(Eucalyptus and Peppermint Essential oils with Fresh Aloe Vera gel)
The soaps were beautifully made. Full of colour and an array of fragrances were available. I admired the creative swirls. It was displayed in a lovely little stand with no packaging and I could tell that these soaps were imported. There was no information given on the soaps other than the fragrance. No ingredients listing, weight, and with some of the soaps I found it difficult to determine for sure what process was used. What surprised me most of all was the price. This item was priced at nearly the equivalent of US$15.00. As curious as I am, I proceeded to ask the staff members about the soaps. They were uninformed of what type of soaps the were or anything about the product. In sales you should always know your products. The only information they were able to offer me came from a bag that they would put the soaps in once purchased that listed the ingredients as: Purified water, saponified oils of Organic Olive oil, Organic Coconut oil, Palm, Shea butter, selected blend of essential/fragrance oils, zinc oxide and mica. I was only able to obtain more information after finding the company's website.
The way a soapmaker labels their ingredients vary. There are to ways of labeling in the industry that are perfectly acceptable. It can be listed as shown above or listed showing all ingredients used in a descending percentile order. Simply put, it is listed starting with the ingredient with the largest percentage first working down to the smallest percentage. For my own reasons I list every ingredient including the Sodium Hydroxide. I love the fact that my customers can see when ingredients such as Fresh Aloe Vera gel, Pureed Mango, Papaya, Fresh Coconut Milk, Fresh Noni juice or Yogurt are used in my products. Both methods are fine and is a matter of preference for the artist. On my packages (as much as I love the look of naked soap I do package my products) I also list the weight of my soaps. So when a customer picks up a bar of my soap they know what they are getting. Any other questions they may have I can always answer them.
As much as I admired a fellow soapmaker's work this is the part that I found very sad. There are so many talented local soapmakers that are here in my little Caribbean island, producing quality products. With prices ranging between US$5.50 - US$7.50 that some may find too high a price to pay. Yet they would have no qualms paying the price for the imported soap.
We are surrounded by so many talented artisans that work hard to create works of art. Something that a lot of thought time and love is poured into the making of this product yet the value of their work isn't recognized.
Speaking as a fellow soaper I know the prices that we sell our products could be easily priced in a range between $6.50 - $9.00. Yet we don't. Why? Simply because that price would be a purchasing barrier. Are our products worth it though? Definitely.
(Soap made with Activated Charcoal, Aloe Vera and Goat's Milk)
With the many markets and fairs that in the last few years that have popped up, local artisans have gotten more exposure. As a result there are those that have discovered the wonderful products that local artisans have to offer. And we thank you. You are the reason that we are still here. Striving forward. But to those of you that have not tapped into the buy local party, you're missing out. There is a plethora of quality locally made products right here. In your neighbourhood, State, Country.
We've seen the "Buy local" posts circulating the social networks. Not only do I support this I also encourage others to do the same. Take some time to discover some of the local talent in your area. I don't know an artisan that won't be willing to talk to you about their products.They can answer any of your questions. You can hear the passion in their voice, see it in their faces. You are buying a product that is made with love. There is so much planning, care and consideration that goes into the making of their products.
We are coming to the end of another year. When making your resolutions/plans/goals for 2015 make one of them the choice to buy local.
(A gift basket that my company is giving away this Christmas made up of locally handcrafted products.)
