Isla SudsMade in Our Kitchen, Named for Our Daughter
The Isla Suds Story
From Corporate Desk to Farmers Market
Sarah never intended to start a soap business. After years in corporate marketing, she found herself increasingly disconnected from the work she was doing. The turning point came during maternity leave with Isla, when she started making soap as a way to slow down and create something with her hands.
What began as a Sunday afternoon hobby turned into Saturday market trips. First one farmers market booth, then two, then wholesale orders from local shops. Three years later, Sarah left her corporate job entirely. Now the kitchen is the studio, and every bar of soap is made by hand—no outsourcing, no scaling shortcuts.
This wasn't the plan, but it's become the life. Small batches, local ingredients where possible, and a commitment to keeping it personal even as the business grows.
Why Isla Suds?
Isla is our daughter. When she was born, we wanted to create something gentle enough for her sensitive skin but effective enough to actually work. The big-brand "natural" soaps were full of synthetic fragrances and mystery ingredients. So Sarah went back to basics: olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, and essential oils.
Naming the business after Isla felt right. It's a reminder that every bar we make should be good enough for our own family. If we wouldn't use it on Isla's skin, we don't sell it.
A Family Recipe, Reimagined
The base recipe came from Sarah's grandmother, who made soap during the Depression when store-bought soap was a luxury. She used lard and lye and whatever fats were left over from cooking. It wasn't fancy, but it worked.
We've updated the recipe for modern sensibilities—vegetable oils instead of animal fats, essential oils for scent, clays and botanicals for texture—but the core process is the same. Cold process saponification, hand-poured into molds, cured for six weeks. It takes time, but that's what makes it last.
How We Make Each Bar
Every batch starts in our kitchen. We measure, melt, blend, and pour by hand. Each bar is cut with a wire cutter, stamped with our logo, and set on wooden racks to cure. No machines, no assembly line, no rushing.
The soap cures for six weeks before we sell it. This gives the lye time to fully saponify and the bars time to harden. Fresh soap is soft and doesn't last. Cured soap is hard, long-lasting, and gentle on your skin.
We source locally when we can: honey from the beekeeper down the road, goat milk from a farm two towns over. Everything else comes from suppliers we trust. We know what's in every bar.