21 July 2020
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
There’s been much talk recently about ‘hand sanitiser’, and how it’s useful in stopping the spread of COVID19, but – let’s be frank – a key problem in getting people to use it is that it stinks of alcohol! Solution: Irish firm ‘The Handmade Soap Company’ has formulated a Lemongrass and Cedarwood scented hand sanitiser. They also make a range of traditional soaps.
The Handmade Soap Company is an Irish luxury brand that is on the up and up.
Similar to Google’s previous slogan of ‘Don’t be evil’ the Irish brand believes that ‘kindness’ is a necessary ingredient in everything they do. From the foraging and selection of their 100% natural ingredients that are kind to our skin, to the sourcing of their raw materials, to the way they are then combined, to all of their packaging, to the team’s work ethos, even to how they access the power necessary to run their manufacturing facility, all of the Irish brand’s processes have been carefully considered with one thing in mind: kindness.
The Handmade Soap Company knows exactly what goes into each one because they put it there themselves. Every ingredient has been chosen to deliver the best possible results. That means all customers can rest assured that no matter which product they choose, they will be getting a quality, original creation, specially designed to deliver a unique blend of efficacy and kindness, doing exactly what it should do, in the kindest possible way.
Speaking about how far the luxury Irish brand has come and his continued commitment to kindness, Founder Donagh Quigley said:
“I started The Handmade Soap Company with one pot in my kitchen in Co. Meath in 2008. We now offer 72 natural, handmade products spanning across hands, skincare, haircare and wellbeing ranges. However we are still a work in progress. Every day, we strive to take another step closer to our goal: evolving our company into the world’s kindest body-care and home-fragrance brand.
As of January 1st 2020 all of our products are both Cosmos and Ecocert accredited. This was an 18 month journey for us. We chose to go with Cosmos and Ecocert as we believe that they are the most trustworthy credentials for natural beauty within the beauty industry. We have moved our full range of products to this standard, so this is not an exercise in greenwashing a small part of our range, it is a genuine commitment to be leaders in the natural sphere”.
The Products
The Handmade Soap Company’s luxury product ranges have all been inspired by founder Donagh and his wife Gemma’s travel experiences both abroad and at home here in Ireland. There are 4 complete ranges in the collection: 1. Lemongrass & Cedarwood, 2. Grapefruit & May Chang, 3. Lavender, Rosemary, Thyme & Mint, and 4. Bergamot & Eucalyptus. Each product range holds the same RRP’s:
– Soap: €6.95
– Hand Cream Tube: €9.95
– Hand Cream Jar: €11.95
– Shower Gel: €18.95
– Hand Wash: €12.95
– Hand Lotion: €14.95
– Shampoo: €15.95
– Conditioner: €15.95
– Body Lotion: €15.95
– Body Oil: €24.95
– Body Butter: €19.95
– Bath Salts: €15.95
– Candle: €15.95
– Diffuser refill: €18.95
– Diffuser: €24.95
– Room + Pillow Mist: €17.95
– Hand Sanitiser: €6.95
The brand is sold in the likes of Meadows & Byrne in Blarney, Fota Retail Park and all Kilkenny stores in Cork. It’s also available online at www.thehandmadesoapcompany.ie
Packaging & Distribution
The Handmade Soap Company’s plastic bottles are manufactured using 100% recycled (PCR) plastic material which is also fully recyclable. The brand believes that just being recyclable is no longer enough. Although there are significant cost implications incurred, they simply do not wish to add to the amount of microplastics that are already in existence. They also do a considerable amount of hospitality business. In 2019 they made the decision to move all of these over to PCR material, once again at a considerable investment but they knew that it was the right thing to do.
All of their inbound cardboard is shredded onsite and is used for all outbound orders. As a consequence, they have reduced the use of other material almost to zero (e.g. shredded paper, bubble wrap, polystyrene chips). All of their outbound outer cartons are made from recycled cardboard. All of their primary packaging is made from FSC approved card, including the giftboxes.