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

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

Photo Credit http://installationspace.com/spaces/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.

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

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

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

Hope to hear from you soon,

Gary Quiring

President, Soapmaker and Surfer

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

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

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