What is it made from?
INGREDIENTS: Sodium Cocoate (Coconut Oil), Sodium Olivate (Olive Oil), Aqua (Water), Sodium Castorate (Castor Oil), Kaolin Clay, Aloe barbadensis leaf juice (Aloe Vera), Lavandula Angustifolia essential oil (Lavender Oil contains Linalool, Limonene and Geraniol* which are all chemicals which come from the plant itself), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis essential oil (Orange Oil contains limonene)
*Fun Fact: Geraniol is an effective plant based mosquito repellent, but I wouldn’t recommend using it for that purpose as unfortunately it also attracts bees!
That’s it. 8 ingredients, one of which is water, 2 of which are scents. If that’s not pure and natural I don’t know what is. Keeping your skin happy when shaving doesn’t have to be complicated after all.
Where does it come from?
Made in the UK.
Is it sustainable and environmentally friendly?
Olive Oil does have some environmental issues within its production, mainly due to intensive farming methods. However, a lot of olive oil farming is still done by small scale farmers using traditional methods, which is much better environmentally.
Castor oil is used as a replacement for petroleum based substances in many products. It is a much greener alternative as it is renewable unlike oil.
Kaolin clay is an abundant mineral, the UK is actually the world’s third largest exporter of this product. (It is mined in Devon and Cornwall) As this is home grown stuff, the environmental footprint of kaolin is smaller compared to many other materials.
Essential oil production generally uses steam distillation which has no environmental concerns, but it takes a lot of plant to make only a small amount of essential oil.
Lavender is considered a sustainable crop as it doesn’t need pesticides or fertilizers to grow. English Lavender is the hardiest (of course, look at our ridiculous weather! You’d have to be a tough little plant to survive here) and apparently the most fragrant. Despite this, the Lavender in the products we use is probably not actually grown here.
Oranges - In terms of the farming of this fruit, citrus plantations tend to be managed nowadays as an intensive monoculture, (although a lot of crops are famed this way now, bring back crop rotation!) which causes soil erosion. This type of farming while effective for crop growing, has caused problems with the land and has even led to over-production (wasted food).
Coconut oil and Aloe Vera seems to be ok.
How about ethical?
Made in the UK by a small handmade soap business, so ethically we are all good here.
Extra good stuff:
Vegan, not tested on animals, free from palm oil and known skin irritants such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate’s (foaming agent) and parabens (preservatives).
Conclusion –
A shaving soap with no plastic, palm oil and good ingredients? What more could you want? Lather up!
