About Us

Welcome to The Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company!

THE BEGINNING

How did it all begin? When I was an art student in the 1980’s I’d seen a very large transparent soap bar in an Edinburgh shop, and it had a honeycomb suspended within it. As a student who saw art in everything, I was struck by the sculptural beauty of it and for years, from time to time the image of the big golden bar with the honeycomb would pop into my head.

JUMPING INTO THE UNKNOWN

The beginning of the adventure of starting the company came later in 2010 with the simple concept of only using the best natural ingredients I could find and leaving out all the nasty synthetic stuff which to this day, remains our ethos. 

CHALLENGES 

At the time, in Britain, the country was suffering the after-effects of the 2008 financial crash, and we, my family, were struggling financially to the point where we only had enough funds to heat one room in our house and, to make things even tougher, we had a one year old baby boy so I needed to quickly find a way to dig us out of what was beginning to look like a very precarious situation to be in for a young family. And so, in 2010 I decided to start up “The Edinburgh Natural Soap Company”, as it was called back then. I didn’t have a clue how to make soap but as I’d been to Art College to study Fine Art, I was deluded on many different levels and so was blindly confident I could make a very high-quality product which everyone would love, and it would only be a matter of a very short space of time before my enterprise became wildly successful. 

THE KITCHEN 

Yes, we started in the kitchen at home, experimenting with the cold-processed soap- making technique, which is a craft in the truest sense of the word. It’s a dangerous process and as we had a baby boy climbing everywhere he could, I had to wait until he was tucked up in his cot so I didn’t start working until after 7pm most nights. 

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

The first soap I made was Honey Soap, probably in honour of the big transparent bar I’d seen all those years ago. Anyway, when I took it out of the mould, it was oozing a black liquid which turned out to be Honey that had turned into Toffee! The strange thing was that even although my first batch was a complete failure I said to Lynne, “I’m going to keep that for the display case in the board room for when we’re really successful”. I meant it. 

THE BREAKTHROUGH! 

Fast forward six months to our first Christmas Market. After many failed soap batches and navigating all the safety assessments and insurance policies that I’d been blissfully unaware of needing, I set up our stall in a big freezing tent on Edinburgh’s Princes Street. On day one, which was a Saturday, we sold out and I arrived home with £1200.00. Lynne couldn’t believe it; this was 2010 remember. 

DETERMINATION 

For fourteen days I stood at that freezing stall from 10am until 6pm. December 2010 in Edinburgh was shockingly cold, I can remember meeting customers while my feet were freezing up to my knees and selling all the stuff I’d made the night before. I worked one night until 4.30am then got on the train the next morning at 8am to set up the stall again. The average time before I’d get to sleep during that two-week period was 2.30am but the products were so popular that I had no choice but to get home at night, make as much stuff as I could then grab a few hours’ sleep before catching the train to Edinburgh the next morning. 

At the end of the two-week period, exhausted as I was, we had officially launched The Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company. To my surprise, customers liked our products. 

This is where the story really begins...

All of our products are 100% natural and definitely not tested on animals.

Never Tested On Animals

We never test on animals and never will.

Natural Means Natural

Only 100% natural with no petrochemicals, phthalates, parabens or sodium lauryl sulfates (SLS).

Eco-Friendly Packaging

We have designed our packaging so it can be reused or recycled.

All Of Our Products Are Handmade In Scotland.

Our products are handcrafted using traditional methods in Edinburgh.

Only Cold-Processed Soap

Using a combination of natural cleansing and nourishing ingredients with a traditional slow-cured manufacturing process you get the perfect bar of soap. Soap that is better for the environment, healthier for the skin and incredibly moisturising.

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Only Natural Ingredients

Each one of our products and fragrance blends is made with the purest essential oils and 100% natural ingredients to enrich your skin and indulge your senses.

Our Signature Handcream Bars

Made with the most skin-nourishing ingredients our signature solid hand cream bars are designed to look after your hard-working hands. Our rich balm is the most effective way to moisturise with zero-waste.

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100% Pure Fragrances

Our distinctive and nuanced fragrances are handcrafted using the purest essential oils. Each one is designed for a different mood-lifting experience and to leave your skin smelling and feeling incredible.

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Luxury Shouldn’t Cost the Earth

We use as many locally sourced products as possible in each one of our products or ethical traders who cultivate with care in the right conditions. We strive to keep waste to a minimum with re-usable and recyclable packaging.

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100% Natural Ingredients

Sweet Almond Oil

Fatty acids in almond oil also help retain moisture in the skin and heal chapped or irritated surfaces leaving your pores clear and skin looking smooth, soft, and free of fine lines.

French Lavender Essential Oil

A cleansing and refreshing organic essential oil with ultra-soothing qualities for both mind and body.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is an incredible natural source of moisture and nutrients for whole-body health.

Honey

Its natural antibacterial and antioxidant properties make honey a great addition to a moisturiser as it can soothe the skin and slow down the signs of ageing.

Cocoa Butter

Rich in Vitamin E, cocoa butter can help support the health of your body, brain and skin.

Virgin Organic Hemp Oil

Virgin Organic Hemp Oil is packed with antioxidants, Omega-3, Omega-6, & polyunsaturated fatty acids, nutrients known to help keep skin and hair healthy, nourished and hydrated.

Scottish Porridge Oats

With excellent moisturising, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, porridge oats work wonders on dry, sensitive skin.

Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil is able to seep deep into your pores, helping to combat dryness and help your skin to retain moisture.

Come and say hello

Visit us in-store at our two destinations

32 Victoria Street Edinburgh EH1 2JW

57 Cockburn Street Edinburgh EH1 1BS