Fancy Pants Soaps

[Avalon's Essence]

Hi there! This is a question for you experienced business soapers out there. I am a beginner soap maker with the intent to sell eventually. I find I am drawn to recipes for soap that look really pretty, like a citrus soap with a dried orange slice on the top or a soap with dried flower petals or something on the top. Soaps that are interesting looking but may not be actually useful in the bath/shower.

Like these:

My question is - do these soaps sell well, at either/or website or craft shows/farmer's markets? Are people put off by them or intrigued by them? And if intrigued, do they buy them? Thanks in advance for your valuable input!

 

[judymoody]

I don't sell, but personally I find soaps topped with botanicals unappealing. They look pretty if you're going to use them as decoration only. But if you actually wash with them, those toppings will end up in your soap dish or shower drain.

 

[Pepsi Girl]

I don't sell either but as a consumer my vote is :thumbdown: Having said that many of my closest friend tell me I'm not normal!! :crazy:

 

[Yvonne]

I do sell and my soaps with Lavender or Chamomile or Calendula on top are very popular at craft shows and between my friends, also i sold some of them online too.

 

[Pepsi Girl]

I don't sell either but as a consumer my vote is :thumbdown: Having said that many of my closest friend tell me I'm not normal!! :crazy:

After I reread this it didn't sound very nice, sorry. They are very pretty!

 

[Avalon's Essence]

Thanks for the replies!

@Pepsi Girl - LOL!! No worries, they aren't my photos, hehe!

The mess down the drain is my biggest concern, and might even keep me from buying some like this myself. However, it might be worth to have just a few varieties like these for those that like them, but have the majority of product be more... buyer-friendly?

 

[ClaraSuds]

People buy them as gifts because they look more impressive than just a bar of soap. If they are nicely boxed with a clear lid, they could make a very beautiful and interesting gift. Maybe do boxes of those ones for appearances and gift giving (it's more important how it looks for that kind of thing) but sell your functional soaps without.

 

[Lindy]

I do sell and I have to say it really depends on your market. I find that the fancier the bar (piping, flowers, etc) the slower they sell for me. My customers love lots of colour but they want a bar of soap that is useful. At Christmas this changes and I am able to sell more fancy things like cupcakes, but not really a big thing for me the rest of the year.

 

[Jolene]

I have found the soaps with tops to sell slower than the soaps without tops from my little bit of experience (two craft shows and two years of selling soap on Etsy.) Especially the ones with oatmeal, flower buds, and body safe glitter. Jojoba bead top ones, salt or sugar top ones sold fine. Just seems people hesitate for the ones with tops from botanicals or oatmeal hesitate. Like one person said, sometimes people buy them for gifts...so I am sure there is a market for them (just takes more patience). I discontinued tops in my products though. Keeps the cost per a bar lower and makes soapmaking more simple for me anyways!

 

[DragonQueenHHP]

I find most the people I sell to like mine because they have a simple yet have a "rustic" look to them whick is good thing because I just don't have the patience to do all the fancy things I think they are pretty to look at

 

[Lindy]

My goatmeal & honey (Goat Milk, Oatmeal & Honey) sell really well and I do have 'some' whole oats on top, but not a lot. Almost all of my soaps have glitter and that doesn't interfere in my sales at all. I think everyone's experience is going to differ.