Wellington soap maker 'thrilled' to be named a winner at European skincare awards

Molly Hooper started making soap as a lockdown hobby and it has since developed into a thriving home-based business, Wrekin Soap.

She currently offers around 20 soap varieties which have all been given a unique name inspired by their ingredients.  

All of the environmentally-friendly packaging has been designed and created by Molly.

The Europe-wide Free From Skincare Awards were founded to encourage and reward manufacturers of skincare products that are ‘free from’ either artificial ingredients, or animal-based ingredients, or fragrances, or food allergens, and perhaps other ingredients associated with skin sensitivities, allergies, and ethical or environmental concerns.

Molly's Into The Woods soap bar, featuring essential oils of pine, patchouli, frankincense and lavender with ground juniper berries, and her All Around The Wrekin bar, with  rosemary, lavender and peppermint, were awarded Bronze awards.

Feedback from the judges about Into The Woods included: "It smells good, cleanses hands well and has a quirky and fun design."

Speaking about All Around The Wrekin, the judges said: "The ground rosemary and peppermint provide a gentle exfoliator that is kind to skin. This works well to clean and refresh, the soap is pretty, and looks good at the end of the test period.” 

Molly, who sells her products online and at local events and shops, said she was delighted to receive the awards.

“I’m thrilled to have won on my first ever attempt at entering an award. I started the year with bravery and positivity, confident that my little soap businesses could stand up with the most beautiful and well-loved brands. I couldn’t be happier and look forward to what the future brings - I expect that will include more soap, I’m totally obsessed," she said.

To make her soap,  Molly melts oils and butters – coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, olive oil, sweet almond oil and castor oil – together in a big saucepan. Essential oils are then added for fragrance and stirred in. The mixtureis then poured into loaf moulds and any decoration is added. It has to be kept warm for 24 hours before it can be cut into bars. The soap is then left to cure for around six weeks.

Wrekin Soap can be found online at www.wrekinsoap.co.uk and at The Little Green Pantry, Wellington; Made in Shropshire Events;  Fieldfare Candle Company, Maws Craft Centre; and at local pop up events.