@bboggs78, Like you, I am new to soap making. I bought ingredients for cold process soap, but being a little chicken, melt & pour has been the safer route so far. (I know some say that’s not soap making….) For me, it’s just a hobby and I’m experimenting with molds, colors, EO’s etc., making a bar or two at a time. Since, it’s a hobby, I am making what I like and what I think my friends and family might like. When I showed my adult son my small collection and asked him to take a few, he said “Do you have any without a scent?” I didn’t. He took a pale yellow bar, scented with lemon grass and sprinkled with poppy seeds. He said “You know mom, you could leave out the poppy seeds.” I said “but, but, those are exfoliants!!!” (I love exfoliants in soap- clearly not everyone’s thing.)
A couple days ago, I learned my son was going to a friend’s two year old’s birthday party next week. I got very excited and said “OMG, I have to make some soap for his little guy!” He said, “mom, it should be really gentle, no scent or dyes- nothing drying.” I thought “You’re killing my fun!”, but instead, I explained that I’m limited to my melt & pour bases, that there is no “tearless” M&P out there, but that the company website assures their bases are gentle, etc enough for young children.) I promised my son I would add shea butter for more moisture- but to think of the soaps as for the parents, for the toddler. I asked my son if his friend and / or wife are really into organic, natural lifestyles (last I saw him, he was kind of a burger eating, beer drinking guy.) He said “not really.”
So, I’m going to risk my M&P base, but I will want it to have an appearance of being reasonably natural so that my son is comfortable giving it to his friend. I bought a few child- oriented marine themed molds (plus one truck -- at the risk of early gender stereo typing). I’ll try a couple pastels and one white soap with little mica specks (like your #2- seems natural but with a little bling) and select a mild fragrance or EO.
The way I see it, in order for this to be fun and exciting for me, I have to be able to express myself. Otherwise, I wouldn’t do it. But, I have to think of the recipient, too. When I saw your white soap, which I personally like alot, I thought if my son were at your stand, he would totally buy that soap!! If you designed a unique stamp, those soaps would be unique but look very natural. Since you want to sell your soap, I agree with others that said that you need to get feedback from family and friends and do what you can to get a handle on what might sell in your environment. But, you also want to love what you’re doing. There are all sorts of people out there with all sorts of taste. So, it seems like part of selling your soap will be to see what others are doing, and what has or has not worked. But instead of focusing only on what the market might want, you want to try to find the market that likes what you like to make and which expresses who you are. My 2 cents.
Think about it. Handcrafted Soap is a luxury item. Customers who are willing to pay $6.50 a bar are big spenders that will pay a lot more --as much as $12 a bar!
