Meet Ian and Keiron, the duo behind Soap So Co. who are making a new kind of soap. Soap So Co. creates artistically designed, handcrafted soaps that are sustainable, vegan, cruelty-free and more importantly, fun without sacrificing quality. As one of our newest local brands, we chatted with Ian and Keiron to learn more about Soap So Co., how their business came to be, what inspires their designs and what we can look forward to from them in the future.
Can you tell us about Soap So Co.’s beginnings and how it has evolved since its inception?
Before the inception of Soap So Co. we were chilling out at home, through boredom we were browsing through the internet and came across a soap making video tutorial, and thought that looks really fun. So we ordered a basic melt and pour starter kit and started making soap to get through our boredom. The more immersed we became in to learning how to achieve certain designs we had discovered that the melt and pour process was restricting our possibilities on designs. That’s when we found cold process soap! Cold process has a lot more fluidity and is very forgiving in terms of design restrictions – there’s almost none. Bonus, they last for ages, are so much more moisturizing and the lather cannot be beat!
After learning the new cold process technique, soap making was slowly turning into an expensive hobby and we needed to do something with these thousands of bars we had accumulated. And the inception of Soap So Co. happened. There was a new farmer’s market opening in town in the summer so we applied and got in. Months went by as it was being built so we started making more bars in preparation for the grand opening. On the second weekend of the market being open we completely sold out!
We love how fun and artistic your soaps are – what or who inspires your many designs?
We’re inspired on a daily basis by our surroundings, nature, lifestyle, simplicity, scent, good times and chaos.
Can you give us a quick rundown of your soap-making process?
That’s top secret information!
Maybe you don’t like to play favourites, but do you have a favourite soap?
Ian: Beach Breeze because it reminds him of home.
Keiron: Goodchild because it reminds him of the 90’s.
What are some of the greatest lessons you’ve learned since working on Soap So Co.?
Patience – good things take time!
Anything new you’re working on that we can look forward to?
Our whole line of exfoliating soaps and we are going to be launching bubble bath in autumn!
If you don’t mind explaining for our readers: in what ways does Soap So Co. embody sustainable values?
Using bars of soap is a sustainable practice since they aren’t packaged in plastic bottles. Instead they’re boxed and the card stock we use is made from recycled paper. Both card stock and pre-assembled boxes come from a local manufacturer who are literally a couple of blocks away. We are a vegan brand not only for animal welfare but for the planet too, also ensuring that all of our ingredients are responsibly sourced.
Favourite and least favourite things about soap-making? The most fulfilling aspect of soap making is when we hear people’s stories who’ve previously suffered with skin sensitivities tell us about their positive experiences using our soap and how they cannot imagine their life without it!
Our least favourite thing is washing the pots, soap making makes such a mess lol and requires a lot of dishes! As a small business based in Edmonton, what are other small businesses that you love to support? Homework letterpress has such beautiful high quality work. We recently collaborated with Daria to create some custom thank you cards to send out in orders. They’re beautiful! What is the legacy you hope to leave on this world? What is Soap So Co. out to accomplish? We hope that our story inspires others to do what they truly love to do.
