Behind the Brand: The Handmade Soap Company's Products Are Kind to Skin and the Environment

The Handmade Soap Company is an Irish premium natural and eco-friendly bath and body brand.

Based in Ireland amidst the picturesque green countryside, The Handmade Soap Company was created by Donagh Quigley and his wife Gemma McGowan. The couple converted an old linen mill down by the River Boyne into a production facility, where they make their entire line of products by hand. Their product line ranges from soy wax candles and diffusers to hair care and body care products, and everything they make is cruelty-free and vegan-friendly.

Each ingredient is chosen to deliver the best possible results and they go to great lengths to ensure that their raw ingredients, packaging, and processes are as kind to the environment as they are to skin. In addition to avoiding single use plastic, all of their bottles are made from 100% post-consumer recycled materials and their boxes are made from FSC-approved sustainable cardboard from managed forests. They are members of Repak, the Irish “Green Dot” program, and maintain an ethical sourcing policy with all their suppliers.

“Where the company is now is allowing me to turn it into the kind of company I always wanted to work for,” says Quigley. “We have a very visible triple-bottom line philosophy, which means that we have a measurable metric for people, planet, and profit. I believe that profit is really just a tool that helps a company to achieve its mission and our mission is to become the kindest body care company on the planet.”

We chatted with Quigley, who shared the inspiration behind the brand, favorite products, future plans, and more.

When was The Handmade Soap Company founded and what’s the meaning behind the name?

We are 11 years old this year. We started off in myself and my wife’s kitchen with two pots and the company has grown to 55 people. We produce a gorgeous range of Eco-cert soaps, hand washes, hand lotions, body care, and home fragrance products.

I have always made stuff with my hands. Growing up in Ireland, I played a lot of traditional music and did this professionally all through my twenties. Then I did a thatching traineeship and made straw roofs for a number of years. So the company name always had to have something to do with hands in it. We are all about the craft, the process, the people, and the product and I think our name does a great job of capturing all of that.

What inspired the creation of The Handmade Soap Company?

As mentioned earlier I was working as a thatcher and I grew all of my own straw. A combination of three lost harvests and the recession of 2009 forced me to be creative and look for something new. Working outside and with my hands, I suffered from dry skin which was only exacerbated by mass produced personal care products. One day I discovered cold process handmade soap and it worked wonders on my skin. Being the creative, crafty type I am, I researched, studied, and started making it at home for myself initially.

Donagh Quigley.

Tell us more about your products and what makes them special.

We have just gotten all of our range Eco-cert accredited. Eco-cert/Cosmos is probably Europe’s most stringent natural accreditation process and it was a two-year journey for us, but something that we are really proud of. All of our plastic has been 100% PCR for a number of years now and we have just launched the world’s first compostable wash and lotion refill pouch (coming to the US in January 2021).

Our product formulations are some of the best on the market and all of our products are fragranced with essential oils, only which I believe deliver a heightened olfactory experience.

Do you have a hero product?

People seem to absolutely love our body oil. It really is food for the skin as most of the ingredients are also edible (but don’t drink it!) It’s also won Best Body Product at the CEW awards for the last two years in a row.

What’s your favorite product?

I still have a soft spot for our cold processed soap. I’m a bit old fashioned that way in that I do love a good old bar of soap. However, I have been studying natural perfumery for the last couple of years. It is where you blend essential oils (no synthetics) for their fragrant perfume qualities as opposed to aromatherapy which mainly concentrates on their healing properties. We have just launched a range of essential oil blends that I am really proud of and are quite different to what is currently on the market.

Thoughtfully designed and carefully blended, the Art Deco collection is reminiscent of the luscious beauty and excitement of the Art Deco period.

Where are your products sold?

On our website and ulta.com.

What's next for the brand?

It has been a strange year for the whole world and most businesses are no exception. We have had a really busy year with a new retail shop opening (and closing and opening again!) We have doubled the size of our factory. We have launched our new range of natural premium bodycare products using the greenest technology currently available for our packaging and we are really focused on our U.S. expansion.

For more information and to purchase, visit thehandmadesoapcompany.com and follow on Instagram: @thehandmadesoapcompany

[Images courtesy of The Handmade Soap Company]

Kamala Kirk is a University of Southern California graduate and has been an editor/writer for more than a decade. She has written for E! Online, Total Beauty, TravelAge West, Malibu Times Magazine, and many more. She resides in Los Angeles and is a proud pug mom. Follow her on Instagram: @kamalakirk