Soap, soap, soap. There are many types, shapes, sizes, colours, scents. There are soaps for different skin types, different moods, and different situations. There are moisturising soaps, exfoliating soaps, refreshing soaps, soaps for oily skin, soaps for dry skin, liquid soaps, gel soaps, antiseptic soaps, soap loaves, guest soaps, hand soap, bath soap, facial soap, simple soap.

Originally soap was made using tree bark and herbs such as soapwort and in the 8th century the Spanish and Italians created what we now call soap from goat fat and tree ash, but the French made soap with olive oil which replaced the animal fat or tallow. The Americans used fat from any animal that happened to be around at the time and used a barrel filled with hardwood ash and rainwater, which was perforated and the resulting liquid was boiled together with the animal fat to produce a grandma style soap, but rough skin and holey socks were the result as this soap proved to be too caustic.

In England, during the reign of King James I in the early 17th century, soap makers were granted special privileges, and the soap industry developed at a rapid pace. By the end of the 17th century the French were ahead again, and the findings of Louis Pasteur had established that cleanliness reduced the spread of disease.

Andrew Pears, the son of a Cornish farmer, was one of the first people to define the need for soap as a cosmetic aid. He trained as a hairdresser and established his own salon in Soho in London, where he manufactured and sold cosmetics. He then set about making soap that was kind to the skin and produced a transparent soap fragranced with ‘the flowers of the garden’, and Pears Soap was born.

The late 20th century has seen a revival of natural products and herbal remedies. People now seek to preserve the environment and reduce the use of chemicals and toxins.

Here at Heaven Scent, Ilfracombe, Devon, we strive to be as eco-friendly as possible. Everything we do impacts to some extent on our world. What we buy and use, determines what we throw away or recycle. It is impossible to have no impact on our eco system, but we can take steps to minimise it as best we can:

We use locally sourced products wherever possible, so that we can cut down on the fuel used to receive our deliveries.

All our bath, shower and body products are handmade in small batches, so that there is no waste, using the finest ingredients such as fruit, flowers, vegetables, herbs, spices and essential oils, so that what you receive is higher quality than anything mass produced.

We do not stock anything that has been tested on animals or containing animal products. Therefore our products are suitable for vegetarians and most are suitable for vegans. Animal testing was started by the Victorians and no one benefits from using it. Animal tests don’t give us safe chemicals or safe products to use and they certainly don’t do anything for the millions, yes literally millions, of animals who have been or will be killed.

We recycle all packaging and reuse wherever possible, to deliver any orders out to our customers.