How handmade soaps are whipping up a lather

Nivriti Butalia tries to figure what the fuss is all about

The Al Quoz neighbourhood is a far cry from smells of lavender or citrus or rosemary. So, when you walk into The Camel Soap Factory here and see buckets of essential oils being stirred and poured into moulds, ready to be 'cold processed', there's an immediate sensory dissonance. 
At the factory, I watch employees stir vats of concentrated oils in a cold room. They are wearing those respirator gas masks from the movies (we had to wear hairnets to enter the room). They stir and check temperatures of oils by inserting the nose of a drill-like gadget to get an exact reading. Soap-making, I gather, is like baking. It requires the right ingredients, the right portions, monitoring of temperatures and an adherence to process at every step.
While watching the process of soap being cooked ('saponification'), you pick up titbits: potassium salts are used to make soft soaps, while sodium makes harder (and more popular) ones. Cutesy trivia comes your way too. Like "camels don't produce milk unless they're happy," according to Stevi Lowmass, CEO and founder of The Camel Soap Factory. She's long had a thing for natural handmade soaps, even before her daughter's skin condition pushed her to whip up milk soaps at home in Dubai in 2012 - much before the company got off the ground.
The soaps - which go a long way with tourists who want a 'Made in UAE' product - manufactured here contain a generous splash of camel milk sourced from local farms in the UAE: 25 per cent in their Castile soaps (olive oil-based hard soaps), and 30 per cent in their Oriental line; the higher the concentration of camel milk, the more luxurious the soap. "There is a push towards natural products, away from the parabens, and it's visible in the UAE," says Lowmass. She says, "We have doubled in size virtually every year."
Within this small-but-growing coterie of natural soap-makers, commercial soaps are looked at with disdain. "More and more people are becoming aware of what they're putting on their skin," says Dave Esmonde-White, once a banker, now the marketing manager at The Camel Soap Factory. "A lot of the soaps in the market aren't soaps, they're detergents, manufactured using petroleum oils," he says.
Do dermatologists concur? Yes and no. Dr Anwar Al Hamadi, consultant and head of dermatology at Dubai Health Authority and president of Emirates Dermatology Society, is circumspect about both handmade soaps and the more commercial ones. "I cannot say all natural or homemade soaps are good for the skin. For me, to endorse a natural/ handmade soap, I need something proven... Most soaps contain preservatives, so I would urge customers to read the labels." 
But surely using a 100 per cent olive oil soap or a shea butter soap can't have adverse affects? "Mild soaps are okay, but I can't say all olive oil products will be good for all skin types. likewise with shea butter soaps. Sometimes, oily products can clog pores. Yes, they may impart a moisturising effect, but to choose the right product, it's best to first try a sample." (His advice for those with skin disorders - eczema, acne, psoriasis: use a soap-free cleanser.) 
Before a handmade soap is shrink-wrapped and sent into the market, it goes through a period of rest for a few weeks. This period is called curing. It is akin to what cheese goes through in order to mature. Chemical reactions have to be allowed to complete their cycles. Some cure for a minimum of two weeks, some for longer. 
Soap manufacturers also say there is no such thing as old soap. Old soap may lose its fragrance, but its moisturising and cleansing properties last well beyond three years. The legalities of labelling a product require manufacturers to stamp a 'best by' date on the product at the three-year mark. But the ones in the know say it's silly to toss good handmade soaps you imagine are expired because they don't smell of anything.
Handmade soaps come with a posh value. "They are used as gifts, and/or to impress people," says Jumana Sebaali. Her company Ylabès - that makes natural, handmade soaps at a small factory in Sharjah - caters primarily to Middle Eastern clients. "Many will keep our nice soaps in their guest bathrooms, and not use them. I tell them to use them to feel the difference on your skin!" 
Denis Ravizza, managing director of concept store Pôlette in City Walk agrees, "Soaps are an easy gifting option." His wife and he source their soaps from a Greek soap-maker they found by chance on the island of Corfu.
I ask Ravizza if he believes Dubai residents are gradually moving towards handmade soaps. "It's a tiny movement so far. Sustainability and support of natural products is still to grow in the region. Also, handmade soaps are more expensive than mass produced soaps. Anyway, we are not a soap shop, so we put a low-price tag to create awareness about these great products". Their most popular soaps are the extra virgin oil soap, and the kumquat and rosemary (Dh25-Dh30).
The percentage of buyers of handmade soaps can't compare to the ones who buy their suds at a LuLu or a Carrefour. It is to tap this mass market that The Camel Soap factory is coming out with a cheaper range (Dh15-20) soon. Lowmass adds, "We've done remarkably well in Oman. 23 per cent of our business is exports. the other thing that took us by surprise is the fact that the Chinese are obsessed with natural products that are not Made in China." 
She talks of two types of customers: "those who live here (in the UAE) and have bought the product and want to use it again and then there are the visitors, who go into the Al Jabers or The Atlantis or At The Top and they want to buy something that's uniquely from Dubai." 
Neelam Keswani, founder of Dubai-based Glamazle.com, an online beauty and fashion portal, stocks several dozen natural soap brands, including One With Nature and Khadi. A fan of handmade products and a Khadi loyalist, she says when they first started retailing Khadi soaps in November 2016, they "sold out and had to restock in three days. Today, we have enough stock to ensure we never run out."
Are those buying Khadi mostly Indians who are familiar with the brand? "It's strange but Indians aren't the main consumers of these natural soaps," Keswani says. "Majority of Khadi sales comes from Emirati customers".
More soap stuff. Ylabès' Seebali points out their most popular fragrances are musk, amber and Arabian oud. Charcoal soaps are catching on for their properties of sucking out excess oil. Fragrance is still a go-to in the market. Often, the stronger the smell, the better it sells. 
Watch out for counterfeit stuff though. Just like other industries, fakes thrive in the soap market. Spend a minute sizing up a soap before you dish out Dh40. Dave Esmonde-White gives a checklist: "Look for a proper label. It should state clearly: ingredients (fewer the better), bar code, manufacturing date, batch number". If those details are missing, you're probably getting lathered with no benefit.  
nivriti@khaleejtimes.com