Your Thoughts Please

[TheGecko]

It's taken me quite awhile to figure out what kind of soap I want to make. By that, I'm talking about my product line, the kind of soaps I want to be known for. I had an idea of what I wanted to do once I decided to turn what was supposed to be a hobby into a business, but then I went down the rabbit hole, got stuck, but have finally found my way out and want to move forward.

The name of my company is Mid-Century Soaps. The MCM design aesthetic is for clean simple lines and 'honest use of materials'. I think I have found that with my single color and simple two-color drop/chopstick swirls and a recipe that doesn't go overboard with oils/butters (6) or additives (2). I don't gel my soaps as I like the matte appearance and I'm not heavy handed with either scent or colorants.

Right now I make three types of soap...Regular, Goat Milk and Mechanics. The Regular and Mechanics Soaps are the same recipe, I just add Pumice Powder to the Mechanics Soap and use single, darker colorants. I don't add any colorants to the GMS as local customers seem to prefer it that way as does my wholesale account. And I do make a "Bare Naked" version of my Regular and GM soap (no scent/no colorants).

What I am wanting to add is a luxury soap and/or gift set. For the 'gift set' I am thinking of using my Rose Cavity Molds (see below) and selling; four bars, four scents, four colors. So far I have Rose (pale pink), Lemon Verbena (pale yellow), Lilac (pale purple) and, that is where I am kind of stuck. I wanted to add a pastel blue or aqua color, but the scent I am looking at...Jasmine, the petals are white. Should I go with the white or is there another floral that would go with pastel blue or aqua?

I'm still working on a 'luxury' recipe...I really want to try BB's Cranberry Butter, but it's $20 for 8oz; however, Julie at Ophelis's Soapery says it's worth it.

I'm also thinking of adding 'travel' soaps. I have a friend who travels for work and she hates hotel soap, but always doesn't want to drag around a large bar of soap. I have some 3oz round cavity molds that I think make the perfect size travel soap and I think I have found some small travel cases for them.

 

[dibbles]

Could you call it blue jasmine? WSP has a bluebell (and something) that was nice, but not a distinct single note flower - a bit more generic. It was easy to work with and I think it stuck pretty well. Does anyone know what a delphinium or hydrangea really smell like - you could use any light floral with those I'd think.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

My thoughts please:

• I love your concept! Keeping things simple, have a reliable workhorse basis. You don't overwhelm customers with an unwieldy variety of products, yet they have something to choose from (+1 for unscented!). And still you're free to get crazy whenever you want (or are requested) to do so.
• “Blue” scents … hrm … mint? eucalyptus? sage/thyme/hyssop? cardamom? camphor? cedarwood/fir/spruce? I don't know how settled you already are on “lovely” floral blossom scents.
• Ugh, hotel soaps. What about circular column moulds, some 5 cm / 2 in diameter, cut into slices, with a stamp imprint as the logical continuation of your “full-size” relief bar series.

 

[lenarenee]

Do you want the bars to be solid colors? Or can you add a blue (or green) swirl to the jasmine bar? I associate green with jasmine because there's a lot more leafy bush compared to the little white flowers. I don't know how expensive you want your ingredients to be, but have you ever had soap with Meadowfoam oil? I think it works very well with butters.

 

[TheGecko]

Could you call it blue jasmine? WSP has a bluebell (and something) that was nice, but not a distinct single note flower - a bit more generic. It was easy to work with and I think it stuck pretty well. Does anyone know what a delphinium or hydrangea really smell like - you could use any light floral with those I'd think.

Well...after finding out that RE's shipping has gone up, I'm having to rethink Jasmine. I don't want something to get popular and then not be able to produce it because I've been priced out of the market. Probably going to have to check shipping at Elements too since WSP bought them too.

I'll have to see what BB and NS offer since I shop there too.

My thoughts please:

• I love your concept! Keeping things simple, have a reliable workhorse basis. You don't overwhelm customers with an unwieldy variety of products, yet they have something to choose from (+1 for unscented!). And still you're free to get crazy whenever you want (or are requested) to do so.
• “Blue” scents … hrm … mint? eucalyptus? sage/thyme/hyssop? cardamom? camphor? cedarwood/fir/spruce? I don't know how settled you already are on “lovely” floral blossom scents.
• Ugh, hotel soaps. What about circular column moulds, some 5 cm / 2 in diameter, cut into slices, with a stamp imprint as the logical continuation of your “full-size” relief bar series.

Thanks...I'm big on the KISS rule, hence my Ingredient and Product labels. "Bare Naked" soap may not be a huge seller, but my husband has scent sensualities and my sister has skin allergies. I have a customer that I make a special soap just for her because she can't use anything with Cocoa or Shea Butter.

I'm settled on the Floral...and least for this set. I'll want to do a Unisex and a Masculine scent in the future. Got to be careful about shiny things you know.

Column molds may be in the future, but right now I want to use what I already have and I happen to have some 3oz Round Molds. I originally bought them to make salt soaps, but salt soaps and I don't get along very well.

And I haven't gotten to a stamp yet...except for the one I bought for my GMS. I bought a bunch of MCM fonts but haven't been able to use them and don't want to invest in any stamps (suckers are NOT cheap) until I can brand across the board.

Do you want the bars to be solid colors? Or can you add a blue (or green) swirl to the jasmine bar? I associate green with jasmine because there's a lot more leafy bush compared to the little white flowers. I don't know how expensive you want your ingredients to be, but have you ever had soap with Meadowfoam oil? I think it works very well with butters.

I hadn't thought about green, but that would work. Since the molds have a flower design, my preference is to go with a solid color to showcase the design, kind of like you do in knitting to use a solid colored yarn when have cables or other texture.

We grow a ton of Meadowfoam in our county...I'll have to check it out. Thanks.

 

[kagey]

from a guy's POV - I'm troubled by your idea for a mechanics soap.
guys who seek out a mechanics soap typically don't take it into the shower. It's for hands and arms that get grease and grime on them. Maybe face too. Think of it in terms of Lava soap. It's harsh but super cleansing. Adding pumice is fine - but imho, pumice doesn't make a mechanics soaps. It just adds to the cleansing factor.
If your mechanics soap is your regular soap formula with just pumice and dark colors added... I would be concerned about false advertising. That would be like taking your regular soap formula, adding flower petals to it and calling it "a soap for sensitive skin."
If you want to change the name to a "Gardener's Soap" - then I guess that would be okay since your regular soap should remove dirt and earthy smells. But from where I come from, a Mechanics soap should be much more heavily formulated to remove grease, oil and grime. Otherwise, you're creating an advertising gimmick.

 

[Bubble Agent]

One thought that popped into my head was that some people (not me, nope. Nuh-uh) tend to be more willing to buy a gift set/package for themselves if there is something in there that they could share with someone else, like a special someone.

Have you considered a mans fragrance in a blue color? That way someone could keep 3 soaps for themselves and give one away. Or they would buy a set as a gift to someone that had a brother/ husband/ roomie or whatever.

edited to add: I love that rose mold! The soaps looks so lovely, and Lemon Verbena scent to that color was just perfect. Hope you will post pictures when you have settled on a combo!

 

[dibbles]

I'll have to see what BB and NS offer since I shop there too.

Femme Fatale from NS is a very nice floral - jasmine, but more. It plays nice and sticks too. Highly recommend!

 

[TheGecko]

from a guy's POV - I'm troubled by your idea for a mechanics soap.
guys who seek out a mechanics soap typically don't take it into the shower. It's for hands and arms that get grease and grime on them. Maybe face too. Think of it in terms of Lava soap. It's harsh but super cleansing. Adding pumice is fine - but imho, pumice doesn't make a mechanics soaps. It just adds to the cleansing factor.

If your mechanics soap is your regular soap formula with just pumice and dark colors added... I would be concerned about false advertising. That would be like taking your regular soap formula, adding flower petals to it and calling it "a soap for sensitive skin."

If you want to change the name to a "Gardener's Soap" - then I guess that would be okay since your regular soap should remove dirt and earthy smells. But from where I come from, a Mechanics soap should be much more heavily formulated to remove grease, oil and grime. Otherwise, you're creating an advertising gimmick.

I greatly appreciate your POV and concerns, but I had the soap tested...by actual mechanics. From guys who wrench in their garages, to the guys down the street that work on the big rigs.

Funny that you should mention LAVA and advertising...have you looked at the label:



Pumice Powered - WITH MOISTURIZERS

Here are the ingredients: Sodium Tallowate, Sodium Cocoate, Pumice, Water, Glycerin, Coconut Acid, Sodium Carbonate, Fragrance, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Pentasodium Pentetate, Titanium Dioxide, Chromium Hydroxide Green, D&C Yellow 10.

So...Tallow, Coconut Oil, and Pumice. Not sure where the 'moisturizers' are...guess it's supposed to be in some of the glycerin they added back in. LOL

Sorry to tell you, but you bought into the hype that is LAVA; manly soap for real men (insert primal yell and chest thumping). GoJo...it has pumice. Fast Orange...it has pumice (but it's not a soap). Grit Go...it has pumice. Oh...excuse me...it has 'infused mineral scrubbers' and comes in a refreshing lavender scent. Grip Clean...it has dirt in it (bentonite clay)...absorbs grease and grime while exfoliating your skin.

Soap doesn't have to be harsh to clean your hands. And you don't have to destroy your skin and risk infections with rough abrasives. My guys found that the pumice powder worked better in getting into the cracks and around their nails.

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

You could look at Iris or Lotus fragrance for the blue soap. Another option is to go with a Tea fragrance. (there’s a reason why they called them tea roses!)

 

[cmzaha]

For your luxury soap have you thought about a high shea soap, with cranberry seed oil and palm oil. that is basically what B&B's Cranberry butter is. You can buy Cranberry Seed oil at Cranberry Seed Oil - Virgin I used to make a lotion with it and it is a really nice oil. I never waste Jojoba in soap. Maybe a nice Cranberry fragrance.

 

[TheGecko]

For your luxury soap have you thought about a high shea soap, with cranberry seed oil and palm oil. that is basically what B&B's Cranberry butter is. You can buy Cranberry Seed oil at Cranberry Seed Oil - Virgin I used to make a lotion with it and it is a really nice oil. I never waste Jojoba in soap. Maybe a nice Cranberry fragrance.

You're killing me! $49.00 for 16 oz.

Now I have this idea (hello rabbit hole) of a series of luxury soaps surrounding a key ingredient. Just looking at BB, they have Mango Butter, Avocado Butter, Coffee Butter, Lavender Butter and Cranberry Butter. oooooooooooo...Raspberry Seed Oil. Coffee Seed Oil, Green Tea Seed Oil, Evening Primrose Oil.

Okay...climbing back out of the rabbit hole.

 

[dibbles]

Mango butter is nice, but the rest of the butters are mostly almond and hydrogenated vegetable oils, with the specialty oil added. Wouldn't your label have to list the actual ingredients rather than say coffee butter of lavender butter? I think for label appeal using the oil itself which could be listed on the ingredients label might be better.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

For your luxury soap have you thought about a high shea soap,

I was thinking the same thing. I love my 67% Shea Butter Soap. Nothing fancy (or expensive) other than the shea that has label appeal all its own. I'd also consider it for a travel bar. That's how I got the idea -- from an unscented Shea Butter soap in the shower at a high-end hotel. Lovely.

I do make a "Bare Naked" version of my Regular and GM soap (no scent/no colorants).

Back in the day, I called my Plain Jane unscented transparent soaps "Naked Dove". Since Dove was and still is my biggest competitor, creating a bar with all the benefits of Dove without the chemicals and fragrance was a way to attract converts... not all, but some came over to the natural soap side and were glad they did. Just a thought.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

As a mango butter fanatic, I second shea. For a few reasons: First I don't want you to jeopardise my signature butter , but shea is a well-known ingredient with a positive PR atmosphere, and a tad cheaper too. Plus, I don't find that mango butter adds something more “luxurious” to my soaps than to expect from the FA profile. Shea, however, has these elusive unsaponifiables, that everyone is raving about. Mango butter is always refined and bland, but with shea you have the choice to try out different varieties.

Do I recall correctly that you are using palm oil as your base hard fat?

 

[TheGecko]

Mango butter is nice, but the rest of the butters are mostly almond and hydrogenated vegetable oils, with the specialty oil added. Wouldn't your label have to list the actual ingredients rather than say coffee butter of lavender butter? I think for label appeal using the oil itself which could be listed on the ingredients label might be better.

No. Can't remember where I read it, but it would be like trying to list all the ingredients in your FO. While we know that Coffee Butter is make with Sweet Almond Oil, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and Coffee Seed Oil, the percentages of each ingredient used to make it is a trade secret so how would I include it in my label using best practices? Now if I were to make my own Coffee Butter and put it in my soap...then I would have to list it by ingredient.

What I would do in this instance is put an asterisk after Coffee Butter* in my Ingredients list and then below, place another asterisk and copy the ingredients from the website.

As a mango butter fanatic, I second shea. For a few reasons: First I don't want you to jeopardise my signature butter , but shea is a well-known ingredient with a positive PR atmosphere, and a tad cheaper too. Plus, I don't find that mango butter adds something more “luxurious” to my soaps than to expect from the FA profile. Shea, however, has these elusive unsaponifiables, that everyone is raving about. Mango butter is always refined and bland, but with shea you have the choice to try out different varieties.

Do I recall correctly that you are using palm oil as your base hard fat?

True on the PR...all those nice ladies in Ghana with their happy smiles and colorful clothing working so hard to make pennies to feed their families while hubby is at the bar drinking small beer. One one hand I think Shea should be more expensive given all that work, but then again, the cheaper price creates a higher demand.

I haven't actually used Mango Butter though I do have a couple of pounds of it in my freezer.

To be honest, it's pretty much about 'label appeal' when you consider that Sodium Hydroxide and saponification pretty much destroys the 'benefits' of a particular oils or butter and so what you are left with is the fatty acids and how they contribute to the qualities of your soap. While I admit that I am not nearly as educated about Fatty Acids as I should be, like most soap makers started out, I played around with a lot of different oils/butters. And because I am a cost conscience person*, I also played with them in SoapCalc to see what kind of difference they made to my soap to see if it was actually worth it.

Yes, I am one of those folks who care nothing for the destruction of the rain forest and those poor orangutans. Of course, you're talking to someone who cried when they hit a possum one night. I make sure to only purchase RSPO from reliable soap suppliers. The simple fact is...I have a really good recipe that produces a quality soap and if I can obtain the ingredients in a responsible and sustainable matter, then I will.

* - Not to be mistaken for being 'cheap'. I have no issue with paying for quality.

 

[Megan]

What I would do in this instance is put an asterisk after Coffee Butter* in my Ingredients list and then below, place another asterisk and copy the ingredients from the website.

Food companies do something similar where they list whatever ingredient and then in hyphens put the components.

 

[TheGecko]

Back in the day, I called my Plain Jane unscented transparent soaps "Naked Dove". Since Dove was and still is my biggest competitor, creating a bar with all the benefits of Dove without the chemicals and fragrance was a way to attract converts... not all, but some came over to the natural soap side and were glad they did. Just a thought.

I liked the smell of Dove, but it was just too expensive. I used Jergens for years...4-pack was pretty cheap. Hubby was a died hard Dial user; refused to try my soap until I hid his soap and I put a bar of Chocolate Espresso in the shower. Daughter and I were cleaning out from under the bathroom sink a few months ago...I had purchased some nice metal stackable drawer/basket thingies to organize stuff and I found six bars of Dial. Hubby calls it his apocalypse soap.

 

[TheGecko]

Food companies do something similar where they list whatever ingredient and then in hyphens put the components.

Kind of, sort of. I'm thinking it kind of like selling a Roast Turkey & Swiss sandwich. You would list is as: Honey Wheat Bread, Roast Turkey, Swiss Cheese, Red Onion, Leaf Lettuce, Tomato, Spicy Brown Mustard, Mayonnaise. You wouldn't include all the ingredients used to make the bread, cheese, mustard or mayo...but then no one expects you too.

 

[Orebma]

It's taken me quite awhile to figure out what kind of soap I want to make. By that, I'm talking about my product line, the kind of soaps I want to be known for. I had an idea of what I wanted to do once I decided to turn what was supposed to be a hobby into a business, but then I went down the rabbit hole, got stuck, but have finally found my way out and want to move forward.

The name of my company is Mid-Century Soaps. The MCM design aesthetic is for clean simple lines and 'honest use of materials'. I think I have found that with my single color and simple two-color drop/chopstick swirls and a recipe that doesn't go overboard with oils/butters (6) or additives (2). I don't gel my soaps as I like the matte appearance and I'm not heavy handed with either scent or colorants.

Right now I make three types of soap...Regular, Goat Milk and Mechanics. The Regular and Mechanics Soaps are the same recipe, I just add Pumice Powder to the Mechanics Soap and use single, darker colorants. I don't add any colorants to the GMS as local customers seem to prefer it that way as does my wholesale account. And I do make a "Bare Naked" version of my Regular and GM soap (no scent/no colorants).

What I am wanting to add is a luxury soap and/or gift set. For the 'gift set' I am thinking of using my Rose Cavity Molds (see below) and selling; four bars, four scents, four colors. So far I have Rose (pale pink), Lemon Verbena (pale yellow), Lilac (pale purple) and, that is where I am kind of stuck. I wanted to add a pastel blue or aqua color, but the scent I am looking at...Jasmine, the petals are white. Should I go with the white or is there another floral that would go with pastel blue or aqua?

I'm still working on a 'luxury' recipe...I really want to try BB's Cranberry Butter, but it's $20 for 8oz; however, Julie at Ophelis's Soapery says it's worth it.

I'm also thinking of adding 'travel' soaps. I have a friend who travels for work and she hates hotel soap, but always doesn't want to drag around a large bar of soap. I have some 3oz round cavity molds that I think make the perfect size travel soap and I think I have found some small travel cases for them.



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TRuly love your marketing concept. The 4th soap in blue or white...if only the blue was purple! lol. Wisteria, heliotrope, . I think I like Dibles idea of 'Blue ...." then you could include lavender. OR could you make a floral blend and call the bar Blue Posey or Blue bouquet?