There are many different criteria to examine when choosing a natural soap supplier. What is your personal definition of natural soap? When you say natural, do you mean organic? How can any product that is my with sodium hydroxide be considered organic? Even though the herbs, botanicals nad flowers that you might use in your soap come from organic gardens, they still must be made with lye in order to truly be CP(cold pressed) soap.
There is really no way of really knowing if imported patchouli essential oil came from a garden in Malaysia that never used pesticides. Some soap makers show certificates that show that their oils come come crops that grown in certified organic farms. That is well and good if it is grown here in the US, but who does the certification of oils that come from overseas.
Sustainable farming and gardening is expanding all over the world and should be supported whenever the option is offered. Even is this enviornment, different herbicides are used to protect crops. The main idea is the keep a balance of what will nuture and sustain the soil as opposed to processes that will do permanent damage. Organic, biodynamic, natural, and permaculture farming, might be considered a good description of this natural approach.
Scientists, chemists and researchers have introduced the idea of "natural product mimic", where synthetic products are combined and made to "perform" like their natural counterparts. With research accelerating in this field, will we ever have truely natural products in the future?
Instead of looking forward to new technologies that try to circumvent the natural processes of healing many are now looking to the ancient and venerated holistic ayurvedic approach that pervades Indian culture and uses many natural approaches to todays problems. We are seeing many disciplines combined as the naturopathic herbalist has become the new handmade soap maker. All of these new additions to the handcrafted soap market complement the many components of the natural beauty market and keep the market fresh and growing.
When your soap supplier understands the divergent forces working to counter the process of handmade soap making, you can be assured they will be a reliable partner in your natural soap business.