Behind the Scents July: Hi, We're Soap Distillery!

For those who don't know me yet, hello! My name is Danielle and I am the owner/founder of Soap Distillery. Way back in 2012, I was a much younger woman who was regularly visiting the bars in the city, having drinks with friends, going to parties, and I was just beginning to understand how little representation someone like me had within the body care industry. If you were a black owned company that was making products marketed towards everyone, you were damn near alone, which is exactly where I found myself. But, I knew what I liked, loved, and knew what I wanted:

I liked a good cocktail.

I loved good body care.

I loved a good scent.

I wanted better body care for what I could afford.

I needed creative freedom.

So when I started Soap Distillery, there were so many itches that it scratched for me, and I was on my way to build that very brand that I was looking for as a consumer.

I'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE, MAN

I'm laughing at how broke-ass this booth looked, but I'm telling y'all, when I say I started this company with $50 I really mean it. Almost every single penny made has been reinvested in the brand to make it what it has become. I didn't have a high paying job with thousands of dollars of savings, I had no investors, I just had a dream and a serious amount of gumption.

Back then, I was doing events every single weekend while working a full time job, I was packing orders on my dining room table, I was making products into the early morning, and I was working harder than I ever thought I could. Hell, I'm STILL working too damn hard. I knew things had to get done, so I got them done and that drive is what helped my business grow. This brand has been through quite a lot, so many ups and downs, good changes, bad business, and everything in between. 

WHAT IS SOAP DISTILLERY

When Indie cult meets thoughtfully designed packaging meets whatever you FEEL LIKE in your moment, that's how you get a company like Soap Distillery. As I take little moments for myself, I've realized that cocktailed scents like this Corpse Reviver 2 Bar Soap to the left were just the beginning, and my nose and development skills have more to offer you then just a boozy scent (although those aren't going anywhere): Soap Distillery has ALWAYS been about making your time the best it could be. Maybe you're taking a shower with a great soap. Maybe you're burning a candle, lounging and reading a book. Maybe you're putting on your lip balm and getting ready for bed. Soap Distillery should be there to make those moments better through smell and feel --- and that my friends, family, and loyal customers, has always been the plot. Feel free to read more about it in our updated story.

WE. ARE. SOAP DISTILLERY.

Soap Distillery isn't just me and my tiny little team, it's also you,  every customer that came before you, and every customer that will come after you. At end of the day, Soap Distillery always has, and always will be an olfactory ode to YOU. It's been about the elevation of self care and the realization that self care isn't selfish. So as we slowly begin to end the summer and move into the fall, you're going to be seeing us move into our true self care era - more products to support your full routine, more artistic freedom, and more fun (I mean, we're still having fun, but, can we make it better? YES.)

There are some cool things coming, some discontinued lines that I'm finally able to bring back after some much needed improvements (some of this is just on the production side of things), and while you wait, make sure to check out our cocktailed scent collection to shop some products that have been around since the very beginning (that also happen to be quite popular :).