AD | As a lover of natural organic beauty and skincare products that contain essential oils, whenever I discover a new range of eco-friendly skincare products that are both indulgent and effective, you can bet I’m going to rave about them. Even better if they’re an independent business with a great ethos too. If you’re looking to treat yourself to some gorgeous and affordable skincare treats, then you’ll love the Artisan Soap Co.
Affordable eco-friendly skincare from the Artisan Soap Co
So who are the Artisan Soap Co* and what do they offer (besides soap)? “All of our soaps are handmade to specific processes to ensure a very high standard of product, sourced from artisan soap makers from all over the UK. We aim to provide ethically sourced, ethically produced soaps that are packed with natural ingredients, essential oils and more. So they’re not only good for your skin but also not harmful to animals or the planet. Our online shop has a range of artisan soaps to suit all requirements and budgets and a range of accessories too!”
While it’s true that not all their soaps are vegan, they are certainly vegetarian-friendly, free from chemicals, and cruelty-free. And this includes the packaging, the ingredients and materials, and the process in its entirety. With prices starting from just £3.00, I think that’s a real bargain. So let’s take a closer look at some of my top picks from their eco-friendly skincare products range.
Handmade Goats Milk Soap
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that outside of lockdowns, we often visit our friends’ farm to play with their goats. And I’ve been very lucky to try my friend’s handmade goats milk soap which she makes for her eczema, not as a commercial venture. So as a keen gardener, I know first hand (literally) how utterly amazing natural goats milk soap is for the skin 🙂
Goats milk contains lactic acid, which is a brilliant natural exfoliant and pore-unclogger. The fatty acids in goats milk also help repair our skin’s lipid barrier, allowing it to retain more water. And anything that alleviates the effects of dry and tight skin is fantastic for those of us with sensitive skin, and eczema or psoriasis. As a natural emollient and moisturiser, goats milk soap helps our skin stays soft, smooth and supple for longer than any chemical-based soap can do.
The other great thing about handmade goats milk soaps is the sheer range of organic essential oils you can add to them. The Artisan Soap Co offer, for example, Cedarwood and Rosemary (for him), Lavender, or Rose and Geranium (for her), and Natural Unfragranced for sensitive skin or children. My personal favourite is the refreshing and uplifting Lemongrass and Chamomile. Or you could treat yourself to a gift box if you can’t decide. Just take a look at the full range of handmade goats milk soap on offer – some of them look good enough to eat!
Handmade Vegan Friendly Soap
Eco-friendly skincare and vegan friendly skincare are a perfect match. So it’s not a surprise to find that this is the Artisan Soap Co’s largest range. But what qualifies as vegan soap? Well, vegan soaps are made from fats or oils that originate from vegetables instead of animal fats such as tallow or goats milk. Did you know the majority of soaps on the market contain animal fats in some shape or form?
But (there’s always a BUT, isn’t there?) just because something is vegan, that doesn’t always mean it’s more environmentally friendly and sustainable. An ingredient such as Palm oil, for instance, is said to be responsible for over 12% of the deforestation of the world. Fortunately, none of the Artisan Soap Co’s eco-friendly vegan skincare soaps contain any Palm oil 🙂
So which handmade vegan friendly soaps would I recommend? I love the zingy and zesty Orange and Grapefruit, perfect as a morning soap, as is the Hello Yellow with Bergamot and Tea Tree oils. And after a day in the garden, I’d be torn between the healing, invigorating Peppermint & Poppyseed and the aptly named Secret Garden soap with my favourite Lavender and Rosemary oils. Or, for the ultimate organic skincare treat, I’d love the colourful Rough N-Ready-Scrub-Bar with skin-smoothing Pumice, Poppyseeds and calming Oats. But if none of my picks appeal, you’re sure to find something to love from this gorgeous vegan friendly handmade soap range.
Final thoughts on these eco-friendly skincare soaps
As you may have noticed, all the Artisan Soap Co soaps are bars rather than liquid soaps. And there are a couple of very good reasons for this. Bar soaps don’t need a plastic container and they’re smaller and lighter, so have a lower carbon footprint and environmental impact when it comes to transport. Bar soaps also contain fewer additives, unlike liquid soaps, which tend to use petroleum-derived synthetic detergents to make them lather and maintain their consistency.
But there’s no point choosing skincare products just because they’re eco-friendly. Especially as more and more of us are opting for all-natural beauty products such as soaps and shampoos these days. So it’s wonderful to find some affordable organic skincare that’s not only effective and indulgent, but better for our planet too. I think they’re absolutely perfect as a treat for yourself, or anyone who needs a little pick me up, don’t you? 🙂
Are you a fan of eco-friendly skincare? Have you ever tried any organic skincare products before? Which of these lovely affordable handmade soap treats do you think you’d choose first?
* This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own.
** September 2022 update: since writing this post, the company is sadly no longer trading.
This sound like a fabulous company. It’s a shame we can’t get them in Canada.
In my efforts to reduce waste and single-use plastic, I have rediscovered bar soap. There are so many great options and many have no packaging, or come in paper packaging instead of plastic. I even took a soap-making class. It was interesting but I think I’ll stick to buying it since there are so many affordable options.
Oh wow, your class sounds interesting! Although I agree, there are so many great options out there and I’d rather support an independent business 🙂
We love bar soap at our house! We’re so glad to have ditched the plastic containers for our body wash and hand washing needs. I don’t find it quite as easy to buy lotion bars or facial care products in bars, but hopefully more and more companies will move in that direction!
Oh that’s great to hear! I know what you mean about facial care but I think the unscented goats milk soap is great for facial skin, as is the vegan Aloe Vera soap – but hopefully more companies will follow suit, as you say 🙂
I prefer using eco-friendly and homemade beauty products. I’m trying to do it, even more, this year. I’ll definitely check this soap out. It looks so nice.
Antonia || Sweet Passions
I’m sure you’ll find something you’ll love – I found it hard to narrow my choices!
I really enjoyed this post. I have to admit I’m only at the beginning of my sustainability journey. Still, I definitely want to be as eco-friendly as possible, and I think looking for soaps that have a lower environmental impact is next one my list. I didn’t realise that the inclusion of palm oil as an ingredient was responsible for 12% of deforestation either so I will make sure to check ingredients and packaging in the future.
Thank you for sharing Lisa!
It’s a shocking statistic, isn’t it? But yes, bar soaps are the way forward, I think, and there are some gorgeous ones to choose from here!
I used to have a gorgeous goats milk soap from a farmers market and it was amazing for my skin. I’m definitely going to check out Artisan Soap Co, I love their ethos too.
Cora | https://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
Goats milk soap is just so gorgeous for skin, isn’t it? Hope you find something you love too!
I got a goat milk soap as a gift but haven’t tried it yet. After learning more about it’s qualities from this post I am really looking forward to giving it a try tonight. Thanks Lisa xx
Ooooh, lucky you, I think you’ll love it, Jenni! xx
I really enjoyed this post! I’m trying to be more eco friendly with the products I’m choosing so going for handmade soap is a good idea. Orange and Grapefruit sounds like such a lovely combination xx
Hannah | https://luxuryblush.co.uk/
Thank you so much – and Orange & Grapefruit is a great choice, hope you enjoy it! x
This is great!! I’m a big fan of bar soap in general since it produces less waste. I’m really looking forward to get some bar skincare products. These look absolutely great!!
Oh that’s great Toma, I hope you find something you like!
This sounds like a great brand. I am all for being as Eco friendly as possible and making small changes like this will make a big difference.
Going totally eco-friendly and sustainable seems like a big task but these small changes are all a step in the right direction x
They have some gorgeous soaps to choose from – and like you say, small changes are a great way to get started! x
These soaps sound amazing & I love that they have goat’s milk soap & vegan soap! It’s great they’re also chemical-free & sustainable & don’t use palm oil!
Don’t they just? I found it so hard to narrow down my favourites!
I never heard of this company but will surely check them out! I am a huge fan of soap bars instead of liquid and there’s always the positive side of less waste and carbon footprint as you mentioned.
Thanks for sharing Lisa x
Absolutely, Cristina, and they look much nicer in a soap dish as well, instead of a plastic bottle x
I haven’t heard of this brand before. I wonder if it is available in Malaysia. Btw, that vegan soap look so good. Thank you for sharing your review on this brand with me. Cool post!
I’m not sure if they ship to Malaysia but you could always ask – and thank you 🙂
I love natural soaps – I am using African black soap at the moment – I would go for the Lemongrass and Chamomile
African black soap sounds intriguing! Good choice on the Lemongrass and Chamomile 🙂
It can be so hard to find skincare products that are also environmentally-friendly and sustainable. These are some great choices to invest in x
Thank you, Eleanor – I hope you love them if you do try any! x
Love eco-friendly brands, especially skincare ones! Our skin is our largest organ, so why wouldn’t we be careful about what goes on our skin?!
Great post
Absolutely! And we wear our skin every day so why not take proper care of it too!
This company looks amazing. Sometimes I think finding affordable eco-friendly products can be difficult, so I’m definitely going to give this a try 🙂
Kate ♥ | https://asimplesliceofkate.com/
Oh that’s great to hear, Kate, I hope you find something you’ll love (I’m sure you will!) 🙂
I’ve recently started with skincare soaps instead of shower gels and face washes in the shower. My shower bar is also with goat milk, so I guess I started off right haha. It’s still quite a difference to what I’m used to, but it’s more pleasant than I expected actually!
I use a goats milk bar in the shower too! It feels so gorgeous and my skin always feels so soft afterwards – great to hear you’re a fan as well!
These are great sustainable products Lisa, I love the look of that natural soap! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
They really are – such a good company! x
Seems a good brand and I’ve been using vegan soap for a while now. I wonder how I’d get on with the goats milk soap.
My personal favourite is goats milk because of how it makes my skin feel 🙂
wow these sure sound amazing, i love eco products and these sound great! I want to try the goat milk soap!
Goats milk soap is amazing, it makes my skin feel so soft!
These soaps so beautiful in colors and appearance and surely their scents! I have never used goats’ milk based soap but I would love to try these; they sound smooth and so refreshing on the skin!
Love your point on not just using something because it is eco-friendly. What goes into something is also important too!
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I think you’d love goats milk soap, Jaya, it feels like a real luxury treat. And thank you, yes, I was surprised about the Palm oil statistic too 🙂
WOw looks so lovely and soft, thanks for recommending real
conscious products..
They are gorgeous, glad you like the look of them.
I am in the middle of switching over to cruelty free and more sustainable options for my skin. This sounds like a lovely brand. I would definitely want to try the peppermint one as that sounds lovely! Thank you for sharing Lisa!
Lauren
Oooh, good timing then 🙂 Thank you, Lauren, I hope you find something you like!
All the companies featured sound amazing! I love use a soap bar, so much nicer than the ol’ squirty soap from Tesco.
I am definitely going to check them out when I need to purchase some more soap.
Emma
I agree, bars feel much better than liquid soaps – hope you find something you’ll love!
These soaps look and sound lovely! I’ve been leaning more towards bar soaps recently. I tend to prefer them and they take a bit longer to use and it feels like a little self care treat for your hands and health 🙂 x
Ah, that’s such a lovely way of putting it, hands and health – and yes, they really do! x
Lovely to hear about a new small business and the prices are really good. I wouldn’t buy goat milk soap for ethical reasons, but the vegan ones seem lovely. I especially like the sound of Secret Garden, both for its name and the ingredients.
Palm oil is used widely in cosmetics and foods, but I don’t see it as a problem, as long as it is sustainably sourced. It has the largest yield per hectare. If rapeseed oil was used instead of palm, more deforestation would be needed to produce the same amount of oil. In my view, we should reach a balance, to consume less overall, to be more sustainable.
The vegan soaps do all look lovely, don’t they? And yes, that’s a good point about a balance, thank you, Anca.
I am defo a bar of soap kind of girl. It’s what works for my skincare on my body and at 28 I’m cool with that. Seeing brands that are becoming more aware of their own sustainability makes me more inclined to buy with them!
Rosie
It’s such a great thing when you can combine something you love with something that’s sustainable – I completely agree with you, Rosie!
These sound like some lovely products. I’ve always preferred soap bars to products in bottles because they last so much longer. I’ll definitely be checking out these recommendations.
Thank you, Kelly, I hope you find something you like (I’m sure you will!)
Great post, I love your photos! I definitely want to try more vegan soaps this year, I used one last year and it worked so well for my skin 🙂
Anika
They’re from The Artisan Soap Co but thank you – and that’s great to hear bars work so well for you 🙂
I’d love to try a soap with goats milk! I think it might be what my skin needs. I also didn’t know the whole deal with palm oil. Definitely, something more people should be aware of.
Great post!
Thank you – and yes, I can’t recommend goats milk soap highly enough, it’s wonderful for my skin!
I love bar soap! I’ve been using a bar shampoo soap thing in my quest to be eco friendly and it’s been so good
That’s great to hear – bars are so much more sustainable!
These products look great. I am a huge fan of organic and all-natural products. It makes me sick to think of all of the chemicals we get exposed to in most health and beauty products. Thanks for sharing.
They are such lovely products, and yes, I quite agree about all the chemicals!
It seems to be a great product. 🙂
♡ ☯ ☮ P&P style ☮ ☯ ♡
They really are 🙂
Thanks for sharing, these lovely looking soap, I have quite dry skin so soap has been a problem for me, so hopefully I can find something that will not be so dry and affordable 🙂
I think goats milk soap would be perfect for you – my friend who has eczema swears by it!