Every soap bar we create has a story behind it, and we love sharing the inspiration and vision that helped bring it to life. This week we’re focusing on our Unperfumed Pure Olive Oil bar - read on to find out why we created it, and the story behind the ingredients we chose.
What soap means to us at Little Soap Company
If you’ve been here a while, you’ll already know how passionate we are about natural soap. But even if you’re new, it’s pretty clear just from a quick glance at our collections. From our very humble beginnings (hello, soap making at the kitchen table!) to where we are today - certified B Corp, multi-award winning, and officially carbon-neutral - we have always strived to make an impact.
The soap we make is not just soap to us. It’s a symbol of nature, of cleanliness and kindness - to our skin, and to our planet. It’s also a revival and a celebration of a product we’ve helped re-introduce to the modern world. Now, the humble soap bar is no longer little - and we’ve got every intention of becoming even bigger and better!
So why share the story behind our bars? We share because we care. We pour so much love into every product we bring to you, and we take care of the ingredients we use. And in doing so, we hope you come to love and appreciate them as much as we do!
What’s the story behind our Unperfumed Pure Olive Oil Soap Bar?
This bar was first produced for Waitrose several years ago, and it was a true overnight success! Perhaps it's the multi-purpose nature? Being able to use this bar on the body, face, and even as a versatile cleanser (removes makeup from skin and from brushes!), really sets this bar apart from others. But in the beginning, it was all about the olives.
Let’s go on a journey to Italy, with its sprawling olive groves under the Mediterranean sun. This is not just a beautiful scene we put before you - it’s life, nourishment, peace, and longevity.
Olives in Italian culture
For centuries now, olives have been so central to Italian life, both as a delicious staple of the food the locals eat, but also as a symbol of prosperity and health. Olive oil is often referred to as ‘liquid gold’, and there are more than a few good reasons why.
Italians use olive oil not just for its subtle flavour, but for its health benefits too. More than that, locals believe that the olive tree embodies life itself; its roots are so deeply embedded in their soil and culture, and the longevity of the tree further highlights this. Some ancient olive trees are over a thousand years old, a testament to their endurance, which is definitely mirrored in Italian family culture. Locals believe that the olive tree symbolises life and the enduring connection between the past and the present, much in the same way as natural soap can be too.
Roman mythology and the olive tree
When we really started digging into the rich history of the olive tree in Italy, we quickly discovered that it plays a significant role in Roman mythology. In fact, Romans proclaimed olives to be a gift from the gifs, and the tree symbolised peace, wisdom and victory, with its branches known all over the world as a symbol of peace. This stems from Roman soldiers holding out an olive branch as a sign of victory and desire for peace - and it’s a symbol we still use today!
Modern Italy and the Olive Tree
As much as we love the tale of Poseidon and Athena battling it out (spoiler: Athena wins, thanks to planting an olive tree and providing the city with bountiful food, oil and wood), we also delved deep into the role of the olive tree in modern Italy too. We wanted to know everything about this ingredient, and how it might work in a soap bar…
Turns out, the olive tree is still a pretty big deal in Italy. Olives are used not just in the kitchen on a daily basis, but in wellness and beauty too. Olive oil is so deeply nourishing and moisturising, and Italians have known this for centuries. This, coupled with the rich history of all that it symbolises, is what led us to truly believe this was the path we wanted to take for our Unperfumed soap bar.
Why we created our Unperfumed Pure Olive Oil Soap
We care deeply about all the ingredients we use here at Little Soap. And when it came to creating a bar specifically for sensitive skin, olive oil was an obvious first choice. This bar truly embodies the timeless qualities of the olive tree - purity, simplicity and nourishment. It's gentle, yet effective - and it will stand the test of time too, just like the olive tree.
For us, this bar forms part of something more than just your everyday skincare routine. Each time we use it, we’re transported back to centuries-old Italian traditions that celebrate the olive tree as a symbol of health and vitality. We were inspired by the versatility, purity and effectiveness of the olive - and just as the olive tree has protected and nourished generations of Italians, this soap bar offers that same care and protection for your skin. That’s why we created it. That’s why we love it. And that’s why it’s been a best-seller since day one!