Behind the scenes at our handmade soap business: Making and testing our new sugar scrub recipe

In today's behind the scenes look at our handmade soap, bath and body product business we are showing you one of our new products that we hope to launch for sale in a couple of months.
The product in question is a foaming sugar scrub, which we are really excited about! We have already made and tested the base recipe and it is currently being lab tested to ensure the efficiency of the preservative. While we await the testing results, we are trying to choose which scents we would like to offer this scrub for sale in. We are also testing out some packaging and labeling ideas for the scrub and will show you these too.
Today we are creating the scrub in "Lime, Basil & Mandarin" scent. This is such a gorgeous, light, citrusy fragrance and we think it will work really well in this product. This is our very first time testing this scent in this scrub, so we can't wait to see and smell the results!
As I mention in the video, unfortunately we cannot share the entire recipe (as we often do) because on this occasion, we purchased the foaming bath base recipe from an Etsy seller. Purchasing this recipe gives us permission to use the recipe and sell products made with the recipe but we are not permitted to share the exact recipe with you unfortunately. What we can say is that it is a really lovely recipe to work with, it produces really fantastic results and it is completely palm oil free too. If you do fancy giving the scrub a go, the recipe can be purchased here:
www.etsy.com/uk/listing/72651...
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We will be uploading new soap making videos every Friday and new behind the scenes/soap business tips every Tuesday.
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www.sussexsoap.co.uk
sussexhandmadesoap
sussex_handmade_soap
If you do head over to our website, we offer our KZbin friends 20% off purchases if you enter code "youtube20" at checkout :-)

[@glenisgibson9736]

Absolutely luv your new labels, can't believe they are not plastic. Good luck with your new product.

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Glenis, I know, we had to double check all the small print just to make sure they were 100% plastic free!

[@ArreisMorsCI]

This looks awesome!!! Love the scent combination and colors 😍 💕 the label looks 👌

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Cindy :-)

[@theterifox]

Thank you for sharing. Love all you do

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you :-)

[@ChampagneProperty]

Labels look amazing, you must feel proud, and you should. well done, its SO good to see a family biz doing well. Long may it continue xx

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

You know what, I am proud! I don't often admit that in public (I am too stereotypically British to admit I am pleased with something I have done) but when I look at where we were two years ago, I realise just how far we have come and how hard we have worked to get here :-)

[@ChampagneProperty]

@@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany Hey, just remember, there is nothing wrong with feeling proud of what you have acheived, long may it continue xx

[@lovereigns4017]

Anne.mits amazing! Well done you and Wayne too, of course. Love your workspace.❤️ Iris

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Iris! It is funny you mention the workspace as I will be honest, I meticulously moved everything out of the way before we started filming! Wayne said no one would notice or care, so I am very pleased that you have proved me right and allowed me to say "I told you so!" to him! (Normally he is the one who is right about everything!)

[@lovereigns4017]

@@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany Lol. You got him good then, Anne.🤣

[@travelswithann4616]

Another great video and so much great information. We'll done both of you. Keep up the good work. X

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you very much :-)

[@ericaaston7358]

I am sugar scrubbing as well. My favorite part is testing them myself.... I hope I leave enough to sell! It's so delicious

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

I love using them too! Even my Mother (who offers to test things for me and then gives up after one or two uses) is halfway through her first jar, so they must be good :-D

[@katarzynaderkacz39]

Hi Anne and Wayne! Labels look awesome! Clear label is a great choice on the jars. I like this type of jar with a wide top. Easy to use. I'm on stage of soap assessment preparation, lots of work but I love it 🌙❤️ And I'm happy your business is growing so nicely 😘

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you so much Katarzyna. Do let us know when your own soaps are available for sale - we always love to support those who support us and we do get bored using our own products all the time!

[@katarzynaderkacz39]

Hahaha I know, because I test all my soaps constantly there are 5-6 in each soaps dish 😀😁😂

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

@@katarzynaderkacz39 This sounds exactly like the soap dishes at our house!

[@Hilary_ClarbySoaps]

Thank you for sharing how much work it takes to do a new product. I’m sure lots of people don’t realise just how much testing is involved. Who do you use to get your products PET tested? Is this done as part of the CSPR process or is it an additional process? Love the clear labels 💕

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Hilary. We use the company Oxford Biosciences for our PET testing (you can find them online) and it is separate to the CPSR. Once we (hopefully) have our PET test successfully completed we will be using Soaposh for our actual CPSR report.

[@Hilary_ClarbySoaps]

Hi Anne, I have a question about the PET testing…do you just need the one test for the base? As in no further testing for your variants? Also, where do you source those gorgeous jars from? Thanks xx

[@betsydeath]

Ah...The ol' Wilton 6B. Good choice.

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Why thank you, we think so too!

[@elizastriunga1179]

Hello, Thank you very much for your very useful educating videos! I am working on this foaming body scrub recipe for a while. Well, it is a hobby at the moment still, but thinking to get an assessment .I am still experimenting adding some different additives to this foaming butter base. So, my question is. Did I understand it right that PET test is necessary for foaming butter base only? ( because it contains water) . Thank you:)

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Hello Eliza, Yes, the testing was needed on the base due to the fact it contains a preservative (which it contains in this case due to the water). Any product that contains a preservative will generally need PET testing. In the end, we had to have it tested as a whole (minus the colour and fragrance) as our assessor would only allow us to add 5% additional ingredients to a PET tested base product (he was concerned the preservative efficiency would be affected if a higher % of ingredients were added). So we ended up making the scrub without any colours or fragrance and then having it tested and then adding in the fragrance and colours afterwards as variants for our CPSR.

[@annettebobko3628]

Looks GREAT! I appreciate you sharing all these new items that you work. You don't have to put a label showing the ingredients? Thanks for all you do! I may just have turned into a FanGirl, never really understood that but I'm a bit obsessed! Good thing you live "across the pond" or you may have a stalker! LOL

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you so much Annette, I must admit, I quite like the idea of having my own fangirl - lol! We do have to add an ingredient label, and so far we are thinking that we will put it on the base of the jar as that seems to be the most obvious place for it to go.

[@maryward633]

Hi Anne..thanks for all the brilliant videos, can you suggest a good preserative to buy in the UK for sugar scrubs as I intend to sell them? Thanks x

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Hi Mary We use Geogard ECT Preservative Eco for our sugar scrubs. We purchase from The Soapmakers Store here in the UK. It works well for our scrubs and passed all challenge testing and assessments. You just have to be careful to cool the scrub base down to below 40 degrees centigrade before adding it in :-)

[@maryward633]

Thanks so much your just great, God bless in 2023 with the business x

[@sajushillam9632]

Please where did you get the jars from?

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

We got them online in the UK from Ampulla :-)

[@peterm7915]

I watched early this morning and I have a but! All that whisking to make sure the colour is blended well, then to add another colour, can this look as if you did not blend well? Maybe you would like navy and green, if you called the product, midnight grass (ok, poor name) then it is positively meant to be two colours. Or if two essential ingredients are in different colours, to add to the product, like toothpaste. Or this is just my opinion!! Thank you for the introduction of your new venture.

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you Peter and constructive criticism is always welcome :-) To be honest, I think it is my piping skills that are letting me down here! With a bit of practice I am hoping it will form 2 very distinct different colours and not the sort of blended look here!

[@lisaalty5776]

You can buy piping bags that have a split coupler ( the bag looks kinda like two stuck together) they are great for this technique .mine came from Lakeland but you can probably get them on line.I think you could even just get the split coupler and use two bags ( as you already have them) hope ‘‘tis helps. It would also be useful when you are filling more than one jar as the colours can’t get mixed in the bag🙂

[@peterm7915]

That is useful info, thank you for the good ideas :)

[@annalewkowicz9030]

Dear Anne, thank you so much for sharing it with us, you are such an inspiration for me! I am not sure if you can answer this question, but if you can I would be pleased. Is this product considered to be considered as one containing water (because as far as I know, you need different types of assessment for products containing water and ones without)? I am considering buying the recipe but for now, I am only looking for ones that don't contain water :) If you cannot answer it's fine, Ill contact the seller :) Have a nice day!

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Hello Anna, thank you for your comment. Yes, the foaming base does contain water and it is classed as a product that contains water so does require additional testing. A CPSR is still required for the product but before we can get a CPSR it needs additional testing in the form of a "PET" test (preservative efficiency testing). This is the stage we are at right now! Basically, you have to send a sample of the scrub away to a lab and they then test it over a period of 4 weeks to check that the preservative is working correctly and not allowing anything nasty to grow. This is fairly expensive (we went with Oxford Biosciences and it cost just under £200). If it passes this testing, then the next step will be to get a standard CPSR for it as well but it is definitely more involved and time consuming getting this assessed. You can however purchase the foaming base ready made - for example from Soaposh here: soaposh.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=109 and you could then add your additional scrub ingredients (sugar, oil, fragrance etc) directly to it. In this instance you may not need the additional PET testing as you will not be adding any further water into the mix and a standard CPSR may be all that is required (though I many be wrong here, so would be worth emailing Ann-Marie at Soaposh to ask, as she will be able to let you know for sure). Hope this helps and have a lovely day :-)

[@annalewkowicz9030]

@@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany I apologise for taking do long to reply. Thank you so much for the explanation!

[@NashipurSinha]

Not using plastic label is good intention but please do check the cost to environment for production of clear labels from wood pulp. A massive amount of processing may be required, which completely defeats your desire to be environment friendly

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Thank you for your comment. Unfortunately, anything that is created will have an impact on the environment in one way or another, but we researched these labels and the company who make them a lot before we decided to use them and we are confident that they will be a lot less damaging than using plastic ones. Among others things, we especially liked the fact that the wood pulp used comes from renewable sources and managed plantations.

[@laurenrobinson8714]

Glass jars in the shower?

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

We did consider this when choosing our packaging but on balance this was still the best option for our company. So many scrubs these days are packaged in plastic jars but we wanted to avoid this as we do not want to add to the plastic pollution problems. Yes, care will need to be taken, but there are many other things in life where care needs to be taken too. Our labels do mention that the jar is glass and to be careful when using it. We also advise customers to either place the jar on the floor of the shower or to place on a shelf outside of the shower itself - you wouldn't really want to get too much water inside the jar anyway. Decanting the amount you wish to use from the jar before starting your shower is another option we recommend if people do express concerns as this ensures that you won't end up with water getting inside the jar either. We are not the first company to offer scrubs like these in glass jars and I am sure we won't be the last.

[@anitascuteri3884]

Are you still selling your viper potion?

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Hello, please forgive me, but I have no idea what you mean! :-D

[@Vixykins]

Don't you need a separate cosmetic assessment?

[@TheSussexHandmadeSoapCompany]

Yes, for selling you definitely need a cpsr and in this instance a pet test was required too due to the presence of water in the recipe