Cold process soap making is the original, traditional method of making soap by combining fat or oil (animal or plant based) with sodium hydroxide (lye) then blending in essential oils and colorants as required. This method causes a chemical reaction called saponification which takes up to 48 hours. At this point the soap is cut into bars. Then, after an additional slow curing process of about 6 weeks, the soap is ready to use. Cold process soap making is time consuming but it does produce a superior product in the end. 

Katie Taylors & Co only use essential oils in the soap recipes in order to fragrance the soaps. Essential oils are oils that are extracted from herbs, flowers and plants- most often through a process of steam distillation, which release a natural scent. There are many essential oils that work well in soaps including;  Rosemary, Peppermint, Lavender, Patchouli. Most of the recipes from Katie Taylors & Co are made with a blend of essential oils. 

Katie Taylors & Co is an eco-friendly company. The soap is wrapped in recyclable packaging. All plastic waste items that can be recycled are recycled. For example, the pipettes used for weighing the essential oils are recycled after use in the plastic recycling waste. No soap is wasted, if a soap has a cosmetic flaw such as a wire mark from the cutting process, it is sold on the website as a perfectly imperfect soap at a reduced price. 

Regulation 2009/1223 and the Cosmetic Products Enforcement Regulations 2013: Great Britain Chapter V Article 18 states, 'Cosmetic products are not permitted on the GB market if the product ingredients, combination of ingredients or final formulation have been the subject of animal testing used to prove their safety for the purposes of this regulation.’

Katie Taylors & Co can confirm that to our knowledge none of the products we supply have involved testing of any sort on animals. No testing on animals has been conducted on the initiative of our company or on our behalf.