# Recommended Suppliers for the UK



## AcornSky

As promised on another thread, I am starting this thread so that those of us in the UK can share our favourite suppliers and hopefully make some great discoveries.

My favourite online shops for all things soapy are Gracefruit, The Soap Kitchen and Plush Folly.  Oh, and Naturally Thinking for essential oils and flower waters.  There are others, and I'll add them later.

robosqu1d found unrefined palm oil in Asda.

nframe said "I am in the UK too and a very good supplier of essential oils is Fresh Skin (Freshskin Beauty | Invigorate your mind, body and soul).  Postage is free in the UK."

Rowan said "Another company that could be tried for soap supplies in the UK, is  soapmakers store. Unfortunately I can't do a link, but if you do a  search on the name it will come up. They don't have as large a stock as  soap kitchen, but they are cheaper on most products. It's still  expensive for shipping though. "   I think this is the one:  Soap Making Supplies & Ingredients | Soapmakers Store UK

Please, share your secrets!!

This is another of my favourites - Of a Simple Nature.  Unfortunately they often close down for a while to catch up on orders, but if you catch them open they have a fantastic stock of unusual oils and butters, postage starts at £3.75, and when I used them they were very fast indeed.


Talking about speed of delivery, The Soap Kitchen has a rather weird policy which amounts to 'if you don't pay for express shipping you'll get it when we get around to it', which really annoys me, but the only time I have placed a non-express order I did receive it very quickly.  They do give an up-to-date estimate of how long it will take them to dispatch, but then add that that might change between you placing the order and them sending it!


----------



## Miha Engblom

Hello! I am from Finland, but I have been buying from the soapmakers store and the costumer service is great, and at the moment they have very cheap cocnut oil... something like 3,6 £ per kg or something... i like also their FG cocoa butter... 
Another great uk shop is fresholi, i think that the CS is great there also. 
I am also buying from manske-shop.com in germany, the cs is poor when you call them, I mean the lady might get a little bit weird ... i do not know... i think that she is not directly a very mild girl, but they sheep pretty decently fast, the shipping fees are not high and they have a large range of good price soap making oils, nice FO; EO ,moulds etc.. pretty much everything one needs in this bussines...


----------



## Rowan

Thanks Acornsky, this will be a great help in locating supplies. Someone else recommended www.u-makeitup.com for mica's, unfortunately I can't find that person's name. They seem reasonable in price and she said her colours stayed true. Has anyone else used them? 

Does anyone know of a good place to find a good silicone log mould like brambleberry's 10" mould? I must admit to the odd drool or two when looking at their supplies too!


----------



## welsh black

I really envy the supplies you can get in USA, I too , are looking for micas .  Haven't used them yet, so I'll look at the web you suggest.  At the moment I use
Just a soap
Soap posh
Soap makers store
Bonymans for lye


----------



## saffy

Guild of craft soap and toiletry makers http://www.gcstm.co.uk has a good web site, with advice on regulatory aspects if you plan to sell.


----------



## nframe

Rowan said:


> Thanks Acornsky, this will be a great help in locating supplies. Someone else recommended www.u-makeitup.com for mica's, unfortunately I can't find that person's name. They seem reasonable in price and she said her colours stayed true. Has anyone else used them?
> 
> Does anyone know of a good place to find a good silicone log mould like brambleberry's 10" mould? I must admit to the odd drool or two when looking at their supplies too!



I have just bought some mica powders from U-makeitup.com.  It is a UK company based in Spain.  The micas look lovely but I have not tried them yet.

I have used most of the UK-based shops mentioned in the various threads.  Another one I have used is in France.  Here is their link: http://www.aroma-zone.com/.  Postage to the UK is free if your order is over 59 euros (which is very easy to achieve).  As for the Bramleberry log mould, I found it (in Holland this time), at http://www.youwish.nl/.  Unfortunately, postage is not free and it is quite expensive.

Another very cheap shop for coconut oil and palm oil in the UK is http://www.hfoster.co.uk/online-shop.  They cost £1.95 a kilo but postage is not free!

As somebody said, the Americans are lucky, they have so many suppliers.  One of them (Essential Depot) have told me that they are going to open a shop in the UK in October so... let's keep our fingers crossed!


----------



## Saponista

I bought Micas from u make it up.com.  They are the best I've found so far, they are really strong vibrant colours and go a long way. You only need the tiniest bit. All the ones I've tried so far have been stable in CP soap. The titanium dioxide and other oxides were reasonably priced too.


----------



## Ravenscourt Apothecary

AcornSky said:


> nframe said "I am in the UK too and a very good supplier of essential oils is Fresh Skin (http://www.freshskin.co.uk/).  Postage is free in the UK."



I second that about Fresh Skin, they are pretty amazing when it comes to essential oils, carrier oils and various other luxury oils (think jojoba, rosehip oil, etc).
Another fantastic supplier is Mystic Moments, despite the cheesy name they have great cosmetic clays and butters on hand, and use free first class shipping. 

Also KTC is the brand to go for coconut oil. They sell gigantic 10 liter vats of it on Amazon, but you can always find 250 ml bottles or 500 ml jars of it in little ethnic shops.


----------



## AcornSky

Oh - I've used Mystic Moments on Amazon, but I have Prime and not all their stock is available on Prime, so I have been limited.  Thanks for that!

(Edited to add that now I've explored it I do recognise their website, but I had been put off by the fact that all the items are listed at £0.00 - I thought it was unfinished.  I see now that you need to look at the item and choose a size before you see the price.  Thanks for making me do that!)


----------



## Ravenscourt Apothecary

AcornSky said:


> Oh - I've used Mystic Moments on Amazon, but I have Prime and not all their stock is available on Prime, so I have been limited.  Thanks for that!
> 
> (Edited to add that now I've explored it I do recognise their website, but I had been put off by the fact that all the items are listed at £0.00 - I thought it was unfinished.  I see now that you need to look at the item and choose a size before you see the price.  Thanks for making me do that!)



I always just buy from them on eBay but I linked it to their website in my post. Good to know it led to some positive results for you though!

Oh and Mistral Chemicals sell lab grade lye in large quantities, and last I ordered, were offering free shipping on any purchase. They have other stuff as well (vegetable glycerin, dyes, fragrances, various other chemicals).


----------



## Saponista

http://www.freshskin.co.uk

These are good for essential oils, they also have an ebay store.


----------



## welsh black

I usually use Eo s for soap and such, but want to try some FO,s .  I've tried some in the past from several suppliers and some smell is cheap and nasty.  I don't mind paying a bit more for something joe Malone,  (if you get my meaning).  Any suggestions as I've got a draw full of FO,s that I need to throw away.  The makes I don't like are gracefrui.

JAS is ok on some fragrences but they don't do the scent that I'm looking for.
Thanks in anticipation


----------



## Birdie Wife

I use Mystic Moments for EOs,Just a Soap for bulk oils and packaging, Gracefruit for various chemicals including preservatives and Soap Kitchen is good too.  I found it useful to make a spreadsheet with the ingredients I order mist and compare prices for all the suppliers.  I live in the Highlands so postage is often a major factor in what suppliers I use.

Dormex looks good for a range of packaging but they don't have prices on the website and you cant order oine, which is a drawback for me as I also have a fulltime job and put through orders in the evening. Maybe if I was a bit more organised I could do some email correspondence with them...!


----------



## Rowan

nframe said:


> I have just bought some mica powders from U-makeitup.com.  It is a UK company based in Spain.  The micas look lovely but I have not tried them yet.
> 
> I have used most of the UK-based shops mentioned in the various threads.  Another one I have used is in France.  Here is their link: http://www.aroma-zone.com/.  Postage to the UK is free if your order is over 59 euros (which is very easy to achieve).  As for the Bramleberry log mould, I found it (in Holland this time), at http://www.youwish.nl/.  Unfortunately, postage is not free and it is quite expensive.
> 
> Another very cheap shop for coconut oil and palm oil in the UK is http://www.hfoster.co.uk/online-shop.  They cost £1.95 a kilo but postage is not free!
> 
> As somebody said, the Americans are lucky, they have so many suppliers.  One of them (Essential Depot) have told me that they are going to open a shop in the UK in October so... let's keep our fingers crossed!



Thanks nframe, I looked up the brambleberry mould in uwish.  You were right, the postage did make it very expensive......sigh!

That's really great news about Essential Depot..... I will definitely keep my fingers crossed. Can't wait to see what they will be selling!

Loved the link for hfoster. Great prices. I would be really tempted to order a larger amount of oils and freeze what I can!


----------



## robosqu1d

nframe said:


> Another very cheap shop for coconut oil and palm oil in the UK is http://www.hfoster.co.uk/online-shop.



Many thanks nframe (you are so much better than google!)   I've just ordered shea butter, coconut oil and palm oil from H Foster - good prices even with the delivery cost.


----------



## Sallyj

Hi, I am in Ireland and it is so hard to get supplies here. Mine come mostly from the UK.

Just to let everyone know I have found a fantastic company for pots, tubs ect. I ordered a lot of 50ml mushroom pots, very good price. Anyway I was having trouble getting lotion tubes. I ordered a couple of times from of a simple nature but she never had enough. So I rang the company I got the mushroom pots from and explained what I needed. Within a week they had not only sourced them, sent me a sample but also delivered 200 to me at a very very good price! They are called The Plastic Bottles Company and are based in Cumbria.

The customer service is fantastic and if it isn't on the website is well worth giving them a ring or email.


----------



## Saponista

Thanks Sally, that's really useful


----------



## eucalypta

I'm running a Dutch Soap Forum; and the first "sticky" under the "shopping/business" forum is "Suppliers" 

Here is our list:


> *Suppliers*
> 
> *UK*
> ARO Aromantic aka "The Swedish Gentleman"
> GF Gracefruit
> JAS Just A Soap
> NT Naturally Thinking also standard packaging
> OASN Of A SImple Nature
> SBC Sheabutter Cottage
> SK Soap Kitchen
> SP Sensory Perfection
> SQN Soap Queen Nederland/On line zeepwinkel
> 
> *Frankrijk*
> AZ Aromazone
> 
> *Nederland*
> AC Avantgarde Cosmetics
> Jan De Hekserij
> KK K&K-Kenk Kruidenshop
> Lab Labstuff
> YW You Wish
> 
> *Duitsland*
> BHW Behawe
> Gisella Gisella Manske
> kosmoKosmo
> Alexmo
> Aliacura
> *Hongarije *packaging supermarkt bottles, airless suspensers etc.now redirected automatically to the UK site
> 
> When you have an addition, please let me know.





			
				Acornsky said:
			
		

> Talking about speed of delivery, The Soap Kitchen has a rather weird policy which amounts to 'if you don't pay for express shipping you'll get it when we get around to it'



I'm from the Netherlands; SK usually processes my order the same day, or the next day when I order in the evening. Exception maybe during Xmas-madness.

Shipping cost becomes an issue as soon as your parcel has to cross "the pond"; even within the EU...
Especially smaller suppliers don't have lucrative deals with couriers. 

Anyone could help me with a supplier of shrink-wrap bags (UK is fine) and clear transparant round labels (for laserprinter)?

 Thx all for the mentioning of suppliers I didn't know yet. 

Forgot to mention for those who are looking for (silicone) moulds in the UK/EU to check out
this site
 enjoy


----------



## welsh black

Any one know of a soap cutter in uk to buy?  Not enough money to spend on most of the ones on line, £60 plus seems a lot to me for a bit of wood,  don't mind a single cheese slicer type one, but the one I have is too flimsy and the wire is always coming loose.  Thanks.


----------



## Saponista

http://www.summernaturals.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=92&products_id=634

I saw this the other day but haven't used it myself so couldn't vouch for how effective it is.


----------



## welsh black

Mmmm. Never used a blade like that.  I've used a knife and I always get drag marks.  I usually use a wire.  What's best do you think?


----------



## nframe

*Cheese cutter*

I bought a wooden cheese cutter from Lakeland and got my husband to screw two pieces of wood on it as a guide.  It works well.  Here is a photo of it in a previous post:

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showpost.php?p=414909&postcount=25


----------



## welsh black

That looks much better than the one I have, and what a great idea to add on the wood.  Lakeland here I come!!


----------



## welsh black

I've been looking for some EO,s for a while, right price and quality ect, I've not tried fresh as a supplier yet, I i ordered some EOs today.  Will let you all know what the quality is like when they come, the prices are fab.

Anyone know of a fragrence supplier in the UK who does Clinique elixier, and what's it called?  I'm unless at working out these dupe names !!

Well, used a fragrence from Fresh today, totally riced.  No reply from e mail sent them.


----------



## Rowan

Did Fresh ever get back to you about the ricing fragrance?  I ordered some essential oils from them and they were used in a batch of soap yesterday, so it's too early to say if the scent will be ok.

I would really love to find a good supplier of EO's and FO' s in the UK. I'm gradually working my way through the suppliers talked about in this thread. Has anyone found an outstanding EO or FO from the UK which they love?


----------



## robosqu1d

I've just ordered some FOs from scentperfique.co.uk 
 'warm vanilla sugar' 'frankincense & black cherry' and 'ginger & lime'.
 Good prices and reasonable delivery charge.  They don't seem to carry essential oils though.

 Will report back on what they're like in soap.


----------



## welsh black

Rowan said:


> Did Fresh ever get back to you about the ricing fragrance?  I ordered some essential oils from them and they were used in a batch of soap yesterday, so it's too early to say if the scent will be ok.
> 
> I would really love to find a good supplier of EO's and FO' s in the UK. I'm gradually working my way through the suppliers talked about in this thread. Has anyone found an outstanding EO or FO from the UK which they love?



Yes they did come back, they said there should be no discolouring, but there was some.  The soap totally riced though, so bad I had to throw it away.  I used the frankincense fragrence.  Can't say 100 that was the problem as I also added some dried milk.  I also bought some EO, geranium, but it does not smell as strong as another one I bought from EOD.  Don't think I will be using them again.


----------



## nframe

*Essential Depot update*

I phoned them the other day about the opening of their shop in the UK and they said that it will be in January now.  They also said that their prices in the UK will be higher than the ones in the US to reflect the transport to the UK.  So, we'll have to wait and see...


----------



## Rowan

welsh black said:


> Yes they did come back, they said there should be no discolouring, but there was some.  The soap totally riced though, so bad I had to throw it away.  I used the frankincense fragrence.  Can't say 100 that was the problem as I also added some dried milk.  I also bought some EO, geranium, but it does not smell as strong as another one I bought from EOD.  Don't think I will be using them again.



It's a nightmare when a fragrance rices :sad::sad: I bought lavender EO from fresh as well as geranium. They both smell more faint than those I bought from soapmakers store. I tried the lavender in a batch of soap and initially I couldn't smell it at all but I can smell it now. It's quite weak though. I'll have to use them up in creams!



nframe said:


> I phoned them the other day about the opening of their shop in the UK and they said that it will be in January now.  They also said that their prices in the UK will be higher than the ones in the US to reflect the transport to the UK.  So, we'll have to wait and see...



Thanks for the update on Essential Depot. I wondered what had happened to them. When I did an internet search, it showed they had registered a company in England but it wasn't active. Can't wait to check out their products. What are their EO's like?


----------



## nframe

welsh black said:


> Well, used a fragrence from Fresh today, totally riced.  No reply from e mail sent them.



Hello,

When you say "Fresh", do you mean Freshskin or Fresholi?


----------



## Rowan

robosqu1d said:


> I've just ordered some FOs from scentperfique.co.uk
> 'warm vanilla sugar' 'frankincense & black cherry' and 'ginger & lime'.
> Good prices and reasonable delivery charge.  They don't seem to carry essential oils though.
> 
> Will report back on what they're like in soap.



Have you had the opportunity to use these fragrance oils yet? Can't wait to hear how they behave. TIA


----------



## welsh black

nframe said:


> Hello,
> 
> When you say "Fresh", do you mean Freshskin or Fresholi?



Freshskin.   The fragrence didn't behave, not saying it was definitely that, but I think so.  I  also bought some EO, they are cheaper than other suppliers but they don't have the same strength of smell, and feel greasy ?  Don't mind using them is soap, but won't be using them in face creams.


----------



## robosqu1d

Rowan said:


> Have you had the opportunity to use these fragrance oils yet? Can't wait to hear how they behave. TIA



The Ginger & Lime is absolutely amazing!  I'll definitely be ordering that again.

The Warm Vanilla Sugar is pleasant but quite mild and I'll have to wait and see whether it will last in the cured soap.  Interestingly it did not affect the colour - I'd heard that vanilla always turned soap darker but this didn't (maybe because it's an FO rather than an essential oil).  

Haven't managed to use the Frankincense and Black Cherry yet, maybe tomorrow!


----------



## Rowan

Good news about the lime and ginger, it sounds sublime! Really wish I could smell it!

I'm just posting an update on the EO's from fresh skin. Although the lavender was a much fainter scent in the bottle and initially in the soap, it's really come into its own now and smells stronger and really nice.  I was a bit worried when I read Welsh Blacks remarks about not using the EO' s in a cream, because that's what I had just tried!!  However the scent of the geranium and lavender was lovely.  The cream feels exactly the same as all previous creams and is holding up well. 

I really wish we had a soapers conference in England, where multiple companies could bring their EO's and FO' s and other products. I'd probably spend a fortune but it would be great to actually smell the fragrances before you buy rather than guess whether you will like them or not! Unless there is a conference that I'm not aware of?????


----------



## Smellynewbie

Thank you for this thread it will be very useful to me   Now I wish I knew how to not lose the thread lol


----------



## Rowan

Smellynewbie said:


> Thank you for this thread it will be very useful to me   Now I wish I knew how to not lose the thread lol



If you look under my account and then subscribed threads, it gives you a list of the threads you've written on or subscribed too.I now bookmark my favourite threads as well.


----------



## Smellynewbie

I'm looking for cheapest melt and pour soap bases but not really found much cheapest up to now I've found is £3.90 kg from soap makers


----------



## Saponista

Try direct from stephensons?


----------



## robosqu1d

Try www.hfostersoaponline.co.uk

They have several M&P soap bases at £2.94 per kilo (inc VAT) but you have to pay for postage on top of that.


----------



## Smellynewbie

robosqu1d said:


> Try www.hfostersoaponline.co.uk
> 
> They have several M&P soap bases at £2.94 per kilo (inc VAT) but you have to pay for postage on top of that.


thank you so much


----------



## Bagaudae

Greeting from Portugal!
I have been looking all over the place and I'm having a bit of trouble finding a supplier from wich to buy tallow! 
The only one I found was Soap Kitchen, but shiping prices are way to high considering I would be buying a bit of tallow and a bit of CO. 
I have found some portuguese and spanish suppliers, from whom I have bought other stuff with considerably lower shiping fees. But no tallow.

Any advice from you fine gents? 
Thanks in advance.


----------



## The Efficacious Gentleman

One place that could be worth a look is anywhere that sells supplies for bird feeders. Sounds strange, I know, but the only place that I can buy tallow remotely locally is to get it from a German supplier where it is supposed to be mixed with seeds and put in bags for the birds to eat. They have to sell it as "not for human consumption" but I checked with them and it is only so that they are not a food retailer - the product is 100% tallow.


----------



## Saponista

Plumbers also use tallow so you may find it in a hardware store


----------



## Bagaudae

Will tallow used by plumbers be "good" enough for soaping? I was under the impression it might have some other stuff mixed in it that may bad for the skin. 
But regardless, I may find both type of store locally. Maybe I get lucky and find something suitable! 
Thank you for the insight!


----------



## Saponista

You will have to check the ingredients on the container, but I am pretty sure it is just plain unadulterated tallow.


----------



## The Efficacious Gentleman

Aye, also on Amazon - but there it is really too expensive. I will also check the local hardware supplier for it, thinking about it.


----------



## Kelley

They are actually a huge company, part of new directions which are global. I only know this because I was looking for silk powder and horsetail. The soap kitchen, who I use often are expensive. Anyway, I phoned mystic moments to see if it was a person in their house selling me cornflour! Lol. It isn't.


----------



## biarine

AcornSky said:


> This is another of my favourites - Of a Simple Nature.  Unfortunately they often close down for a while to catch up on orders, but if you catch them open they have a fantastic stock of unusual oils and butters, postage starts at £3.75, and when I used them they were very fast indeed.
> 
> 
> Talking about speed of delivery, The Soap Kitchen has a rather weird policy which amounts to 'if you don't pay for express shipping you'll get it when we get around to it', which really annoys me, but the only time I have placed a non-express order I did receive it very quickly.  They do give an up-to-date estimate of how long it will take them to dispatch, but then add that that might change between you placing the order and them sending it!




I used soap kitchen but the delivery is very slow sometimes more than a week before they will send. I used New Direction aromatics uk, they are fast but they don't have sodium and potassium hydroxide. It's expensive too.


----------

