why the black stuff

I started making soap in my kitchen. 231,000 people later, here's why they stay.

No factory, no fragrance oils, only natural ingredients. Real soap, made by hand in our Dublin workshop. These are the reasons people try us and never go back.

Pick your bundleFree shipping on these bundles, this offer only. Ships fast from Dublin, London, Tennessee and Toronto
230k+ happy customers6 Years in BusinessHandmade in Ireland
The reasons

What we do differently

Everything we sell, we make. Apart from the soap dishes.

Scented with essential oils, never "fragrance" pure essential oils
No. 1

Scented with essential oils, never "fragrance"

Every scent comes from essential oils. You will not find the word fragrance anywhere on our labels, because there are no fragrance oils in the building. It costs way more to make but you can tell the second you lather up.

100% natural ingredients
We put the expensive half in soap in my kitchen
No. 2

We put the expensive half in

Factories would tell you not to use more than 2-3% shea butter. At scale, those percentages are the whole margin. But I was just trying to make the best product, so I put loads in. Our bar is more than half olive oil and shea to this day. Five oils, each with one job. Nothing there for the label.

five oils, each with one job
Made by hand, 54 bars at a time Davey being silly
No. 3

Made by hand, 54 bars at a time

Cold-processed in our Sandyford workshop, cut by hand, labelled by hand, then cured on racks for weeks before a single bar ships. Slower for us. Harder, longer-lasting soap for you.

54 bars a batch
A Proper Living Wage our Dublin workshop
No. 4

A Proper Living Wage

2 years ago I made the difficult decision to increase all of our prices. We then gave every single employee a 5k per year pay rise. We continue to pay a decent living wage, significantly above minimum. We want our employees to be able to afford life.

people first, profit second
The soap maker still runs the place I care about quality
No. 5

The soap maker still runs the place

I made every single bar myself for the first 18 months. The people making them now were trained by me, with the same methods, using the same recipes. When something is not right, it does not ship.

same process, same recipes
“The only thing better than the soap is the deodorant. I've been using these products for about 3 months and I'll never go back to shower gels”
Richard M.K., Facebook

Still hand-made. Still ours.

I made every single soap myself for the first 18 months. These days my team in Sandyford makes them the same way, from the same recipes. Pick a bundle below and see for yourself.

John
Founder & Chief Soap Maker
our promise

The No Duds Guarantee

Don't love something? Tell us and we'll send you a new product free of charge. No hassle, no returns needed. Still not happy? Ask for a refund. One more thing. We're trialling free shipping on these bundles. You won't find it on the main site, and if the sums don't add up it goes. While it's here, it's applied at checkout, no code to type.

TWO OPTIONS FOR YOU

6 of our bestsellers plus 2 freebies plus free shipping!

option no. 1
Free shipping todayThe Craic Premade

The Craic Premade

€92,00€54,00Save €38,00
here's what's in it
Atlantic Pine TarAtlantic Pine Tar €9,00
Fresh Lime and AloeFresh Lime and Aloe €9,00
Irish Mountain RainIrish Mountain Rain €9,00
Citrus Cedarwood ScrubCitrus Cedarwood Scrub €9,00
Black StoutBlack Stout €9,00
Wicklow WaterfallsWicklow Waterfalls €9,00
Natural Deodorant - Atlantic PineNatural Deodorant - Atlantic Pine €14,00 Free Gift
Soap Saver Soap DishSoap Saver Soap Dish €15,00 Free Gift

the maths: everything above, bought alone: €83,00. This box: €54,00.

Free shipping today. Applied at checkout, no code to type.
The No Duds Guarantee. Any scent in the box you don't love, we swap free of charge. No hassle, no returns needed.
option no. 2

PICK AND CHOOSE:

Have a look around the shop and build your own order. Buy at least 2 items and shipping's free, applied at checkout.

BROWSE MY PRODUCTS
By the numbers

1.7 million bars sold. Is a lot of soap...

A fun visualisation of our soap sales to date.

Top of the stratosphere 50km Red Bull Stratos jump 39km Passenger jet 11km 51km Everest 8.8km 1.7M bars, flat no. 1

Higher than Everest. Higher than the planes.

Lay every bar we've ever sold flat, one on top of the next, and the soapy tower is 51km tall. Higher than Everest. Higher than aeroplanes fly.

1.7M bars × 3cm = 51km. Everest 8.8km. Cruising altitude 11km.

Sandyford Galway Bay 231,000 people, a metre apart no. 2

A queue to Galway

If every customer queued up outside our workshop in Sandyford, the line would stretch across the whole country and out into Galway Bay.

231,000 customers × 1m = 231km. Sandyford to Galway is about 210km.

1.7M bars, 230 tonnes 153 of these, 230 tonnes level no. 3

153 hippos in the bath

Every bar we've sold, on one side of the scales, weighs 230 tonnes. That's 153 fully grown hippos on the other. The bath would need to be a good size.

1.7M × 135g = 230 tonnes. A hippo is about 1.5 tonnes.

30'000+ Customer Reviews

Still not sure? Hear it from them

Facebook comment from Gary DayFacebook comment from Kris StraffordFacebook comment from Richard Marc KennyFacebook comment from Taylar Rahabi
Real comments from Facebook and Instagram, unedited

Questions?

What if I don't like a scent?

That's what the No Duds Guarantee is for. Let us know and we'll send you something else free of charge. No hassle, no returns needed.

Is this a subscription?

No. Everything on this page is a one-time order. No subscription, no commitment.

Where does it ship from, and what does it cost?

We keep stock in Ireland, the UK, the USA and Canada, so your order ships from the closest warehouse. Shipping on these bundles is free while we trial it, and only through this page. It's applied automatically at checkout.

What's actually in the bars?

Our base is olive oil, shea butter, coconut oil, castor oil and sustainably sourced palm oil. Every scent comes from pure essential oils. No synthetic fragrance, and every ingredient is listed on the label. If you want full ingredients please navigate to the website. They are listed on each product page.

None of these the right fit?

There are more bundles where those came from.

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