What Makes the Best Natural Soap?
After more than two decades of making natural soap, one of the questions we hear most often is, "Why should I use a natural soap?"
At first glance, a bar of handmade natural soap doesn't seem very different from the bars lining supermarket shelves.
They all create lather, clean your skin, and are often called "soap."
But appearances can be deceiving.
The truth is that not all "soap" is the same. The ingredients, the way it is made, and even whether it is actually soap all influence how it cleans, how it feels on your skin, and its impact on the environment.
While many of the qualities discussed can be found in any well-made natural soap, I'll focus on the company I know best—Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve.
If you've ever wondered what makes the best natural soap, the answer isn't a single ingredient or marketing claim. It's the combination of exceptional ingredients, expert formulation, traditional craftsmanship, and company values you'll discover throughout this article.
Over the years, I've written extensively about natural soap, soapmaking, ingredients, and the science behind them. Throughout this article, you'll find links to explore many topics in greater depth.
So, here are twelve reasons we believe Chagrin Valley's handmade natural soap is worth seeking out.
1. Our Soap Is Real Soap
As you stroll down the soap aisle of your local store, you'll see an assortment of products labeled as body bars, beauty bars, cleansing bars, skincare bars, deodorant bars, and body washes. Have you ever wondered why so many of them avoid using the word soap?
The answer may surprise you. The term "soap" is legally defined by the FDA.
True soap is created when plant oils or animal fats react with an alkali (lye) in a process called saponification. Its cleansing properties come from the soap produced by that reaction—not from synthetic detergents. If a "cleansing bar" or body wash does not meet that definition, it cannot call itself "soap".
According to the FDA:
“Today there are very few true soaps on the market. Most body cleansers, both liquid and solid, are actually synthetic detergent products. Detergent cleansers are popular because they make suds easily in water and don't form gummy deposits. Some of these detergent products are actually marketed as "soap" but are not true soap according to the regulatory definition of the word.” Source
These synthetic detergent bars are called syndets—a name created by combining the words synthetic and detergent. Instead of being made through the traditional process of saponification, they rely on manufactured cleansing agents called surfactants.
While both are designed to cleanse your skin, the similarities end there. The ingredients used, the way they're made, and what remains in the finished bar all influence how they cleanse, how they feel on your skin, and even their impact on the environment.
At one time, all soap was handmade. The traditional soapmaking method was and still is called the cold process method.
At Chagrin Valley, we still make soap the traditional way. Every bar is created through saponification using organic plant oils and butters—not synthetic detergents. That difference is the foundation for everything else you're about to read.
🌿 Learn More:
2. Each Soap Bar Begins with Better Ingredients
A soap can only be as good as the ingredients used to make it.
That simple belief has guided every recipe we have created for more than 25 years. Before we ever think about scent, color, or appearance, we begin with the base ingredients that will determine how a soap performs and how it feels on your skin.
Every bar starts with a carefully balanced blend of certified organic plant oils and butters chosen for the unique qualities each contributes to the finished soap.
We then build on that foundation with ingredients from nature—organic herbs, botanicals, clays, spices, vegetables, fruits, seeds, and pure botanical essential oils.
Every ingredient has a purpose, whether it's to create a creamy lather, provide natural color, add gentle exfoliation, or contribute skin-conditioning properties.
Whenever possible, we choose virgin, unrefined oils and butters because they retain more of the naturally occurring components that make them so valued in skincare. They cost more and require greater care when formulating, but preserving the integrity of the ingredient is worth the extra effort.
Nature has been creating remarkable skincare ingredients for millions of years. Our job is to respect them, choose them wisely, combine them thoughtfully, and let them shine.
🌿 Learn More:
-
How We Make Natural Soap At Chagrin Valley
- Why We Chose USDA Organic Certification—and Why It Matters
3. We Leave Out Ingredients Your Skin Doesn't Need
Choosing great ingredients is only part of creating a great soap. Equally important is knowing what to leave out.
At Chagrin Valley, we've always believed that what isn't in our soap is just as important as what is. That's why you'll never find synthetic detergents, artificial fragrances, artificial colors, filler ingredients, or unnecessary additives whose only purpose is to create bigger bubbles, brighter colors, stronger scents, or a longer shelf life.
Every ingredient in a Chagrin Valley Soap bar has a job to do. If it doesn't contribute to the quality or performance of the finished bar, we don't believe it belongs there.
Natural soaps contain:
- no synthetic ingredients
- no artificial fragrances or perfumes
- no artificial colors
- no detergents
- no synthetic preservatives
We prefer to let nature do the work. Rich colors come from botanicals, clays, herbs, spices, and plant juices. Beautiful aromas come from pure botanical essential oils. Creamy lather comes from well-chosen oils and careful formulation—not synthetic surfactants, such as sulfates, or artificial foam boosters.
Creating a soap with simple, natural ingredients is not always easy. It means relying on a few exceptional ingredients, each chosen for a clear purpose. We believe it's the right way to make soap, and it's a philosophy that has guided every bar we've made.
🌿 Learn More:
4. Real Soap Helps Keep Skin Naturally Moisturized
One of the biggest misconceptions about bar soap is that it always dries your skin.
In reality, that reputation comes largely from commercially manufactured syndet cleansing bars and soaps—not from a well-formulated bar of natural soap.
There are three main reasons why our natural soaps help moisturize the skin.
Skin-Conditioning Plant Oils and Butters
Of course, it's the ingredients! Every ingredient in our soap is chosen for a reason. Thoughtfully combined, they work together to create something richer than a simple cleanse—a carefully crafted bar that goes beyond ordinary soap.
No single ingredient is responsible for the way a soap feels on your skin. Instead, the skin-conditioning qualities of a great natural soap come from the way exceptional plant oils and butters, generous superfatting, and naturally retained glycerin work together in the finished bar.
Generous Superfatting
Our soap bars are formulated with lots of extra plant oils and butters in a process called "superfatting."
Superfatting is the process of adding extra fats (oils or butters) when formulating a soap recipe, so there is more fat in the mixture than the lye can react with during saponification.
This process leaves a portion of unincorporated oils in the finished soap, which ensures that our natural soap bars have superior moisturizing and emollient qualities.
We superfat our bars more generously than many natural soapmakers. While this creates a milder, more moisturizing bar, it also comes with a trade-off.
Since adding extra oils and butters can shorten the shelf life of a soap bar, commercial manufacturers—and even some natural soapmakers—often choose a lower level of superfatting to maximize shelf life. We choose a different balance, prioritizing the skin feel of the finished bar over the longest possible shelf life.
Naturally Retained Glycerin
Glycerin is not added to a natural handmade soap recipe – it is created during the natural soapmaking process! The chemical reaction of making soap is called saponification. Once saponification is complete, the ingredients have combined and chemically changed into soap, glycerin, and a bit of water.
Glycerin is a humectant that attracts moisture and contributes to the silky feel of handmade soap.
Commercial soap manufacturers often remove the glycerin from their bars. Why?
- Excess glycerin decreases the shelf life of soap
- They can sell the glycerin or use it in products that command a higher price, like the lotion your skin needs after using their glycerin-free "soap."
- In order to make "milled" soap (triple milled or French milled), the glycerin is removed to avoid gumming up the machinery.
When natural glycerin remains in the finished bar, the result is a soap that cleanss effectively without leaving your skin feeling stripped or tight. Instead, your skin feels clean, comfortable, and naturally conditioned.
🌿 Learn More:
5. The Scents Come from Real Plants
The scent of a soap should do more than simply smell nice.
At Chagrin Valley, we believe it should also reflect the integrity of the ingredients that go into the bar.
That's why our scented soaps are made using only pure botanical essential oils—not nature-identical fragrances, natural fragrance blends, or synthetic fragrance oils.
While some fragrance blends may contain naturally derived aromatic compounds, they are not the same as true essential oils distilled directly from plants.
Essential oils are naturally complex plant extracts that capture the authentic aroma of flowers, herbs, fruits, woods, and spices.
Their rich, layered scents and aromatherpeutic qualities simply can't be duplicated by the lab-made fragrances designed to imitate them.
When we scent a soap with lavender, peppermint, or sweet orange essential oil, that's exactly what you'll find on the label. Unlike the generic terms "fragrance" or "parfum," which can represent complex blends of undisclosed ingredients, our labels tell you exactly what creates the scent of every bar.
For us, choosing essential oils isn't simply about fragrance—it's about staying true to our belief that nature creates the most remarkable ingredients.
🌿 Learn More:
- Why We Use Only Real Plant Essential Oils
- What Are Essential Oils?
- Why Are Synthetic Fragrance Oils So Popular?
6. Our Soap Helps Support Healthy Skin
Your skin is your body's largest organ and one of its first lines of defense. How you care for it every day matters.
Over the years, we've heard from countless customers who tell us that switching to our natural soap made a remarkable difference in the way their skin feels. Many describe skin that feels softer, calmer, and more comfortable after bathing.
Others tell us they no longer experience the tight, itchy feeling they had simply accepted as a normal part of washing.
Sometimes, the problem isn't your skin—it's your soap.
Some people who think they have sensitive skin don't really have sensitive skin at all. Their skin is simply reacting to ingredients in the products they use every day.
While no soap can cure skin conditions, choosing an expertly formulated soap made with simple, natural ingredients can be an easy first step in reducing unnecessary exposure to ingredients that may contribute to irritation for calmer, more comfortable skin.
Healthy skin is not about using dozens of products or following the latest skincare trend. Sometimes it's as simple as choosing a cleanser that respects your skin's natural balance instead of stripping it away.
That's why we've always believed that real soap, formulated with ingredients from nature, is one of the simplest and most important choices you can make for your skin.
🌿 Learn More:
7. Our Soaps Create a Rich, Creamy Lather Naturally
Many people associate lots of bubbles with better cleaning, but that's one of the biggest misconceptions about soap. A rich lather may feel satisfying, but it's the soap—not the bubbles—that does the cleansing.
Real soap is a natural surfactant. It surrounds dirt and excess oil so they can be lifted from your skin and rinsed away with water.
A well-formulated natural soap doesn't need synthetic detergent surfactants or foam boosters to do its job.
Ingredients like coconut oil and castor oil are natural lather builders, while the glycerin retained during traditional soapmaking contributes to the creamy, silky feel of the lather.
Every recipe is carefully balanced to produce the type of lather that best complements the bar, whether it's big, fluffy bubbles or a dense, creamy foam.
A rich, creamy lather is one of the simple pleasures of using a well-made natural soap—and it's achieved through thoughtful formulation, not synthetic shortcuts.
🌿 Learn More:
8. Quality Soap Is Worth Every Penny
Most soaps are made to do one thing: get you clean. And while there's nothing wrong with that, it's also the bare minimum.
A basic bar is quick to make, inexpensive to produce, and easy to forget.
An extraordinary soap isn't simply a better version of a basic bar. It's the result of a deep understanding of ingredients, formulation, and technique.
Every decision—from selecting the oils and butters to determining the superfat level and curing time—affects how the finished bar lathers, cleanses, and feels on your skin.
Every ingredient is chosen for a reason. Oils and butters are selected not only for their cleansing properties but also for the way they influence lather, conditioning, and post-wash skin feel.
Clays, botanicals, milks, salts, and essential oils aren't added because they're trendy or decorative. They're included because each contributes something meaningful to the finished soap.
Even time becomes an ingredient. A properly cured bar becomes harder, milder, and longer lasting, creating a richer lather and a more refined feel.
The lather builds into a rich, creamy foam that feels smooth between your hands and glides comfortably across your skin. It's one of the first things people notice when they experience a thoughtfully formulated bar of natural soap.
When you choose a bar of Chagrin Valley Soap, you're choosing something designed to go beyond ordinary soap. You're choosing exceptional ingredients, expert formulation, skilled craftsmanship, and more than 25 years of experience creating soap that goes far beyond basic cleansing.
That's why our soaps may cost a bit more—and why we believe it's worth every penny.
🌿 Learn More:
9. Our Natural Soap Is Kinder to the Environment
Every product we use leaves an environmental footprint. The question isn't whether it has an impact—it's what kind of impact it leaves behind.
At Chagrin Valley, caring for the environment begins long before a bar of soap reaches your shower. It starts with thoughtfully sourced ingredients that support organic agriculture, sustainable farming practices, and responsible stewardship of our natural resources.
As we take a bath or shower with commercial "soap" bars or body washes, we coat our skin with synthetic compounds like fragrances, dyes, preservatives, and detergents.
Now imagine the millions of people who use these commercial products each day.
All of these chemicals, many of which do not naturally break down, have to go somewhere. They wash down our drains into our septic fields or water treatment facilities.
Choosing a bar soap instead of a liquid body wash has additional environmental advantages.
A bar contains very little water, so it requires less energy to transport than products shipped in plastic bottles that are primarily water. It also eliminates the need for plastic pumps and bottles that often end up in landfills.
We believe packaging matters, too. That's why our soaps are packaged in recyclable paperboard made with recycled materials, and why we've worked hard to eliminate plastic throughout our business whenever possible.
Of course, no single bar of soap will save the planet. But millions of small choices made every day can have a meaningful impact. Choosing products made with sustainable, organic ingredients, minimal packaging, and respect for the environment is one simple way each of us can help make a difference.
We don't just think about the finished product—we think about every step along the way.
🌿 Learn More:
- Sustainable, Zero Waste, Plastic-Free Packaging: What It Really Means
-
Chagrin Valley Environmental Commitments
10. Each Soap Recipe Has a Purpose
No two bars of Chagrin Valley Soap are exactly alike—and that's by design.
Every recipe begins with a question: What do we want this soap to do? Should it create a dense, creamy lather or big, fluffy bubbles? Should it provide gentle exfoliation? Is it formulated for dry skin, oily skin, gardeners' hands, or a refreshing morning shower? Every decision we make is guided by the purpose of the finished bar.
That's why we don't simply substitute one oil for another or add an ingredient because it's popular or sounds impressive.
Every oil, butter, clay, botanical, milk, salt, herb, spice, and essential oil is chosen because it contributes something meaningful to the finished soap.
Some influence the lather, others the hardness, longevity, skin feel, or aroma. Together, they create a balanced bar that performs exactly as intended.
For me, soapmaking has always been where science and artistry come together.
Science helps us understand how ingredients behave. Artistry comes from bringing those ingredients together to create a soap that's a pleasure to use every single day.
That's why every recipe has a purpose—and why no two bars are the same.
🌿 Learn More:
11. Our Values Are Built into Every Bar
A great bar of soap doesn't happen by accident. It's the product of countless choices—and those choices reflect the values of the people who make it.
From the day we started this company, we wanted to be different. More importantly, we wanted to be better.
That philosophy has guided every decision we've made—from the ingredients we source and the way we formulate our soaps to the packaging we choose and the businesses we support. We don't make these choices because they're trendy or because consumers expect them. We make them because they reflect what we believe.
That's why we became USDA Certified Organic. It's why we're Leaping Bunny Certified. It's why we choose certified sustainable palm oil, seek Fair Trade ingredients whenever possible, and continue working to reduce plastic in our packaging.
These aren't separate initiatives—they're all part of the same commitment to creating products that are kind to your skin and thoughtful about their impact on the world around us.
We know one company won't change the world on its own. But we believe every thoughtful choice matters. When those choices are repeated day after day, year after year, they become the values that define who you are.
🌿 Learn More:
12. Every Purchase Makes a Difference
Every time you choose a bar of Chagrin Valley Soap, you're doing more than buying soap.
You're supporting a small family-owned business that still believes craftsmanship matters.
A company that formulates its own recipes, makes its own products in small batches, and stands behind every ingredient that goes into every bar.
When you purchase from a small business, your dollars don't disappear into a large corporation.
They help support the people who research, formulate, make, package, and ship the products themselves. They allow businesses like ours to continue choosing better ingredients, supporting ethical suppliers, reducing waste, and creating products with integrity rather than simply chasing the lowest possible cost.
For more than two decades, we've had the privilege of sharing our soap with customers across the country. Many have been with us since the very beginning, and others are just discovering us for the first time. Whether you've been using our soap for decades or are considering your very first bar, we're grateful you've chosen to be part of our story.
Thank you for supporting our small business, thoughtful craftsmanship, and the belief that words like soap, natural, and quality should still mean something.
🌿 Learn More:
Conclusion
After more than 25 years of making soap, we've learned that creating an extraordinary bar isn't about following trends or adding the latest popular ingredient.
It's about making thoughtful choices—choosing better ingredients, respecting traditional soapmaking methods, allowing time for each bar to fully cure, and never losing sight of the people who will use it every day.
Every decision we make reflects a simple belief: a soap can only be as good as the ingredients, knowledge, and care that go into creating it.
That's why our soap is different. Not because of a single ingredient or a single process, but because every part of the journey matters—from the farms where our ingredients are grown to the moment a rich, creamy lather reaches your hands.
A bar of soap is one of the few products you use every single day.
We believe it should be something you feel good about using—not only because of the way it cleanses your skin, but because you understand the care, craftsmanship, and values behind every bar.
We hope that the next time you reach for a bar of soap, you'll see it as more than just a cleanser. You'll see it as one small choice that cares for your skin, respects the planet, and reflects the values you believe in.
This blog, originally published in 2020, has been revised and updated.
