Anyone selling both M&P & CP?

[jblaney]

I have been working on my business for a while and am continually torn between the two. I do designs that can be done in both, but M&P has some advantages. Brighter colors, more fragrance, quicker turn around. I really do not think M&P is easier all around though. You have to deal with pieces separating and possible sweating. The packaging has to be more air tight to make sure the product does not shrink. I'm having issues with some bases evaporating more than others and this is causing design issues. I like them both and was wondering if anyone sells both of them. Would this be confusing to the general public?

From what every person has said to me, most laypeople do not know what CP is. Meaning, they do not know the terminology at all, not one of them I have spoken to. If they like "natural" soap, they never call if CP. All of them call M&P "glycerine soap" and CP is everything else. Since this seems to be the case, what do you call it if you sell both? Is it just confusing to people?

I will probably stick to M&P since it makes the most business sense and I'm doing this as a business, but I wanted to hear your thoughts.

I do not think one is better than the other, but I know some people do. But I also know this is more prevalent in the soaping community and not from the general public, which is who I will be selling my product to. I feel I may have inadvertently taken on this kind of soap snobbery myself, which I feel is hindering me. My CP is fantastic, but so is my M&P soap. They all have their place.

 

[Lindy]

I personally use MP to make some products like Soap Petals, as well sugar scrubs etc. as well as make CP. CP is my main product but I don't have a problem mixing it up a bit. I wish I had half the talent of a lot of the MPers.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

If there are things that you want to do that M&P can't do for you or things that you can do easier/cheaper/better in CP, then it has a place in your product range. If not, then not.

How you differentiate between the two can be tricky, but not too bad, I'm sure.

 

[SoapMakingTommy]

I have focused on cp at the moment, but i want to make some glycerin aka. transparent soap, and it requires me to cook the soap like in hp and use alcohol.

I guess depends what kinds of products you have, and you got to find out what advantages and disadvantages each process makes on your product you are going to sell.

 

[jblaney]

Thank you everyone for your responses. My first love is CP and wanted to incorporate some, but don't want to confuse people. I guess I will wait and see if it feels right.

 

[shunt2011]

I do mostly CP. However, I do make a pumice scrub with MP and I also use MP embeds in my CP soaps as I like how easy they are to unmold. You can incorporate both into your business plan just do what works best for you.

 

[jade-15]

I think that you could just label each soap as to which way it's made, that shouldn't confuse customers too much...
ie... "This soap has been cold processed - made by hand, the old fashioned way."
"This soap was hand poured, using what's called a glycerine base. Glycerine is *insert rant here about the amazing benefits*"

(*Well that's what every other soap seller I look at does )

I shouldn't think that's too confusing for buyers!! Just MHO anyway

 

[paillo]

I sell both, though primarily CP. I sell to one shop that loves my MP, so I pretty much do special designs and fragrances for them. I LOVE the design possibilties with MP, and the different creative processes, just can't seem to find the time to incorporate doing much of it into my hectic schedule.

To distinguish, in addition to full ingredient lists, I label my CP as handmade, the MP as hand crafted.