How It's Made

We know it is important to you to be aware of the ingredients contained in the products you use, and we have therefore provided some information relating to our ingredients. Please contact us should you have any questions about any of our products.

Bath Melts and Fizzes

Our fizzes and foaming bath melts will give you a gorgeous bathing experience. Our 100% natural fizzes are made up of organic certified dead sea salts, Epsom salts, bicarbonate of soda, essential oils and clay colours.

Our 100% natural bath melts are made up with luxurious shea butter,which is fantastic for nourishing and hydrating your skin, essential oils, and naturally dried fragrant botanicals. 

Soaking in a bath with epsom salts (which is high in magnesium) for about 20 minutes, is an easy way to give your body and muscles an instant boost, as most of us are deficient in Magnesium.  

According to the Epsom Salt Council, these amazing salts assist in:

  • improved heart and circulatory health, reducing irregular heartbeats, reducing blood clots and lowering blood pressure
  • improved ability for the body to use insulin, reducing the severity of diabetes
  • de-toxifying - increasing the efficiency of the body to expel toxins
  • prevention or easing of migraine headaches
  • relief of stress; excess adrenaline and stress are believed to drain magnesium, a natural stress reliever, from the body. Magnesium is necessary for the body to bind adequate amounts of serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical within the brain that creates a feeling of well being and relaxation
  • reduced inflammation to relieve aches and pains and muscle cramps
  • improved oxygen use and improved absorption of nutrients

Exfoliating Sugar Scrubs

Our sugar scrubs are 100% natural using only shea butter, sugar, pure essential oils, and dried botanicals.

Aritsan Soaps

We would like to clarify a few myths about soap, and also let you know of the wonders that are contained in our soaps.

Soap is a cleansing agent made from the interaction of oils and fats (acids) with an alkali (sodium hydroxide) to produce a solid bar. Oils and fats for soap are compounds of glycerine and natural fatty acids (generally, fatty acids refer to any compound derived from the breakdown of fats). When oils are mixed with an alkali, they form glycerine and the sodium salts of the fatty acids. Therefore all soap should theoretically have a natural glycerine content. Our soaps have the glycerine content intact, this wonderful substance is a natural humectant and attracts moisture from the air, helping to keep skin soft and supple. 

Many oils, fats and butters are used in the manufacture of soap and have different beneficial fatty acids:

  • olive oil contains mainly oleic acid that produces small, mild and creamy bubbles
  • coconut oil contains nearly 50% lauric acid which makes big, fat, open, fluffy bubbles
  • sunflower contains mainly linoleic acid which produces big, open conditioning bubbles

The trick is to combine the various oils and fats in the correct dilutions in order to produce the best lather possible whilst keeping the soap mild and gentle, leaving a nice soothing after-feel on the skin as opposed to a tight, squeaky clean feeling.

Some ingredients that you see on many soaps do not have any beneficial effects on the skin. In fact, they cause problems such as allergies for many users. One ingredient we see on most soap ingredient listings is perfume.  Perfume is a chemical fragrance, which is a man-made cocktail of chemicals. It is an aroma which has no therapeutic qualities and can be toxic and irritating for many skin types. 

Therefore the most important aspect of our soaps is that they contain NO artificial, chemical fragrances, only aromatherapy quality essential oils which do have beneficial therapeutic properties for the skin. Essential oils are gently antiseptic in their action and many are corrective for different skin problems. We use a generous, effective dilution of professionally blended essential oils in all our products that not only smell delicious but have a positive effect on the skin. 

NOT OUR INGREDIENTS - These are the ingredients of a famous soap bar that makes moisturizing claims:-

Luxury White Beauty Bar
 - Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate - detergent. 
Stearic Acid - wax.
 Coconut Acid - coconut fatty acid.
 Sodium Tallowate - animal fat.
 Water
Sodium Isethionate - detergent.
 Sodium Stearate - a white powder derived from vegetable fat that is commonly used in soaps and cosmetics. It can also be used as a waterproofing and gelling agent. Sodium stearate is also commonly used as a cheap stabilizer in plastics. A potential allergen.
 Cocamidopropyl Betaine - detergent.
 Sodium Cocoate Or Sodium Palm Kernelate - coconut or palm kernel oils.
 Fragrance - chemical aroma, a potential allergen.
 Sodium Chloride - salt, used as a thickener.
 Tetrasodium Etidronate - a chemical that is used as a water softener in soaps to prevent soap scum.
 Tetrasodium EDTA - a synthetic preservative that can be irritating to the
eyes/mucous membranes. 
BHT - a solid, white crystalline antioxidant that can be toxic for the kidneys
Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891) - white colouring.

But this is NOT a natural soap, as it contains mainly chemical detergents, animal fat, synthetic fragrances, and preservatives.
 So many companies offer these types of soaps and call their products natural, but of course, they are not. Soap correctly formulated has glorious, abundant lather, there is no need to boost the foam with chemicals! These are the two widely used ingredients in these synthetic detergent bars: 
Propylene Glycol - a petrochemical
Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Sodium Laureth Sulphate, which are harsh detergents.

OUR SOAP ingredients:-

Extra Virgin Olive oil
, Coconut oil, 
Shea Butter, 
Sunflower oil, 
Castor Bean oil
, Springwater, 
Aromatherapy quality essential oils, 
Fresh fruits, and organic botanicals, 
Natural plant colours and clays

 

Which would you choose?

When oils are mixed with the alkali (sometimes called lye) a process called saponification takes place. Oils are composed of fatty acids as mentioned previously, which require a certain amount of an alkali to saponify them or change them into soap. This is a crucial part of soapmaking and when formulated correctly and professionally, there is NO lye left in the finished soap.

As an extra, we actually "super fat" all our soaps. This means that oils or plant fats have been left in the soap unconverted by the lye to allow some fat/oil to remain in its original form so that it forms an invisible, protective and conditioning layer on the skin. The purpose of superfatting the soap is to give it this more moisturizing quality, making it milder for the skin.

When olive oil is saponified it is called Sodium Olivate, when coconut oil is saponified it is called Sodium Cocoate when sunflower oil is saponified it is called Sodium Sunflowerate and when palm oil is saponified it is called Sodium Palmate. However, we have a strict NO palm oil policy.

 

We have found a way to include fresh fruits and vegetables in our soaps, without using preservatives. These add a lovely something special to the finished soap as well as providing interesting textures and looks. Also because we use a high percentage of conditioning oils, such as olive and sunflower, the soaps are highly conditioning and make fantastic bath & shower bars, but also they can be used as very effective shampoo and shave bars.

We also have a qualified, professional international aromatherapist working with the company with over 30 years experience and this is why our soaps smell and look so good, it's all in the blending! But more importantly, not only do they smell and look gorgeous they are really good for your skin. You will see a marked improvement in the quality and texture of your skin using a natural soap rather than a synthetic detergent counterpart.