Teach Soap

I could use some advice from my lovely soaper friends. Don't you love it when people sugar you up before asking for a favor? LOL

Anyways, I recently opened an online shop to sell my soapy goodness. I've been getting a lot of questions in the last few months with repetetive questions like, "Are your products paraben free?", "Are your products preservative free?", "Do your products contain sulphates?", "Are your products free of detergents and surfactants?" "Are your products free of petroleums?", "Is your soap palm free?", "Are they chemical free?" and my favorite, "Are they natural?"

I've been getting them asked so much lately I'm really tempted to state on my site that they are free of all those things & that in a lot of people's opinions my products are "chemical free & natural". But at the same time I don't want people to think that I find anything wrong with any of those. I dislike the myths & fear mongering that goes on with B & B products & try to educate people as much as I can when it comes to those types of things, but I never expected to be constantly bombarded with those same questions over & over again I've had a few of those people tell me I should state that on my shop because I could be losing customers who can't find that info.

I love preservatives and encourage the use of them whenever they're needed. But as of right now, I am not selling anything that requires them.
I like sulphates. Magnesium sulphate is awesome in bath salts. But I don't sell bath salts right now.
Surfactants are super awesome at helping fo's disperse in water (Polysorbate 20) & I use surfactant based shampoo bars that I love.
I have no problems with petroleums, the use of palm, parabens and I buy & use many products that contain them.
I personally don't believe that soaps can be "Natural" or "Chemical free" and when I'm at markets & I get asked about that, I explain why. But I find it harder to explain that online.

So, I'm torn. Do I join the masses and put "Palm free", "Natural", "Paraben free", etc on my shop?

I'd love to hear your opinion on the subject & what you would do.

_________________
Genny

Genny, I get some of those questions at markets and am always happy to answer them in a way that educates my buyer.

What about setting up an "Ingredients" page on your website that lists those ingredients and then you can list exactly what they are and why you use them in your products. And for things like parabens, you could link to the FDA, American Cancer Society and CIR pages that show the review findings (some as recently as 2005) that say there is no conclusive link between paraben use and breast cancer, etc. This will help the buyer make an informed decision about purchasing your products.

_________________
Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

_________________
Genny

Genny, I know that you are very good with words, soap descriptions etc... so it is time to go to work. You already have some discussion on the site about your products and you... why not expand that a little? Discusss "natural".... which may mean scent and color free to some people. Maybe add an olive oil soap that is scent and color free - that is what I am making today . Put a comment that although you are not against the use of palm, parabens, surfactants you are aware that some people like to avoid these and if they are in one of your products they will be listed. You can always adjust this based on the questions coming in. I like Linda's idea of linking to some other sites but know that some people will always (rightly so) form their own opinion. You will probably still get questions, just answer them with a smile...remember customer service is key. I like the site, clean and simple.

_________________
Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

_________________
Genny

_________________
Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

I think that is perfect!

Genny, would you smack me if I asked you to educate me? I've been trying to do a little research online, but I'm not getting far. I always try to stay as close to what nature intended, but of course, that doesn't always happen and I do understand everything has it's time and place.

_________________
Genny