Wychwood Soapery - the natural choice for handmade soaps and toiletries
Moving to solid soap bars eliminates the need for single-use plastic bottles and other plastic packaging.
We use the minimal amount of packaging, using sustainable, recycled, recyclable materials where possible.
Our soap 'belly bands' are made from 100% post-consumer waste, so you might notice some natural variation between the labels on your soaps. We also use compostable seals on the 'belly bands', so if you choose to compost your packaging, there's no need to remove the seal!
How it all began
Wychwood Soapery was created in 2024 by Jackie Williams during a break from her 26 year career in sustainable energy.
As a long-term vegan with a strong concern for the environment, Jackie and her family (husband and wee dog) have been cutting down on plastic use gradually over the years and solid products had already replaced shower gel, face-wash and shampoo in the bathroom. Upon discovering the excitement of turning seemingly non-cleansing ingredients into amazingly gentle soaps in her own kitchen, Jackie wanted to share this discovery. Friends and family loved the bubbly creations coming out of Jackie's home-based workshop and it wasn't long before a business scale production line was underway, with several friends frequently asking when they would be able to buy the soaps that they had enjoyed using.
Having survived breast cancer, Jackie is also keen to reduce her use of unnecessary and often harsh ingredients found in many commercially produced soaps, especially as chemotherapy often causes long-term problems with skin, making it more sensitive and fragile. An added bonus of handmade soap is the presence of a greater amount of glycerin; this natural by-product of saponification is often removed from commercially produced soap, but can always be found in handmade soap.