Bubble and Balm launches first natural and Fairtrade liquid soaps
The range comprises lavender, citrus and anti-bacterial options, contains Fairtrade sugar and is formulated with natural, plant-derived ingredients and essential oils.
“Our brand new liquid soaps are the first of their kind, and like all our products, offer customers a unique combination of everyday luxury and the feel-good factor,” company founder Sue Acton said in a statement.
Fairtrade process
Acton explained to CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com that in order to achieve Fairtrade certification, traceability along the supply chain is vital, with companies selling Fairtrade products being subject to audits by the Fairtrade Foundation.
“All Fairtrade ingredients used must be fully traceable, with supply chains stated on application for certification. Furthermore, detailed quarterly reporting to the Fairtrade Foundation is required to ensure ongoing traceability,” she said.
In order for beauty products to achieve Fairtrade certification, ingredients certified as Fairtrade must form a minimum percentage of the product’s total, and all ingredients that are eligible for Fairtrade certification must be fair trade.
“For soaps and other ‘wash-off’ products, the minimum percentage is 2 per cent,” said Acton. “Our Fairtrade ingredient is sugar, and this forms approximately 10 per cent of the total formulation, well above the minimum required,” she added.
Benefits for consumers and producers
Fairtrade certification, in addition to reassuring consumers that they are buying a socially responsible product, also translates into benefits for the ingredients suppliers.
Bubble & Balm sources its Fairtrade certified sugar from Malawi and Zambia, and the company’s shea butter bar soap also includes Fairtrade certified shea butter from Burkina Faso.
“For the Kasinthula Cane Growers in Malawi, the additional income earned from the Fairtrade premium has enabled, for example, the provision of clean water to three villages, meaning they no longer have to draw water from the Shire River, risking water-borne diseases and attack from crocodiles,” explained Acton.
Acton said that while the ingredients have not gained natural certification, they are plant-derived.
In addition to the natural ingredients (including sustainably sourced palm oil) and Fairtrade status, the soap bottles are both recycled and recyclable, made from 100 per cent PCR PET.
