*This feature is not sponsored or paid for in any way by The Australian Soap Kitchen or any other invested party
There are a lot of natural, zero waste personal care products out there. The demand has come from conscious consumers reading ingredients lists of products they use on their bodies and homes and feeling quite uncomfortable with some of the things they find. Well, one such conscious consumer did one better. Instead of trying to find natural products to replace the ones she felt uncomfortable using on her and her family, Sara Feischi decided she was gonna make them herself. Thus, The Australian Soap Kitchen was born. What started with just soaps for her family has turned into a whole range of different variants of soaps, along with shampoo bars, shave bars, and dishwashing bars, and hopefully more in the future!
We love the story of the brand so we got in touch with founder Sara to learn more.
OWNERSHIP
The Australian Soap Kitchen is owned and operated by Sara Fieschi. According to the brand's website, she is a health scientist who has "spent 20 years studying, researching and teaching health and wellness at a Melbourne-based university."
After having children, she began to question the ingredients in everyday household wash products and became more aware of the environment her children and her children's children will be living in. This led her to start making homemade soaps. The products were a hit with family and friends, so she started making more, eventually starting a small business and selling them under the brand The Australian Soap Kitchen.
INGREDIENTS & RAW MATERIALS
"Only the finest and purest" ingredients are used the the Australian Soap Kitchen products, many of which can even be found in your kitchen at home such as food grade oils, pure essential oils, herbs, and flowers. They source these locally and use certified organic where possible. They also do not use animal products, palm oil, or synthetic ingredients.
They are PETA certified vegan and cruelty free, however, they do not have knowledge of whether their suppliers are cruelty free or not. Their products are not currently sold in mainland China where it can be subjected to mandatory testing on animals.
According to the brand's website, allergic reactions to their products are uncommon. However, they recommend patch testing when you first use them, just to be sure. (Great advice for trying out anything new on your skin!) They recommend their Colive, Hydrating Avocado, Ovocado, and Soothing Olive variants for those who have babies or have sensitive skin.
Editor's Note: Remember that while natural products are great in many ways, just because something is 100% natural, doesn't mean it is automatically better for you, especially if you have sensitive skin. Fore more on this, click here.
SOURCING & PRODUCTION
As the brand is inspired by Australian flora, they strive to use Aussie sourced and made ingredients from Aussie producers as much as they can. They only seek non-Australian alternatives in the event that a local ingredient is unavailable. As a small Aussie business, they find it important to support fellow Aussie businesses and farmers. It also keeps their "ingredient miles" at a minimum.
The Australian Soap Kitchen uses the traditional cold-pressed method to make their soap, which they claim allows for the benefits in all their ingredients to be better incorporated into the final products. All their soaps are also made in small batches, as well as hand mixed, poured, and cut. The entire process takes several weeks.
PACKAGING & RECYCLING OPTIONS
The Australian Soap Kitchen uses only paper and twine, both easily recyclable materials, to package their products. They also ship using recycled packaging where possible. They do not, however, have their own recycling program.
As for the actual products themselves, the brand says that because they only use 100% natural ingredients, their soaps are completely biodegradable and do not harm the environment.
GIVING BACK & ADVOCACY
The Australian Soap Kitchen does not support any charities, causes, or movements.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSIVITY
Currently, there are only 3 people working to operate The Australian Soap Kitchen as it is a small business.
We like seeing small businesses begin out of a need for something - in this case, a mother's need to make sure her family is using the best natural products on their skin and not contributing to further damage to the environment. We also love it when small businesses, from the word "go", make sure they're treading lightly on the planet. So, if you're in Australia and in the market for some natural, handcrafted, zero waste soaps, give The Australian Soap Kitchen a try. With a wide variant of soaps for different needs and sensitivities, we're confident you'll find something for you!