It is easy to see the difference in prices between handmade soaps and store-bought soaps. So, why is handmade soap more expensive?
Care. An artisan spends considerable time searching for and purchasing quality ingredients, planning and bringing to life their creations. Whereas commercially available “soaps” are mass-produced in factories. Artisans take time and care about the products they create and the customers that use them. Corporations care about profits and bottom lines.
Ingredients. Handmade soaps contain natural and easy to read ingredients that typically include some of the following: olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, apricot kernel oil, castor oil, palm oil, tallow, lard, essential oils, fragrance and colorants that could include spices, herbs, vegetables or mica. Mica is a natural mineral that is used to add pigment. Handmade soap also contains lye which is required to make oils and butters into soap.
Corporations create their products with profit in mind and use cheaper ingredients and chemicals. Natural, high-quality ingredients cost more than chemicals and synthetic ingredients.
In comparison, an example of Dove’s soap bar contains the following ingredients:
Factory soaps are known as “Syndet.” This word is the combination of the words synthetic and detergent. The word detergent basically means a washing compound that mixes with grease and water. The difference between detergent and soap is that soap is produced from natural ingredients, detergents are made from synthetic sources (petroleum fractions). Soap is biodegradable, detergent is not. Soap and less harmful to the environment than detergent. Most commercially available liquid and solid body cleansers are synthetic detergent products. Detergents often contain chemicals that cause skin irritation and allergic reactions.
Batch Sizes. Handmade artisanal soaps are typically made in smaller batches and more care is taken in their planning and creation. Whereas factory soaps are driven solely by profit and are production driven.
Variety. Soap artisans offer a plethora of options in handmade soap bars, including fragrances, colors, essential oils, milks, salt, exfoliants, clays, etc. Corporations tend to stick to few options because they use synthetic ingredients that offer limited use.
Preservatives. Factory soaps are made with preservatives to prolong shelf life. Preservatives can be harsh on the skin and cause irritation. Handmade soaps do not need preservatives and are more skin-safe.
Local/Small Business. Chances are you have a local handmade soap artisan in your community allowing you to support local businesses rather than large, greedy corporations. If there isn’t one in your area, an online search can easily locate handmade soap artisans. Purchasing from a handmade soap artisan means you are supporting a small business, and your purchase goes a long way in helping their business grow.