The handmade soap industry gets more competitive each year. To be successful today, you need every advantage possible.
Here are 5 ways to make your handmade soap stand out from all the rest. I was lucky enough to learn these from some true marketing geniuses so I’m passing them on. Enjoy!
#1 Custom Engrave Handmade Soap
You are probably familiar with soap stamps that can be used to press a design into a bar of soap that has not fully cured. This is a relatively quick and easy way to put your (literal) brand on the soap after you get the hang of it.
“But what if there was a better way, that also allowed you to custom engrave any text or line-art type images you wanted, within minutes?”
Jeanmarie Jason, Promotional Marketing Expert
That was the question a promotional advertising asked me one day, right before she told me the answer: Engrave them!
Following her great advice, I have been doing this with my soaps for several years now, and the reactions from people are still fun to see.
Taking Expert Advice
I purchased a CNC routing machine for carving soap, small wooden plaques, and other small fun items.
CNC stands for computer numeric control. That is just a fancy way to say this device will basically draw whatever the computer tells it to. Rather than using a pen, it uses a router to engrave into the surface of whatever you are working with.
My machine can engrave wood, plastic, and even aluminum. But the most profitable thing I can do with this is engraving my soap. This is what Jeanmarie taught me.
It takes only a moment to type in the message and choose the font you want to use or to drag and drop a line art image to be carved into the soap. The results are incredible. Unfortunately, most machines that are capable of doing this have a price point starting at over $1000. That is, until recently.
Finding a Bargain
There are now some highly reputable machines that cost as little as $220 that do a fantastic job. These are typically used by hobbyists and people who make jewelry and need a small machine that can do fine detail work.
TIP: You can also use your small CNC for engraving plaques, small wooden glue-on medallions for packaging & baskets, and so much more!
Below is a table of my top three picks for the highest quality yet most affordable CNC routers that can handle a full-size bar of soap and even a plaque or small wooden box.
| Model | Working Area (engraving area) | Cost | Laser Compatible |
| Genmitsu CNC 3018-PRO | 300 x 180 x 45mm (11.8 x 7.1 x 1.8”) | $280 | Y (not included) |
| WAM Direct 3018Pro | 300 x 180 x 45mm (11.8 x 7.1 x 1.8”) | $218 | Y (not included) |
| Genmitsu 3018-MX3 | 300 x 180 x 45mm (11.8 x 7.1 x 1.8”) | $349 | Y (not included) |
Please be sure to carefully read the descriptions of each unit when you get to the sales page. They should all work on both PC and Mac and may also work with Linux. Just check this out on the page before you make a purchase. It is also a good idea to submit a question to the manufacturer to make sure the unit will work for your exact needs.
Even Better: As it turns out, each of the units listed above can also be fitted with a laser engraver (purchased separately, usually for about $60). I do not recommend using a laser on soap as it superheats it. Still, it can be very beneficial for custom engraving wooden signs and soap savers. Just be sure to check the rating of the laser to make sure it will be powerful enough for your needs.
Asking Questions
Chances are, someone has already asked a question similar to yours. Just check the question and answer section of the page. Take a few minutes to go through this, and if you don’t find what you need, take a moment to contact the seller and asked the question.
Insider Tip: If you have a portable power “bank” or “station” (the kind that runs on battery and can power AC devices), bringing your little CNC router to a show will draw crowds, unlike any other booth bait. You are likely to get a lot of orders for custom inscriptions on the spot. If you do just be certain your router is safely enclosed to avoid the risk of having small bits of soap flying around the onlookers. You will want a unit that is made for powering tools such as drills, etc.
Marketing Magic
Before we move on to the other ideas, let’s use this custom engraving concept to start brainstorming some marketing ideas. Coming up with new and innovative ideas for your soap is really the best way to make it stand out from the crowd.
In this instance, it would be to our advantage to find opportunities that involve engraving custom names, or quotes, and images such as logos. Artisan soap has become one of the more popular items as small keepsakes for guests of weddings, baby showers, and plenty of other parties and gatherings.
They can also be excellent gifts from companies who wish to give something that is both beautiful and useful. This is especially true within the healthy living, skincare, beauty, spa, salon industries. But let’s not stop there…
How about making wine soap and engraving for a local winery? Or why not make beer soap and engrave it for local craft breweries? Wineries with tasting rooms that are open to the public and craft breweries often welcome the opportunity to sell handcrafted soap. Custom engraving soap with their logo, slogan, or even simple images of a bottle or glass will put your soap head and shoulders above the competition for shelf space.
Take a few moments to brainstorm about other ways that you could use custom engraving to your advantage. But don’t stop there! If you see another idea in this article, or come up with something completely different, spend at least five minutes thinking of how you could get a leg up on the competition with a bit of creative thinking.
Now, let’s get back to our ideas for making your soap stand out from all others.
#2 Faux Wood Table Covers
This idea is perfect for anyone who attends craft shows, farmer’s markets, or any event where you can showcase your soap.
This is less about doing something with your soap than with making your soap stand out in a crowd of “me too” booths. The idea here is to use a fitted table cover that resembles whatever type of image you wish to portray.
A natural fit for handmade soap might be the look of a large wooden crate. Of course, hauling around giant wooden boxes would be extremely labor-intensive and expensive. However, you can purchase a very nice fitted table cover for anywhere from $70-$110.
Here is a link to a company called Stack Displays that carries this type of custom table cover. Also, look for other companies that sell something similar that may be more closely aligned with what you want to represent your company’s unique image. Here are some of their table covers…
#3 Embeded Photos
This trick only works with a clear or semi-opaque soap base. A fully transparent melt and pour soap base is your best bet.
The process is straightforward. The video below will show you how to do it step-by-step. This is something that works tremendously well for custom orders and for using photographs or drawings of things of interest.
For example, if you happen to have a photo of a local monument or attraction, you can simply print multiple copies on a single sheet of the unique water-soluble paper. Then cut to shape and make custom bars of soap in a matter of minutes.
I cannot even tell you what a big rush we get around Christmas and Valentine’s Day, for this type of soap. Clipart Norman Rockwell-type painting images of classic scenes tend to sell themselves. Even more popular, however, are customer photos – especially of children and pets.
Making it Personal and Meaningful
And, of course, if you are using customer images, they can just be emailed to you. You can then turn single customized bars of soap around in a matter of minutes and make a tremendous profit.
Here is a link to one of the water-soluble paper brands on Amazon.com. There are currently several great ones on the market, so be sure to shop around and find the best price for the best quality. The link I shared is one that has worked very well for me and has proven very affordable. But I continue to test – as should you. This is actually the third brand that I have used over the past two years. Just keep looking for the best deals, and you can find this to be a very profitable niche.
By the way – You are not limited to just glycerin soap. You can also get original by combining a bar of cold process soap with a layer of clear glycerin soap base for encasing and showing off the image.
#4 Incorporate Local Ingredients into Your Handmade Soap
This can be done with any method of soap making. Of course, you will be somewhat limited with melt and pour so. However, there are still plenty of opportunities to customize it using things native to your region. The main things you will likely add to melt and pour soap, to make it stand apart from others, are exfoliates and different types of plant buds.
Hot process and cold process soaps provide you with many more opportunities to customize within the soup base itself. Here are some ideas that I have used personally to incorporate local goodies into soap.
Local Handmade Soap Ingredient Favorites
Goat milk is one of the most sought after handmade soap types today. I started by using goat milk that I purchased online from across the country. Then it occurred to me that there are goat farmers all over the continental United States, including Virginia. Even though I live only a few minutes outside of Richmond, I was able to find a farm to supply fresh goat milk only 30 minutes away. That became an instant bestseller for me.
Another thing that can be harvested locally across most of the United States is honey. Most people that buy local honey enjoy it because it is not only unprocessed but also provides some additional benefits. This is because the bees make the honey with pollen that is local to the area.
Skin is the largest organ of the human body. Why not drink in the sweet goodness of honey through your handmade soaps?
I am not going to make any medicinal claims in this article. However, many people tout the benefits of consuming and using local honey.
I am originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I still have a lot of friends and family there, one of whom is also a handmade soap maker.
She uses local Cape Cod beach sand as an exfoliate in many of her soaps. This has proven so popular that she sells out of it faster than she can make it, especially in the summertime.
If you happen to live near the ocean, various types of seaweed and kelp, not to mention sea salt, can also be incredibly popular in soap.
#5 Customize Soap Labels – With a Twist
Back in October 2018, my business partner Kim and I were trying to think of ways to make our soap stand out on Etsy. If you are familiar with the site at all, you know what a tall order that can be.
We decided to offer free customization of soap labels. It was extremely quick and inexpensive to add a person’s name to the label or even replace the main name of the soap with the custom name the buyer requested. We simply had a template set up on the computer to know exactly how much space we had to work with.
That said, one of the most important things to do is set the parameters in advance. By this, I mean, when you designate the customization, be sure to tell the customer how many characters they have to work with.
The Twist
Label customization of handmade soaps is nothing new, but we added a twist. In addition to the text being customizable, we also offered five different label designs to choose from. This way, they were able to make the label fit the personality of the person receiving the soap.
Although we spent several hours developing the templates, the time and effort more than paid for itself. We even received special requests for other templates that we ended up designing and using for other holidays.
If you do not have one of the Adobe products, you can use one of the applications that comes with Microsoft office. We only had Microsoft Publisher has an option for our first 1-1/2 years while still trying to turn a profit. That tool worked out just fine. We still use this for some work today.
Of course, you can also use Microsoft Word. It is a much more powerful graphic design program than most people realize. For making soap belly bands, you can use one of the free bookmark templates from Microsoft. You will have a work of art produced in a matter of minutes.
There are also plenty of free options online. Following are three that would have cost hundreds of dollars just a few years ago.
Please note that my top pick is Canva because of how well it has worked for me. I have upgraded to the professional version that costs about nine dollars per month You can, of course however, still use it for free.
As it Happens…
I discovered the value of adding something fun and unique to my booth totally by accident. It turned out to be one of the highlights of the show I attended in late 2018. I was experimenting with different papers for the soap bands and tried a waterproof paper stock.
I printed the labels on my home color laser printer. The waterproof paper turned out to be a great conversation starter that attracted quite a bit of attention.
It started when I was restocking the display. I needed to add a few more bars that I did not get to before the show. I wasn’t paying attention and placed one of the bands face down on a thick ring of condensation. Darn soda cans! A woman standing nearby tried to warn me that I was about to ruin the label. Of course, I didn’t get the message in time.
It worked out to be a very happy accident. I picked the label up from the small puddle of condensation. Then simply ran it between my fingers to get the water off. This turned out to be extremely entertaining for her and kept her seven-year-old son’s attention as well.
He ran off to get a cup of water from the cooler ten feet away and returned so we could fully immerse the paper and let it sit for some time. He then spent at least 10 minutes doing everything he could to make the paper get soaked. This drew a bit of a crowd and ended up being a great icebreaker.
I got to speak with people that might not otherwise have stopped by the booth. I immediately sold six additional bars of handmade soap because of that spill.
This might be a tiny way to set yourself apart, but you never know what even the smallest advantage can bring. Selling handmade soap is a growing field and any advantage is worth having.
In Closing
I know these tips can help you because I have used every one of them. More importantly, I believe that you have even better ideas. These will come to the surface once you start thinking about ways that you can set your handmade soap apart from all the rest.
>>> Get The Inside Edge
It’s a larger topic, but we have a special post on this site you might like. It demonstrates the ultimate way to set yourself apart and minimize your competition. You can quickly and inexpensively build your own Soap Business Niche. This is exactly how my struggling startup first earned real money.
Happy soap selling!