the soap lab

What is superfat? The short version: it's the percentage of oils in the soap that never got converted into soap. They stay free in the bar and condition your skin while you wash. Every bar of soap from the curated has a superfat — it's one of the main reasons handmade cold process soap feels so different from a standard...

Soap is one of the oldest practical inventions in human history, and its story stretches back thousands of years. From ancient Babylonian clay tablets to industrial-era factories, soap making has evolved from a simple mixture of fats and ashes into a global industry that shaped hygiene, trade, and daily life. Let's have a look at how soap making has evolved...

Real soap has been made the same way for thousands of years: combine oils with an alkali, wait, and you get something that cleans gently and leaves your skin better than it found it. Cold process soap is that thing. Here's what it actually means — and why it makes a difference. Cold process (CP) soap is made by combining...

New to cold process soap making and overwhelmed by the thousands of recipes out there? Start here. This simple 3-oil recipe — olive oil, coconut oil, and rapeseed oil — is the one we use in every beginner workshop, and it works every single time.

Fragrance oil or essential oil — which one should you use in your handmade soap, candles, or cosmetics? Both have their place, but they're not interchangeable. Here's an honest breakdown of the pros, cons, and safety considerations of each.

One of the most important things before you start making traditional cold or hot process soaps is to make sure you can handle lye (mostly NaOH or in rare cases KOH) comfortably & safely! While lye is a dangerous substance, it is unfortunately necessary for soap making and cannot be substituted! In order to handle lye preparation safely, here are the...

If you are someone who is planning (or maybe right now only dreaming :)) to start their own business without big times investment selling your own hand made artisan products in Switzerland, here are my 3 biggest tips for you to start off: