What! Your Soap is Not SOAP?

Just saw an amazing advertisement for a new soap….it’s an old brand, but with new and improved packaging that is really eye-catching and as fellow soapmakers….the design is to-die-for!

Only one small problem.  Nowhere on the label does it actually say, “Soap!”

People talk about which soap they use…used to use, want to use etc….which soap they like, love, hate, or maybe made their skin itchy.

I usually try to refrain from telling them that they aren’t actually using ‘soap’ but something that may look like soap, smell like soap, lather like soap, be packaged like soap,…may really not BE Soap!

This would be what in the trade is called a ‘syndet’ or synthetic detergent bar.  Yes, this bar is not soap, and is just a form of detergent similar to your dish detergent perhaps, with similar ingredients.

If it doesn’t say ‘soap’ but maybe ‘beauty bar’ or some other such delightful name…check it out and make sure it is not a detergent bar….Why? You would much rather use a handmade artisan actual soap made with moisturizing oils and containing lots of skin-softening, natural vegetable glycerine….like the soaps we make every day at Saltspring Soapworks!

Enjoy a real soap today…check out our website for a great selection!

Happy New Year!

Linda Quiring

CEO & Founder

Saltspring Soapworks

Natural & Organic Skin Care!

Great news!  This spring, look for our new line or 100% natural skin care with lots of organic herbal extracts and other ingredients.

We’ve been working on reformulating the skin care line for months… We want to use the latest scientific findings on great and healthy ingredients, use only natural and organic herbal and botanical ingredients, and make them also do wonderful things for your skin.

We also want them to have a lovely scent…but we don’t use fragrance oils; only 100% pure essential oils.  These have to also do great things for your skin, and not just smell nice…..

So, it’s always a challenge!  Recently received a lovely cream for Christmas from Bill;  he paid $90 for a 2oz jar…he KNOWS  I love nice skin care products.

The elegant and dynamic saleslady told him it had Shea butter, but heck, WE use lots of Shea butter….

Of course, I looked at the list of ingredients..which incidentally were not on the jar..had to go on the internet to find them!   Couldn’t believe for the price how really, really awful they were…..and all 4 of the parabens…and shea butter about the last of the 30 or so ingredients, most unpronounceable…

I returned the gift, and told the lovely young lady that I just couldn’t and wouldn’t use those ingredients….she said, “you probably mean the parabens!  But OUR parabens are derived from tomatoes!”

No Thanks.  We will not have 4 parabens derived from Tomatoes…..but just 100% natural and organic ingredients…and you can buy 3 jars of our day cream for one of theirs!  and basically, they are one of the most prestigious skin care companies in the world!!!

I can’t wait for them to come out…and I’m still wondering what exotic and fragrantly scentual oils I will use!

Linda Quiring

CEO & Founder

Saltspring Soapworks

Great News for Victoria!

Lindsey Kovats is a young lady who joined the Soapworks team in our Saltspring shop many years ago and quickly became our top sales person!

When Lindsey moved to Victoria, she purchased and ran our shop there on Johnston Street..Her amazing energy and sparkling personality have made it a destination for shoppers from everywhere!

Lindsey is now moving on to raise a family, and  Carolynn and John Gunther are the new owners.  They bring with them  an impressive retail background, and are exactly the kind of people we dreamed would take over the shop when Lindsey leaves.

Although recently ‘retired’ they just had too much energy to sit around and do nothing, and when they learned of the opportunity available with our Johnston Street shop, decided to again become retailers.

We are so happy to be working with them, and their fresh ideas and experience have made it a pleasure to be partners with them in the fun, exciting atmosphere both in our shop and on LoJo.

Congratulations,  Carolynn and John! And A Big Welcome to LOJO!

Warm regards,

Linda Quiring

CEO & Founder

No Sulphates…..skin care labelling.

While shopping recently, I received a brochure from a new skin care line….touted as natural.  No sulphates, synthetic fragrances, animal derivatives, harsh detergents, petro-chemicals, artifical colours, triethanolamine, etc. etc.

Looked interesting….and I saw the products again in a health food shop.  I stopped to check them out…when the sales lady came over to assist me.

She described the lovely line, and that it was totally, completely natural. I picked up the toner, and checked the ingredients.  Well, totally natural until the last item…which I had never heard of… Phenyoxyethanol.

“What’s that” I asked.  “It’s completely natural” she insisted.  Her laptop was sitting right there…so I asked her if she could Google it… She walked away to look after another customer.

So, I went home and Googled it.  Phenyoxyethanol is a new preservative used in place of those awful parabens………but…FDA says it “depresses the central nervous system.  Causes vomiting and diarrhea…and dehydration in infants.”

I like the “Truth in Aging” website…whose tagline is: “The Honest Truth about Beauty and Personal Care Products.”

They say the Material Data Sheet which must accompany each ingredient says:  Phenyoxyethanol has:

Toxic effects on the brain and central nervous system at moderate concentrations. Causes chromosomal changes & genetic mutation in mice.

Natural?  don’t think so.

Scary, isn’t it? Maybe touting what’s IN a product might be ‘truthier’ than saying what isn’t in it.   Recently, a  customer told me she loves our products, checks ingredients, and does not trust labels who have six symbols telling how ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ they are….because you can just buy these symbols.

Meanwhile, look out for phenoxyethanol in your skin care….and don’t go there.

bye for now,

Linda Quiring

Founder

Calling All Babies!

Read an astounding article in the Globe & Mail, 08.18.12  by Kathryn Borel.

Amazingly, Johnson & Johnson has “released some good news this week:  In a little while, its products will no longer give your baby cancer.”

O.K. so they are going to “remove probable cancer-causing agents……from its baby products by 2013.  It would extend that pledge to us non-babies by the end of 2015.”

Thanks Kathryn…I wondered if anyone else had been kind of shocked by this news.   We dumped things like this 25 years ago, or else never used them.

Here’s the exact ingredient listing for our popular Mummy’s Tummy Balm, a big seller in our Baby.Calm, Baby Line of natural/organic products:  Organic Oils of Coconut, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Natural Beeswax, Vitamin E, Essential oils of Patchouli and Chamomile.

Hasn’t everyone switched to products handmade in small batches with the finest natural and organic ingredients available??? Even here, on this little island (Salt Spring Island), we can source these kinds of ingredients easily….and they are kind to us who blend  the products, to the babies that use them and to the environment.

If you baby had a choice, what would he/she prefer on their skin?

O.K.  Baby.Calm products are available on line.  We’d love to serve you!

Thanks for caring!

Linda Quiring

Founder

A New Spin on Cosmetic ingredients!

I give up!  I am constantly checking out body care products, both online and on the shelf….for several reasons……

Once, around 30 years ago, I noticed a nice French company was using Palm Oil to make soap…. this bar was an ephipany…so, we began to import Palm Oil to make our soaps….and still do….

So, I find  nice new ingredients sometimes……

Other times….I see advertising about something…and  want to have a look and see how reality stacks up…..for instance, I see one company in B.C. called “Blah Blah Organics” doesn’t use any organic ingredients!  and so on.

Just saw something new, though.  A company who says you can tell what’s in a product by the first few ingredients….I always say this too.  However, their spin was a little different.

Checking out their ingredient listings,  I found it went like this….Take a pound of organic Peppermint…throw it in a vat with 50,000 gallons of water, and viola! you have “Organic Herbal Extract of Peppermint.”  Then, you add some Rosemary etc etc.

The first 4 or 5 ingredients aren’t really…..then you get to the things at the end of the list….and find some really horrible things no one even remotely ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ has used for decades.

I think if someone like myself who has been making body care for over 30 years has a problem figuring out what’s really in a product, what about YOU, the consumer.

I think, forget reading labels…it has to be a small company, (like us)….a local company (like us) who has been around forever (like us) and who isn’t a subsidiary of someone else real big (like us) where you can speak with real people about their products and policies.

Why do we blog about this all the time…because we don’t want you to put anything on your hair, skin or kids, that we wouldn’t put on ours!

Have a Great Canada Day..

Linda

Thou Shalt Not Greenwash!

Thou Shalt Not Greenwash!

Says Scott McDougall of TerraChoice…environmental marketing consultants…in the Cdn Packaging Mag.

I thought it was pretty funny….guess I’m not the only one nagging about this….now it almost has become a RELIGION!

Some SINS Scott mentions:

Sin of the Hidden Trade Off ...Green? or just Greener?

Sin of No Proof: making unproven claims

Sin of Vagueness:  All-Natural! Really?

Sin of Lesser of Two Evils:  Speaks for itself!  Organic Cigarettes, anyone?

Sin of Fibbing: Like claim to not use CFC’s when they were banned in the ’80s.

Sin of Worshipping False Labels:  Careful of the ALARMING rise in fake and meaningless eco-cert labels.

Hey, remember, I actually wrote about the Fibbing last year….

It’s really a dilemma for small natural companies like ours to know exactly how to let people know we use all the right stuff and none of the bad stuff….and we don’t have an eco-cert label…but would it make any difference if we did….seeing as how lots of them are ‘fake!

As they say, “the proof is in the pudding” or the moisturizer if you will….so try the real thing….our healthy natural products and see for yourself!

Think I’ll conclude this just the way Scott did!

Amen!

Bye for now,

Linda

Natural, eh?

Someone recently sent me a link to another natural body care company’s website to see what I thought of it.  People are confused by claims of how natural things are. Here are the ingredients for the night cream:

Water/Aqua/Eau, Dimethicone, Glycerine, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Rosa Centifolia Flower Water, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, C-12 C15 Alkyl 2-Hydroxy Propanate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glycertl Stearate, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Steareth 2, Maltooligsyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Starch, Hydrolysate, Trehalose, Steareth 21, Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic Triglycerides, Squalene, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Magnolia Obravata Bark Extract, Simmondsia Chinesis (Jojoba) Leaf Extract, Epilobiam Augustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Alayl Glutamine, Stearic acid, Polysorbate 60, Polysilicone-11, Bentonite, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum.

WOW!

The person who shared the link with me said…”people are getting more sophisticated and are starting to look at ingredients”….Great!  And Skin Deep is really helping us all get a handle on things…check out ingredients on their website…..

Meanwhile, we are alway’s reformulating our natural skin and body care line…to have less, not more fancy ingredients, and to keep it simple, natural and clean.

Happy May Day!

Linda Quiring

Founder

Is less Fragrance more?

Occasionally, we are asked, “Why don’t you use more fragrance in your products?” or some variation thereof.

Well, it’s tricky….like lots of things in this business. We know that a lot of sales are made by customers opening a tester to get a strong sense of the fragrance, a important part of any product purchasing decision.

So, it’s a good idea to have enough fragrance, or scent, to give people a good whiff of what’s inside…and if they like it….they will usually buy the product…based only on smell.

Problem is, with a level of fragrance high enough to pack a real punch on first smell, there needs to be a LOT of fragrance in the product. Then, when you put it on your skin, hair, or use it in the bath or shower….it is just TOO MUCH!

Many people say they can’t usually enter a soap shop because of the high fragrance levels. For some people, they may have slight or more serious allergies and it’s a real concern. For others, they just find a lot of perfumey smell really unpleasant. But they tell us, our shops are fine!

There are several reasons for this…..

firstly, we use 100% pure essential oils whenever we can. Don’t have that ‘perfumey’ smell, plus they have actual benefits to skin, hair, and feelings of well-being.

next, we only use ‘fragrance oils’ which are not available as essential oils, i.e. peach or mango.

third, when we do use ‘fragrance oils’ there is a great variation in price of those available….we use only the most expensive oils made from natural compounds.

We may sacrifice some sales, but in the long term, we receive overwhelming feedback that people like our philosophy on scents and fragrances, and like many things……. Less is More!

Happy Spring!

Linda

The Era of Big Box Retail Dominance Is Coming to an End!

Photo Credit http://installationspace.com/spaces/wordpress/wp-content/gallery2/large/big_box.jpg

When reading this article today http://bloom.bg/H5QRN2 It got to thinking.  Big box starts with BIG. In north America we have become obsessed with everything BIG.

BIG businesses, BIG homes, BIG autos and BIG Debt  BIG waistlines. Having lost one of our key retail locations to one of the Bigs it is not lost on us this power of BIG. You can get steam rolled by things BIG.

At Saltspring Soapworks we understand and embrace the power and importance of small.  Small batches, made by a hand full of accountable caring humans, Small footprint, Small waste, The ability to make changes quickly and to engage customers and they’re experience with what we do. We even have what we think now might be one of the world’s smallest soap shops.

So enjoy Big if you must, but consider carefully  small now and then.  Small might just be there when you return.

Gary Quiring

President.

Plastic is the New Glass!

I’m back!  Sorry…spent quite a few weeks in the desert with no wi-fi!  Also, saw lots of nice body care on my visit to So. California! Noticed some other companies, mostly smaller ones, are morphing into glass, also.

We’ve been moving into glass for some time now, and have encountered a few problems.  Customer feedback is great! It tells us not to use glass in the bath or shower for shampoo, conditioner etc.  That makes sense.

We tried to go to PCR bottles… That’s post consumer recycled…supposed to be the next best thing to glass…but turns out the sample we received from a supplier came from England!  Not too environmentally correct to ship them so far to save the planet!!

Also checked the web for a wonderful Italian bath product I bought years ago.  They had a lot of customer feedback,also.  About 20 tweets said the same thing:

“We love your product…it’s wonderful…it’s fragrant…etc. etc…    and

“We hate your bottle!”  “Broke the jar on the edge of the tub!”  “Dropped the jar and broke it, etc, etc, etc…..

So, back to plastic for some things….and we’ll keep looking for that perfect plastic to use for our hair care, baby products and other things you want to toss around the bathroom and not break!

Starting work on our new skin care line…all natural and organic…and all in glass….day and night creams, toner, cleanser and scrubs can all happily exist together in the bathroom without much chance of breakage….what do you think?

Linda Quiring

Founder

New for Christmas!

Yes, we DO have something new for Christmas…….and the rest of the year also.

Two of our best-selling, most popular lines have been, since around the late ’70′s, Lavender and Rose.  We did them first with lovely watercolors by Carol Evans, in an Olde English style…they were vastly popular.  Years later, we re-introduced them with a more West Coast feel.  But recently, they were looking a little tired.

In the last two years, many new and exciting natural ingredients have become available and this led us to reformulate and repackage these items.

We believe these new products represent the Best in natural skin care.   The Lavender Fields line includes Handmade Soap, with a Body Souffle, Natural Bath Salts, Lavender Bath Gel, (yes, it’s back!) and refreshing Lavender Water.

Rose d’Amour is also about the best skin care we’ve ever developed! These skin care products for women are beautifully and softly scented, with Handmade Soap, Body Souffle, Bath Salts, a Bath Milk to die for, and toning  Rosewater.

With new, more eco-conscious glass packaging, lovely watercolors by Carol Evans, botanically-based cleansers, and high quality essential oils and scents, we feel these products have raised the bar on natural skin care.

Now, not only can you trust completely natural skin and body care, made always in small batches with the highest quality ingredients, but we believe for the first time, you can have the most natural products with a splendid look most suitable for gift-giving.

Come in today and sample these wonderful new indulgences, and while you choose a gift for someone else, treat yourself to something wonderful!

Happy Holidays,

Linda Quiring,

Founder

The Old Salty, Mouat’s

Had a visit with Mary Lou Bompas at the Old Salty today, downtown Ganges.  We chatted about our companies, which incidentally are both 1979 vintage!Old Salty now carries most of our Saltspring Soapworks product line, with more to come in spring.  I asked Mary Lou, after 32 years,  what she likes about her job….. Everything! she said.  “It’s the best of both worlds…..I treat it like it’s my own business,” she added…….and I’m backed by Mouat’s.”

I asked about her duties, and they include: buyer, merchandising and display, customer service, which I have to say she excels at,  and also, cleaning lady!

When asked the secret of their success and why they’ve lasted so long, she said there are a lot of good things that people mention often:  ‘That Old Salty continues to change with the times.’

That they have ‘an eclectic range,’  that there are’ so many different things!’   That there is such a ‘nice collection’ of items. That it’s a kind of ‘good, better, best’ place.  That they stock both imports and local items.   In fact, one sign reads, “Saltspring and Canadian artisans and treasures from around the world!” Hard to beat that!

She asked what I liked about Old Salty.  “Well,” I thought, “it’s just so interesting! It’s really colorful in here, with a really vibrant atmosphere, yet it is never junky or busy looking.  And, it changes all the time while still keeping it’s fun, fresh look.

“What’s the most fun part,” I asked.  “It’s the interesting people,” said Mary Lou. “It’s really all about the people,” and I don’t think I’ve met a more ‘people person’ in retail than Mary Lou.  After 32 years with one company, what enthusiasm!

“Any thoughts on retiring?” I asked.  “Retire??!!”  I’m too young!”

She added that the job really suited her lifestyle;  4 days work per week, time off, traveling for buying trips, and lot’s of responsibility, she said, which she finds challenging.

So, drop in at The Old Salty and say hi to Mary Lou, check out their lovely display of our products and visit one of the most fun shops on our island!

Got any great Old Salty stories?

Bye for now,

Linda Quiring

Surfing, Sea Soap and Seasonal Suds.

Fresh back from  the left coast surfing the wonderful shore break on South Chesterman’s Beach, Tofino. The weather, waves and friends, old and new made it another best trip ever!
Used our Salish Sea soap while there, in the cool pacific waters, great for washing hands,  body and smelly wetsuit, in Salt water. Now we are back on our home island, Salt Spring , preparing for ten new products to be announced soon, as well as gearing up for our seasonal and Christmas soaps, craft shows, and our always super fun Christmas windows in our shops. We are having a fun and busy fall and we hope yours is too!

Hope to hear from you soon,

Gary Quiring

President, Soapmaker and Surfer

GLASS Packaging, eh!

Last year in the winter, we visited Palm Desert, CA where my favorite body care shop is…favorite next to ours, of course.  The Body Deli has great natural products…and as we were starting the process of converting many of our products to glass….I asked them if they get negative feedback about having things in plastic.

Their answer was, they too had started the process of converting their line to glass….confirming my strong feeling that glass is the way to go in future.  Some things, like shampoo, that we use in the shower, are probably better in plastic.  We don’t want to drop a glass bottle of our hair care in a tiled shower stall.

A recent issue of Canadian Packaging magazine had a big spread on the idea of using more glass, mostly in food products, but I feel the same reasons for keeping food in glass apply to keeping  body care products in glass whenever possible.  Following is a quote from June 2011:

” People love glass, and for good reason.  Chefs know it protects flavor and freshness.  Moms know glass is healthy.  safe packaging.  Environmentalists know it’s 100% recyclable, forever.  And CEOs know glass says quality.  Honest, pure, iconic glass.  What’s not to love?”   GlassIsLife.com

Glad to know we are ahead of the curve, and on the right track!  Look for our new line of 100% natural French Lavender and Damask Rose products before Christmas, newly formulated, and available in “honest, pure, iconic Glass.”  As they say, “What’s not to love?”

Linda Quiring

Founder

More Paraben-free Toiletries….Yippee!

The prestigious Four Seasons hotel chain has just announced that they are “switching to paraben-free toiletries”…part of the “Four Seasons chain’s broader effort to use more natural products in its spas.”

I’m so glad to hear it!  Of course,  Saltspring Soapworks has been doing this forever, or almost.    We’ve talked a lot about preservatives and parabens in the past……it’s something everyone who might be interested in what they put in, and on, their bodies wants to know!

Luckily, we can say that most of our products have never had added preservatives….our body oils, body scrubs and our famous Body Gelato are made up fresh in small batches so they aren’t sitting around on shelves for any length of time.   Our handmade soaps don’t need preservatives either…..and with the products, like lotions, that do need then….we  use natural preservatives that are highly-rated on websites that carry that info…such as Skin Deep.

We recently updated our line of natural hair and body care products for hotels and resorts:  our wonderful Rosemary Mint Shampoo and Conditioner, Body Lotion and Body Wash, and an actual handmade soap….. and of course   NO PARABENS!!

I’m glad the Four Seasons has finally caught up with us and other natural body care makers.  Even better, their spokeswoman Sorya Gaulin goes on to say:  “by the end of this year…the plan is for all Four Seasons hotels to offer an organic chemical-free option in their spas.”

Good Work,  Four Seasons!

Bye for now,

Linda

Pop Up Shop!

Photographer John Cameron recently did a superb job with his image of our new pop-up shop in Ganges.  It looks grand and actually, sort of immense while it is in fact probably the smallest soap shop in the world!

As many of our loyal customers and locals know…..we had to move when our home of 15 years was torn down to make way for a big-box kind of store.  200 locals protested, of course, this being Saltspring Island…..but down came our shop and three others in almost the last old buildings in town to house small shops like ours.  Kind of sad to see the bubbles, new age, sushi and music shops disappear……

What to do until we move into larger quarters when the new bldg is finished? Well, Gary came up with a grand idea!  We would rent a small space on the edgy edge of town and try and lure locals and tourists alike to our new out-of-the-way spot.

It really did POP UP!  Gary designed the shop and signage, I offered some advice on paint colors, Bill brought his tool box and built shelving and painted, Amber hired charming and friendly Natasha to take care of the shop, trained her….and presto!  We had opening day 3 weeks from start to finish.  It cost $500…..this compared to the six months and 5 figures it cost us to open a shop out-of-town some years ago.

So, how’s it doing??? Well, happy to say, the bubbles are back….and blowing over town just like the old days…….and the feedback has been amazing…..and really, really interesting…..

Stay tuned for some fascinating news about the retail scene on Saltspring in general, and Saltspring  Soapworks in particular!

Have fun in the sun!

Linda

My Three Favorites!

When the warm weather arrives…and I’m gardening, walking, cycling in shorts….my legs get sunburned and really dry.  The only thing that will get rid of the dry-looking skin fast….is my Number One Favorite product in the summer …….our Sugar Scrub!

I go through jars of it…luckily I have lots…..and instead of the shower, I use it in the tub when I get in…and give my legs and feet a good scrub…then I soak in the oils and enjoy the lovely scent for awhile.  It’s the only thing I’ve ever found besides a harsh pumice or something….that instantly takes care of this problem.

Number Two Favorite product….year round….has to be our Baby Shampoo and Body Wash…I use it in the tub for bubbles!  Lots of them!  And I love the perfectly 100% essential oil of Lavender that really relaxes and sometimes, puts me to sleep!  And the suds are 100% natural…..for so many years I couldn’t use shower gels or bath bubbles because of the harsh detergents….but that never happens no matter how long I soak with the Baby Wash…if it’s good enough for babies…it’s good enough for me!

Number Three Favorite product would have to be my old perennial favorite….Seaweed Scrub Soap……sometimes, I enjoy another one for awhile…and occasionally actually buy a bar of soap to try something new….but I always go back to the Seaweed…it has everything!  Nice lather…a little bit of scrub and a clean fresh scent from 100% essential oils.

Well, sometimes the 3 favorites change..but right now…..and for the last couple of years…these have been my own personal favorites….Try them if you haven’t yet…you’re in for a TREAT!

Linda

EARTH-FRIENDLY SOAPS!

Reading Vista Magazine http://www.vistamagonline.com/ again…..Hey! Our Favorite Thing! Good Soap! Seems like a no-brainer…but it’s as difficult to find a good soap as it is to find a good loaf of white bread (try True Grain in Cowichan Bay)http://www.truegrain.ca/.

“Much of what goes down our drains winds up in the environment,” reminds Michail Bloch in his article. So…how about dumping those fragrances and chemicals that harm the environment? Most of all, the “antibacterial” products that are ubiquitous today.

Bloch says, “antibacterial soaps contain MIT (methylisothiazolinone), (want to use this?????). Studies have shown it is allergenic, cytotoxic and linked to nerve cell death. The most common antibacterial Triclosan….is actually registered as a pesticide…and believed to destroy fragile aquatic ecosystems, (like where the frogs USED to live?)

“Other ingredients found in soap,” he says “are paraffin wax, ozokerite, other crude oil derivatives and animal tallow. This is just scratching the surface, ” Bloch continues…and reading a personal care label is like a chemistry lesson.” He also mentions, as I frequently do, that at the end of the soapmaking process they (those other guys) extract the glycerine, a useful emollient, and sell it separately as a moisturizer. Ours of course, stays right in the soap.

So, What should you use?? How about OUR SOAPS!!! Yippee! A nice, healthy, handmade alternative to the above. How about palm, coconut and olive oils. Lately, palm has gotten a bad rap also, but upon investigating..it seems the bad press may be generated by a rival company who has switched to much less expensive canola…formerly known as rapeseed. And GMO, too. Anytime you grow anything on a large scale, there are environmental consequences…but palm sure beats supporting the beef industry by using it’s by-product, tallow.

Then, there is shea butter, and lots of other good and great things we add to our soap bars. Most importantly, our soaps are not melt and pour, we actually make them from ‘scratch’ using the old tried-and-true ‘cold-process’ method used by European soapmakers for centuries to make the best soaps in the world……

And you can still find those handcrafted Artisan Pure Soaps at Saltspring Soapworks,http://saltspringsoapworks.com/products/handmade-soap/ right here on the rock…or, if you don’t live on this little island, we do ship all over the world! Don’t let another day go by using something that looks like soap, but morphed into a detbar (read detergent bar) decades ago.

Linda Quiring

Founder

Fighting Time! Anti aging creams.

While in Palm Springs this winter…an article in the local paper, the Desert Sun caught my eye! ‘Fighting Time’ screamed the headline….Do anti-aging creams work?” The answer, no surprise to me ….”dermatologists say, “Mostly No!”

The article was about those really big companies, not us..who use things that “help to boost oxygen microcirculation.” And they can reset “the skin’s aging clock by converting resting stem cells.” Other ingredients “turn on digestive enzymes that will only go after scars and wrinkles.” In short, continued the article, “they can utterly transform your old, dry, thinning, wrinkled skin.”

True? Well, mostly NO say the experts. Actually, I think no one really knows. Apparently, even the cheapest creams will moisturize…are there really any benefits beyond that?…which make some prohibitively expensive creams worth the $1500 per oz?

Such claims, say the article are “very vague,” and “it is difficult to say whether these do anything.” This from Dr. Simon Yoo, assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern University. The FDA has also sent warning letters to cosmetics companies, (mostly small ones???) for making drug claims. (Is it O.K. for the big guys to do it?)

You can read all about how companies use fake science to sell products in Dr. Ben Goldacres book,”Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks and Big Pharma Flacks.” He thinks such marketing is ‘meaningless.’

It seems that the claims made are not backed up by any studies or peer reviews. Without published studies, says the article, its impossible to know whether their ingredients are effective. Dermatologists interviewed said most products are harmless. ” If you like it,” basically, they said, “enjoy it!” But they won’t do much more than a moisturizer that is a LOT less expensive….perhaps 1/10th or even a 100th of the price.”

So, you may feel confident that our creams and moisturizers, which contain all the good things, and none of the bad things…really, really work…as our hundreds of loyal fans prove. As far as “converting resting adult stem cells to newly minted skin cells,” well, we won’t be doing that anytime soon!

Linda Quiring

Founder