Down in SoCal in January..I visited my very favorite soap shop, next to ours. They have the nicest, most natural products in the world, I think. Next to ours! I like to try different things, though….and last year they had a new toner I loved. So, after I got home last year, I ordered another one. But, it was a different color. The spray atomizer was gone, and the product was thicker.
So, I let them know and they said, basically, “Hey, these are natural products! They are handmade, in small batches, from natural ingredients!” Several things I’ve bought there over the years have changed slightly or drastically as time goes on…..but they don’t apologize…they stress how natural the ingredients are, that each batch is handmade, not commercially made!
We sometimes have the same problem. Recently, we added a lot of shea butter to our lotions. I’m convinced it is the best emollient I’ve ever used on my skin. It feels wonderful going on, and even better, hours later I can still feel it’s softening and moisturizing effect on my skin. The downside: it has a very distinct fragrance. It’s kind of like Tea Tree Oil…wonderful, but…who loves the fragrance???
So, after having added a lot of really expensive pure shea butter, and kept the lotions at a reasonable price…..we just had to drop it! Yes, no more shea butter. We received so much feedback, we changed the formula.
People called and said, “The lotion I bought was OFF!” They said, “My lotion is rancid.” They said, “It’s my favorite lotion, and the last bottle is different!” They said all kinds of things, some just didn’t like that it had changed. But, basically, they could smell a little of the shea butter, and didn’t like it. Most companies use deodorized shea butter which removes many of the benefits. We tried to explain they were getting a LOT of a very beneficial, expensive, and natural ingredient. We added more fragrance.
We tried to explain that a batch is maybe 100 bottles….vs maybe 10,000 or 50,000 for a mass market brand that might be preserved for 2 years! That the silicone products in most lotions is completely synthetic, but has NO smell and feels wonderful. Problem is, those ingredients are very drying and definitely not anything like ‘natural.’
Didn’t matter. We finally changed the formula and are using a really nice Mango Butter. Doesn’t have a strong odor, and it also is lovely on the skin. But I really believed in the Shea Butter. Personally, I found the scent interesting, but I knew it was natural Shea Butter and that the product was really fresh. Are We TOO Natural???
Let me know,
Linda Quiring
Founder Saltspring Soapworks.
