My Cottage Cosmetics Journey
I used to be a cake designer and spent 22 years making various styles of cakes for all sorts of celebrations. I started this when my triplets were 2 years old. They would go to bed and I would start my cake design day. Roll on 10 years and I had my fourth baby (yes it took me 10 years to feel I could cope with another). But what I didn’t realise was that 10 further years I would be living in Spain with my youngest at a tennis academy there fulfilling his dreams of being a tennis pro.
I couldn’t carry on with making cakes. My Spanish wasn’t good enough and local Spanish cake preferences were different to mine. So I hung up my whisk and set about considering what would be something I would like to do, not so much to make a business from it, but a great hobby.
They grow up so fast. I was truly blessed that I could share this journey with my boy. But I couldn’t be defined by what my son was doing so thought about what was important to me and sustainability, ethical approaches and natural products using natural ingredients.
I thought it was going to be tough, having to use a catalyst to change the oils into soap but once I had started, I couldn’t stop. I spent months perfecting various formulations for the soap, making lots of mistakes along the way but thats the only way to develop something from being ok to being amazing!
I chose only sustainable oils and butters, only using botanical and naturally occurring colours – so clays, root powders, spice colours etc. We do not use mica. Mica is naturally occurring but it is mined by young children and is not pure mica but contaminated with other elements. We also took the decision not to use laboratory manufactured/like natural mica. Scents come from 100% pure essential oils and isolates that are distilled from flowers, stalks, roots, leaves. This is a prolonged process so all essential oils are bought from reputable companies.
Our Homemade Soap Making Process
Our Ingredients
We use a wealth of natural ingredients in our formulations, including some of which you may not have heard of before, so we thought it would be a good idea to explain where each of our ingredients is sourced. We ensure that none of our ingredients have been tested on animals and that none are animal based. We also ensure that we only use ingredients that are ethically sourced.
A-Z of Our Soap Ingredients:
- Aloe Vera
- Argan Oil
- Arrowroot
- Black Cumin Seed Oil
- Bisobolol
- Calendula CO2
- Cetyl Alcohol
- Chamomile CO2
- Carrot CO2
- Castor Oil
- Caustic Soda/Lye
- Citric Acid
- Cocoa Butter
- Coconut
- Dermorganics
- Diatomaceous Earth
- Dissolvine
- EcoMarine Algae
- Eco Silk
- Fruit Extracts (Grapefruit/Apple)
- Glycerin
- Glyceryl stearate
- Glyceryl caprylate
- Hyuralonic Acid
- Jojoba
- Kokum Butter
- Kombucha
- Glycerols
- Lupine Peptides
- Naticide
- Olive Oil
- Olivem 1000
- Pumice
- Rapadura Sugar
- Rice Wax
- Saccaride Isomerate
- Shea Butter
- Sodium Bicarbonate
- Sodium Lactate
- Stearic Acid
- Sweet Almond Oil
- Vegetal
- Vitamin A Peptides
- Vitamin E
- Zinc Ricinoleate
Our Natural Water Source
We use spring water that pours off the North Downs in Kent, behind the house. It is crystal clear! The water is filtered before being used in our soaps and distilled before being used in our lotions.