Urban Forest Soap products are a simple, natural balance of the needs of the body and those of the earth.

Pure, luxurious and beautiful, they are made with ingredients that are earth, animal and skin friendly in every possible way.

The philosophy that defines Urban Forest Soap is the simple harmony of ...
An everyday lifestyle—of pure and natural partners for your skin—that embodies the best of what is natural, organic, renewable and fairly-traded from the earth. You can balance the nature of your skin and the nature of the earth around you. Your hands, your face and your body don't need ingredients that damage. Simply treat yourself to what your body has always wanted. Treat yourself to the fresh, clean and simple ingredients of the earth.

Take nature by the hand and make a splash.
Every day.

Enjoy the incredible freshness, simplicity and sensuousness of  Urban Forest Soap

Our handcrafted soap is created solely from high quality, natural, plant-based ingredients. We use no synthetic fragrances, no artificial preservatives and no colourings. To the best of our knowledge and ability all the natural materials we use are sourced from organic growers and producers and are fairly traded wherever possible.

Our products are handmade, hand cut and packaged. No waste is created that can’t be recycled, composted or reused.

The soaps begin with an olive oil and coconut oil base. The olive oil—which is reknowned for its moisturizing properties—is expeller pressed and of grade A quality. The coconut oil not only moisturizes but helps harden the bar and provide a rich, fluffy lather. Given the environmentally destructive nature in which it is grown, palm oil is not used in our soaps. Other fruit and plant oils—always of the purest food grade—are often added to the base oils to increase the moisturizing, soothing and therapeutic value of the soap.

During the soap-making process, lye (sodium hydroxide) is added to the base oils. Why? Lye is a necessary ingredient in soap making (it binds the water and oils) although none remains in the final bars. All our soaps are superfatted— something that is achieved by carefully balancing the ratio of lye to base oils to ensure that at least 10% of the oil remains unsaponified, or not turned into soap. The result is a rich, gentle moisturizing soap even for the most sensitive and delicate skin. And finally glycerin, a natural by-product of our cold-processed soap, is a wonderful skin softener.

Our essential oils are all natural, ethically produced and free from pesticides or chemical fertilizers. All are extracted from the actual plant by steam distillation— without the use of chemicals or gases. We also only use sustainable scents, not those from endangered plants such as sandalwood and rosewood. And the oils add wonderful fragrances and therapeutic benefits.

Our natural additives give colour, texture and therapeutic properties to all our bars. Colours and textures derive from the natural hues of plant oils, botanicals, essential oils, herbs, spices and fruits.

We also use French and Australian clays. These clays are extremely rich in nutrients and minerals and also provide the benefit of cleansing, toning and detoxifying the skin.

What about bars where food sources are used—like oatmeal and fresh fruit? Well, we use grapefruit seed extract as a natural preservative.

And yes, all our soaps are cruelty-free. We don't use animal products nor test any of our products on animals. Other by-products? With the exception of honey and beeswax, we use no other by-products in our soaps or soap-making process.

The beautiful spiral logo comes from an intricately-decorated tomb at Newgrange, about 32 km outside of Dublin, Ireland. It dates back to about 3000BC.

The triple spiral is oftentimes called the spiral of life. The Celts were great believers that all of life moved in eternal cycles, regenerating at each point. If you look closely, you'll see that the triple spiral motif is drawn in one continuous line—suggesting a continuum of time. Another theory could be drawn from the sun: it makes such a spiral shape within every trimester that it travels.  The spiral is also thought by some to be a symbol of fertility.

And finally, the Celts believed that all things important came in three phases: birth, death and rebirth; body, mind and spirit; earth, water and sky—the domains of material existence.

Each bar of soap comes smartly wrapped in a simple,100% recycled (post consumer) paper band printed with vegetable based ink. The balance of our products are, where possible, packaged in reusable glass or stainless steel containers. And we also make every effort to reuse the shipping materials.