Goat Milk Soap and Skincare

I love making soap but until relatively recently it wasn’t something I ever thought about. I have always liked using good quality soaps and came to making soap by accident. I originally started buying my goat milk soaps from the lovely ‘Glynnis’ who sold her soaps at my local craft market. I fell in love with her palm oil-free goat milk soaps and when she decided she no longer had the time to make them, I bought her business as I was looking for a way to better use my creativity and also didn't want to not be able to have access to good quality goat milk soaps. You may have bought soap from Glynnis at Gippsland markets, or come through her original website (Udderly Delightful). Glynnis had been making her soaps for many years and had perfected the technique. When I bought the business she offered to teach me all she knew about making soaps and skincare and she provided me with all her tried and true recipes.  I'm very priviledged to have Glynnis as a constant source of support, advice and encouragement.  Just as she did, I use a cold process method to make my soaps.  All soaps are made from scratch by me - they are not melt and pour.

Since taking over I have developed the business further, changed the name to Bubbylon, and started experimenting with additional recipes and products. None of my products contain palm oil and this is my small but significant contribution to our environment.  Oh, and I came up with Bubbylon because many people believe that soap was first developed in Ancient Babylon and I wanted to make reference to that (and soap bubbles) in the business name.

I use environmentally friendly methods for the disposal of excess soap mix and in all other aspects of my business.  I have tried to keep the labelling to a minimum to avoid using more paper than is necessary.  If you order from me, you are most likely to receive your order wrapped  in recycled packaging.

Here are a few testimonials about Bubbylon products:

Kes, Gecko Studio Gallery, Fish Creek VICTORIA

"I washed with the one of the soaps today, I think I used the Garden soap. OMG!!! It's beautiful. My skin feels so soft. I love it."

"I'm still using the soap and I still love it. I'm still on my first shampoo bar!"

"The Lime and Aloe Vera soap is just beautiful, so is the Lemon Myrtle. ALL of them are."

"You'll notice that I haven't bought any shampoo soaps 'cause I'm still using them.. OMG!! They really are good value for money."

P Zahra, St Albans VICTORIA

"I would like to add my support to the handmade Bubbylon soaps. I am a swimming pool exerciser on a daily basis and find the Chlorine from the pool stays on my skin no matter how long the shower is afterwards! Bubbylon Soap has been fantastic on my skin and seems to remove all trace of the chemical from the pool. I would strongly recommend this product to all swimmers."

Marilyn Flett- Foster VICTORIA

"For my whole life, I have lived with dry, flaky and itchy skin resulting from a genetic skin disorder. Since using Bubbylon goats' milk soap, my skin is softer and smoother and the itching has gone. It is fabulous! It also smells great...my bathroom is constantly filled with the fragrance of rose and lavender."

Leonie Bloomfield, Melbourne VICTORIA

"I was very happy to hand the business over to Genevieve knowing that she would continue to make and sell high standard goat milk, palm oil-free soaps and skincare. I have really enjoyed being her mentor and watched the business grow from strength to strength."

Glynnis Murray, Seaview Victoria former owner of Udderly Delightful (now Bubbylon).

Australia

Items up to $10 - postage & handling is $6.50

Items over $10 to $100 - postage & handling is $12.50

Items over $100 – free postage.

Outside Australia

Please use the Contact form to email me for a price.

I can accept Paypal, direct deposits and cheques.

Please note: orders cannot be sent until funds are cleared.

I produce my soaps in beautiful South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. You can also purchase my products at the Koonwarra Farmers Market 
(1st Saturday of the month).  I'll keep you up to date on new markets through this website.

I am registered with NICNAS because according to the NICNAS website ‘All importers and/or manufacturers of industrial chemicals for commercial purposes must register with NICNAS regardless of the amount of industrial chemicals imported and/or manufactured in that registration year.’
NICNAS  is the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme and is an agency of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing).

Registration number 9818.

I use the finest ingredients I can, and try to source as many of my products from Victorian or Australian producers.  I am fortunate to currently be the only soap maker to have access to Herbal Indulgences Gippsland grown and distilled lavender, lavendin and rosemary essential oils. These are sensational products and vey popular with my clients.  I use these essential oils in Bubbylon soaps, shampoo bars, hand creams, herbal lotions and Blissful Baby Bottie Balms.

Apart from goat milk, some of the other main ingredients of my soaps are:

Coconut oil

which is expressed from coconut kernels. It is uniquely rich in lauric fatty acid (>48%). According to scientific research it has significant anti-microbial, anti- bacterial and anti-fungal properties (because it contains up to 50% medium chain fatty acid). Coconut oil is commonly used to promote lather in soaps.

Olive oil

is obtained by crushing and pressing the fruit of the olive tree. An important historic oil used extensively since ancient times, it is highly nutritive and stable. It is also rich in proteins, minerals and vitamins and has superior penetrating power. Olive Oil has natural antioxidant qualities and is high in unsaponifiables, which moisturise and soften the skin. It is also said to reduce scarring. Castile soap is traditionally made with 100% olive oil.

Rice bran oil

is gentle and emollient (emollient substances soften and soothe the skin), and is said to be well suited to sensitive, dry and mature skin types. Rice Bran Oil is an excellent source of the essential fatty acids and antioxidant nutrients that promote overall good health.  This oil contains Vitamin E, and antioxidants, and is moisturising when used in soaps.

Sodium Lactate

I have also recently undertaken research into Sodium Lactate.  It is produced by neutralizing lactic acid, which is produced by fermentation of a sugar source in most cases either from corn or beet.  I find that it gives the soap more stability, helps with lathering, and gives the soaps a nice silky feel.  Based on my reserach, I believe it is safe for all skin and hair types and am now using it in all my soap products.

Lye

It is basically not possible to make soap without this ingredient. Soap is a ‘salt’ obtained by reacting a strong alkali (lye) with weak fatty acids (oils and fats such as goat milk).  Some marketers of soap refer to ‘saponified’ oils. Fully cured soap is lyeless, because the lye and the fats have undergone the saponification reaction – and what is left if the soap salt. I choose to include lye in my list of ingredients.

I choose not to use palm oil in any of my goat milk soaps and skincare products. Why? Because like you, I care about the environment we live in and would like to protect natural vegetation, native animals such as orang-utans, tigers and elephants, and the people of the villages whose land is being destroyed to produce palm oil. Rainforests which are being destroyed at an alarming rate are vital to the Earth's weather and are a vital ingredient for the regulation of temperature and weather patterns far beyond the forests themselves. In addition they remove carbon dioxide which is the predominant global warming gas, store huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, and release oxygen that we breathe.

The palm fruit which produces palm oil is in great world-wide demand because it is cheap to produce and relatively cheap to buy which is why so many products contain it.  It is often referred to as 'vegetable oil'. The palm fruit is widely used by cosmetic companies and bio-diesel companies to the detriment of the natural habitat of orang-utans, the Sumatran rhino and tiger, and to the detriment of village women who have to walk further distances for firewood and to graze their animals.

I am not sufficiently convinced of the authenticity of much of the sustainable palm oil being sold to consider using it in my products. The Rountable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) relies on members self-assessment and voluntary standards to determine sustainability and has failed to include criteria on carbon emissions in its sustainable palm oil criteria.

The following links give some good background information about palm oil:

Orangutans.com.au

http://redapes.org/deforestation-palm-oil/palm-oil-tested-on-sustainability/
http://www.palmoilaction.org.au/pages/shopping-guide.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/18/palm-oil-biofuels-eu-plan

Please also sign the Don’t Palm Us Off petition being run by Zoos Victoria.

It wasn’t too hard to find quality substitutes for palm oil in my products and although the substitute ingredients are more expensive, I have not passed this added cost on to my customers.