the store)Soap SUDuction Shopify StoreEmail – [email protected]Facebook – Soap SUDuctionInstagram – soapsuduction
Special Notes:“I want to say a special Thank You to Nicole for featuring my small business so that I can continue to expand my business and deliver high-quality products to my beloved Customers. Thank you, also, to my Customers who continue to support me with your purchases, word-of-mouth, and social media support. Everything counts and I am a very happy Soaper because of you all!“
1 / 8cutting bars of soap
We are also at several locations as a booth for events; our website will have where we’ll be and the dates.You can find our whole selection of products at our online store on our website.
We are also on Facebook and Instagram, and if you have any questions, you can also contact us at our email address [email protected].
Website – Unforgettable Soaps
Facebook – Unforgettable Soaps
Instagram- unforgettablesoaps
Special notes:Covid-19 impacted us all, and divided many of us from friends and family. And then my family was affected. Because of my Parkinson’s, when someone in my family become sick we all had to quarantine, especially for my own health. But starting Unforgettable Soaps has been so freeing, and it has allowed me and my family to reconnect in a meaningful way.
We now spend more time together, laughing and enjoying our lives again. Selling our products has allowed us to serve friends, family, neighbors and even you! So thank you for taking the time to learn about our amazing products, and what we can do to serve you. We look forward to seeing you soon!
If you’ve ever tried soap or another product from Soap SUDuction, or Unforgettable Soaps, let me know how great your experience was! I’d love to hear about your favorite products.
