Vermont Soap

Cubes are NOT just for Squares!

May 5, 2021

This month’s Organic 201 focuses on an awesome dispensing system for consumer product companies who are not yet set up to ship, receive, scent and fill 55gal (200 kilo) drums. Five-gallon cubes are 12”x12”x12” reinforced cardboard boxes with a fillable plastic bladder inside. They usually weigh about 40lbs depending on the contents. The bladder securely holds the liquid or gel product and has a spout opening which a tap, very much like a beer tap, is screwed onto. This turns your shipping system into your dispensing system. Cubes are easy to move and easy to use. They come with a…

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Do You Make Body Lotions?

March 5, 2021

Do you make body lotions? ~Lorraine Hi Lorraine, We make salves and balms, such as Green Gold and Arnica, all non-water containing moisturizers. Shea Butter and Arnica Salve are in stock right now.  By leaving out the water we can also leave out the preservatives. All the Best! Soapman

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Organic 201: Castile Liquid Soap

March 5, 2021

Castile liquid soap is the original truly natural, multipurpose foaming liquid for nearly every cleaning and hygiene need. Read: Different dilutions and formulations for different solutions. Unlike detergent chemical bundles like sodium lauryl sulfate and company, castile liquid soap is made from olive and coconut oils, lye (potassium hydroxide) and water. Other oils such as shea butter, argan oil, avocado oil etc. can also be cooked in as small percentages to modify the product. Castile soap can be adjusted to make pump foamer liquids, cleaning sprays of various strengths, and pump soaps. Use full strength in pet shampoos, laundry, dish,…

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Which of your soaps is best to preserve the microbiome of our skin?

March 4, 2021

Hello! Which of your soaps is best to preserve the microbiome of our skin, the most hydrating and leaves the least residue? Many thanks, Monty Fantastic question Monty. Love it. Look, soap is mildly alkaline and sudzy, two things that are useful in controlling bacteria, virus and fungi that want to colonize you while you sleep. See the documentary “Life on You” for more on that. Using organic soap wisely allows you to have some actual control regarding your skin biome. Without knowing you or your skin I generally recommend foamer soap for your hands, Blue Bar or Fungasoap for…

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Organic 201: How Long Does It Take To Bring a New Product to Market?

January 21, 2021

First quarter is a busy time at Vermont Soap and it should be for you too. It’s exciting to run those year end velocity reports and see what really worked and what needs your added attention to thrive. Reposition those products, add keywords to the SEO program, make those new label changes and especially start work on new products and line extensions NOW. It’s the first quarter! You may feel like, “Hey, it’s January and there’s all the time in the world. But time is a commodity often in short supply as we prioritize our days. Suddenly it’s March already!…

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Better Castile Liquid Soap

December 28, 2020

Liquid Castile Soap or LCS is a safe, effective and natural alternative to chemical detergent foaming products. LCS is a primary ingredient in many nontoxic cleaning formulas, and in natural and organic hand, feet and pet products. The tricky part is to find one that cleans well (industry code word degreasing), that doesn’t rip your skin off. Previous readers to this blog will recall that the secret to great soap starts with great crystals! To see a 1 minute video on soap crystals click here. And the secret? The secret (drum roll please) is in our special slow cook method.…

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Science Is Not a Collection Of Facts

December 23, 2020

Contrary to popular opinion science is not a collection of facts and immutable Truths or Laws. Rather science is a method of inquiry; a system designed to inch us closer and closer to increasingly accurate understandings of the Universe that begat us and of which we are 100% a part of. Cool beans! So why isn’t everyone as excited about science? Why wouldn’t like, everyone want to work with science? Or at least pay attention to it? The answer to that in my opinion, has nothing to do with shortcomings of the human brain and everything to do with the…

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Free Shipping to Military with AE, AP or AA Addresses

November 16, 2020

Vermont Soap is officially announcing free APO shipping for military members!  You read that right: You can now get FREE shipping on ALL military orders with NO minimum order total.  All you have to do is add the products you’d like to your cart and checkout with an AE, AP, or AA address. Need a gift idea for what you should send your favorite military members serving overseas? Consider Fungasoap. Fungasoap was developed in cooperation with a Podiatrist who later patented the use of tea tree oil in foot soap. His study on this product and formula won a national…

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Organic 201 Cosmetic Packaging Boot Camp

October 30, 2020

Welcome to the Organic 201 Cosmetic Packaging Boot Camp. Here is our first post. A lot of folks must think there are no rules regarding the type size used to delineate the mass/weight/volume section at the bottom of the front panel (also called the face panel or primary display panel) on cosmetic packaging, because one of the most common packaging copy errors we see is the use of barely readable micro fonts sizes when relaying this all important information. Here is a quick primer on your mass/weight/volume statement. First off, the mass/weight/volume information must appear on the bottom 1/3 of…

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Tune In to Larry the Soapman on Relocalizing Vermont on WGDR Radio

September 23, 2020

Our own Larry the Soapman was interviewed on the radio recently about going toe to toe with Proctor and Gamble and other large corporations for the past 30 years.  Listen in as Larry explains all about his journey to all natural, organic soap and household products. “Larry Plesent made himself into a human lab rat in the early 1990s, to find ingredients for a soap he could use without irritating his skin. When he came up with a recipe he was happy with, he founded Vermont Soap, which now employs dozens of people in Middlebury, Vermont. Plesent talks about what…

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