The Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild, in conjunction with Clean the World, has called soapmakers to action in the Haitian relief efforts.  Clean the World accepts soap donations, melts them down and turn them into new soap, and distributes this rebatched soap to people in need.

While we at Sarva focus on creating beautiful, artistic soaps for you, we believe soap is a basic necessity.  Scientists have recently confirmed  that overuse of antibiotics is causing dangerous pathogens to mutate — and actually thrive — and become drug-resistant.  Soap attacks problems at the source:  Sanitation is the best, most basic way to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses. Bar soap, including handcrafted soap, is indeed antibacterial, even without potentially harmful antibacterial chemicals added… and what’s more, regular bar soap doesn’t kill the beneficial bacteria that live on our skin.

Sarva usually donates soap to a local homeless shelter, but in these circumstances, we have chosen to divert the majority of our routine donation to Clean the World.  Sarva has donated 40 pounds of soap to the cause.

Right now, soap is greatly needed in Haiti. It will directly help prevent the spread of disease and, thus, further loss of life and devastation.  Clean the World already has stores of soap ready to go to Haiti, and needs your financial support to make this happen.

This is a unique, practical, and directly implementable way to get help where it’s needed right now.  Please consider donating to Clean the World so they can continue their invaluable work.

Thank you so much.

Oops.

In the mad rush to restock the web site after our holiday rush and fill some wholesale orders, we goofed.  We have a small batch of Grace soap that is… shall we say… cosmetically challenged.  There’s nothing wrong with the soap aside from its appearance.  Air bubbles here and there, slightly underweight (4.2 oz as opposed to 4.5 oz), and just not up to snuff.  Customers who have already purchased these are surprised we’re not selling them at full price, but we have very high standards around here.

So, I thought this might make a great win-win situation.   You get to try incredible soap at an incredible price, and these poor bars of Grace get a loving home.

Grace normally sells for $9.00 (yes, it’s worth it).   I’m offering these “slightly imperfect” bars to you for $6.50.   Nearly 30% off!

Grace is one of Sarva’s Premium Series soaps and was the first to sell out at Christmas.  People were clamoring for this soap!   You’ll be the first to get it in the new year, and at a discount too!  Lavender, Geranium, Rosewood (sustainably harvested Rosewood leaf), topped with organic rosebuds… all in a decadent Castille base, the same as our all-time top-seller, Purity.

Based on my own experience, if you have a cold, snowy winter like we do here in Ohio… accompanied by dry, itchy skin… this is the soap for you.  Creamy and mild.  And it smells incredible — elegant, heady, sweetly floral.  When I use this soap, I feel loved and special.

Want some? Go to  the product page. Note that you can  choose to receive your Slightly Imperfect bars unboxed and unlabeled (choose “unboxed” in the dropdown menu) and save another 25 cents per bar.  If you choose that option, we’ll bag your soaps in biodegradable waxed bags, no label.

…oh, and always remember to relax and take your time, even under pressure… I sure will from now on!

Yesterday’s blog post stimulated a great deal of interesting conversation and feedback, as well as even more thought on my end.   I never regret thinking and questioning deeply. I hope that when I ruffle feathers – mine included – the movement created is ultimately a good thing.

It seems there are a few concurrent issues here:

• Green versus natural (e.g., don’t use essential oils distilled from endangered or threatened species; please see Cropwatch for more information)
  
• Safe usage of essential oils on the skin – independent of any trade organization’s mandates
  
• Regulation and recommendations and the politics therein
• The negative perception of fragrance oils by proponents of natural products (I share this perception!)
  

I speak sometimes about architecture because I live with a LEED-certified (green) architect, and I am fortunate to know other professionals in the industry as well.  I’m no expert in that field, but I hear discussion of a green concept called E-cubed:  Economy, ethics, and environment.   The dilemma is how to make balanced choices which satisfy all three.  I think most of the issues above fit into these categories.

And these categories are endless quagmires.  Is it more ethical to pay workers a low wage to harvest for essential oil distillation, is it more ethical to forbid clearing land (and risking deforestation) for a plantation, or is it more ethical to use a mindfully-created synthetic to satisfy our craving for, say, a sandalwood scent (sandalwood is endangered)?  Further, which is worse for our skin:  Too much cinnamon essential oil, which can lead to acute cross-sensitization and allergy (many aromatherapists would recommend not using it at all in a leave-on product such as a lotion), or a synthetic fragrance which is purported to carry a carcinogenic risk?  OK, what about phthalate-free fragrances, which have eliminated the carcinogen?  Perhaps you see how fuzzy this can get.

I have always been dead-set against synthetic fragrance.  I still am.  But as I learn more, I am coming to understand that they are not all created equally.  I also used to be against fragrance that is natural in source only (example:  you can obtain an almond-like scent by isolating and altering the naturally-occurring aromachemical cinnamaldehyde, which is present in cinnamon bark essential oil). So you arrive at a new class of fragrances.  Are they natural?

Bergamot essential oil, altered to be free of a chemical called bergaptene, is used by aromatherapists as a skin-safe product, allaying risk of photosensitization.  Now, IFRA ruffles a LOT of feathers, and some essential oil producers feel they have gone too far with their attempts at regulation.  Still, I have also learned that some essential oils which are banned by IFRA can be made skin-safe through a similar fractionation process, harvesting out the risky aromachemicals.   Are these still natural?

It is also true that some essential oils are not pure, especially when purchased in bulk.  So are they really natural?

There are indeed very harmful fragrance oils.  Please make sure, when you purchase products that are not naturally scented, you select phthalate-free fragrance.  If the package doesn’t say, ASK.  Phthalates are petroleum derivatives that are not good for our environment or our bodies (it is a reported carcinogen).  Even portions of these fragrance oils are created from naturally-occurring aromachemicals at times.   I would never use these, but you know what I’m going to ask…

I’m not a chemist, and I have thus far solely used essential oils in Sarva’s products.  I am still in the learning phase about these issues as they apply to fragrance–creating new materials that are natural in source–and I’m also currently wondering whether they can help us get around some the troubles as viewed from an E-cubed perspective:  (a) safe skin usage;  (b) environmental depletion; and (c) economic impact for those who harvest and distill plant matter.

In short: Are we seeing the evolution of a product made from natural aromachemicals, a new class of fragrances that addresses all of these issues?  I believe we are.

I don’t have the answers.  I still believe in nature; I still believe in essential oils.  When it comes down to it, I’m talking about 3-4% of a product formulation.  But that 3-4% carries a lot of weight in my book.    And it seems to me that we as humans are learning how to work in harmony with nature.  I think we should give this concept a chance.  And that is where I will be focusing my research.

Thanks so much for exploring this topic with me.

Holden Arboretum, Ohio. © Michelle Gilbert.

Hello everyone!  As I mentioned in my last post, there are a few changes in the works here at Sarva.   I’m going to take a few minutes and fill you in.  This is a long post, so please bear with me.  There is very important information here for anyone who is a proponent of natural products, and at the very end I want your direct feedback!

If you shop regularly, you’ve noticed that a great many soaps are sold out.  We had a wildly successful holiday 2009 season, and many varieties were completely sold out.  Thank you!   We’re currently restocking many of those varieties, some with changes, and we’re introducing some new varieties.

Rustic series soaps will share a new base formula, free of palm kernel oil.  Palm and palm kernel oil harvesting is believed to contribute to tropical deforestation and displacement of orangutans from their natural habitat.  Sarva has “adopted” and directly pays for the rehabilitation of one such orangutan, Kesi.  I continue to investigate this issue because, of course, some people do disagree.

Holiday soaps will be retired until next year, and a few other soaps are retiring:  Cinnamon Sunshine, Rosamaya, Satori, and possibly more.   For some, it is simply time to move on.  For others, there is something far larger happening in the world of fragrance (natural and synthetic), and it is something that you as a consumer should know about:  Regulation.

The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) is an organization that sets forth guidelines for safe usage of natural and synthetic fragrance materials.  They evaluate the environmental as well as the personal (skin safety) impact of these materials.  Their usage recommendations for natural fragrance (including essential oils) has become more and more strict.  What these data mean is that there are essential oils that I should no longer use to make soap for you.

While IFRA’s regulations are indeed research-based, there are many in the natural perfume industry who feel that they are entirely too harsh, and these people are actively protesting.  I remain carefully informed on this matter, and I am one of few soapmakers who has formal aromatherapy training.  I have my own opinions about this (I agree with many of them, and many I do not), but the fact remains that, whether I like it and whether I agree or not, I should not use the materials they are banning.

And in 2010, even more strict regulations are coming, further restricting what I can offer you.  And it will continue to become more limiting.  I expect to lose at least 25% of my product line this year as a result.

In an interview with my good friend Robert Stockham, I discussed the dilemma of which is truly more sustainable and environmentally friendly:  Using essential oils which can deplete our natural resources (and some of which, no matter what anyone tells you, are simply not skin-safe), or using synthetic fragrance oils which have the potential to affect our groundwater, soil, etc.  I am also acutely aware of the sensitivities some people have to fragrance oils.  Keep a secret?  I share these sensitivities myself.  I know how you feel.

I want to be completely clear:  I am a strong proponent of all things natural.  You might not find a stronger proponent!

There are already endangered natural fragrance materials:  Sandalwood is one, rosewood is but another.  (I use rosewood leaf in my formulations, which is a somewhat more sustainable alternative).   This is a very real concern.

So, you see, we have to use our resources intelligently.  Being a proponent of all things natural might involve a paradigm shift:  One may need to support decisions that sustain our environment, not deplete it.

I’ve meditated on this for several months, wondering if my potential solution is akin to selling out.  But I believe the intelligent choice is to look at true sustainability, expanding one’s mind beyond the “natural is always best” stance.  I see a middle way arising.  There is a growing movement around sustainable cosmetics, and I will continue to educate myself and you.  Consider: Sustainable architecture (ask any LEED-certified professional) is rarely restricted to solely natural materials; it is recognized that this too would deplete our resources (understanding, of course, we aren’t smearing building adhesives on our skin!).  We learn more every day about how to create safe and sustainable materials.  My opinion is that we need a LEED-like process for our industry.

So I have a proposal for you, and here’s where I want your feedback! I am considering introducing a limited range of what I’ll call “Nearly Naturals”.

• I will carefully choose fragrances which are superior quality, phthalate-free (phthalates are a petroleum-based additive in some fragrances) and as sustainable as possible, and appropriate to the spirit of Sarva. Not all fragrance oils are created equal!  Some are derivatives of natural substances.
• All will be clearly marked on packaging and on the web site.
• The Nearly Naturals soaps will be 95-97% natural, whereas our present soaps are 100% natural.
• I may more closely investigate the use of oxides to pigment some of these soaps.
• The main focus of Sarva will always be the 100% natural products you have come to love… the Nearly Naturals are simply a supplement.  You can then choose for yourself which side of the environmental fence you wish to stand on, and you can shop based on your principles, not mine.

Your feedback is the sole determining factor. Please share with me how you feel about this matter in the comments below. I want to create soaps that you love to use and feel good about using, and I want to feel good about making them.

Edit: To clarify, I am NOT ceasing production of essential oil soaps, nor is my hand being forced to do so.  They will always comprise the bulk of the product line, if not the whole product line.  I am asking if you do – or don’t – want increased choice in the form of any available sustainable fragrance oils.  As time passes and we learn more about natural as well as synthetic fragrance (or a hybrid thereof), we learn more about the impact our use of them has on our bodies and the environment.  And our available choices shift.  What do YOU want?

Thank you!