FAQs

Shipping FAQs

Free USA-wide shipping on all orders over $75 USD. Shipping fees will apply at checkout for orders under $75.

We are not responsible for missing packages where address information has been incorrectly entered at checkout or for packages damaged in transport.

Shipping timelines are as follows:

Delivery times are based on normal business volume. We are not responsible for shipping carrier delays.

Q: Can I track my order after it’s been placed?

A: Once your package has shipped, you will receive an email including a tracking number  where you can check the status of your order.

Q: Do you ship to P.O. boxes?

A: At this time we do not ship to P.O. boxes, we only ship to residential addresses. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Q: Do you have any retailers near me?

A: We’d love for you to shop at a local retailer. Not only will you be supporting The Soap Works, but you’ll also be supporting your local health-food store; it’s a win for everyone. Find a location near you using our store locator.


Q: Can I order my items directly from Soap Works to be shipped?

A: Of course. Simply add all your favorite Soap Works products to your cart and click on your cart to checkout. If you have any questions, feel free to use our contact form to reach out.


Q: How can I pay for my soap?

A: We accept all major credit cards including MasterCard, Visa, Apple Pay, Google Pay and AMEX.


Q: Can I change my order after it has been placed?

A: Once your order has been placed, our team works on it right away. We are unable to make changes or modifications to an order once it has been placed.


Q: Can I cancel my order?

A: Cancelled orders (orders that have been placed, but not shipped) will incur a 10% restocking fee, which will be subtracted from your refund. Orders that have been shipped are unable to be cancelled.

Returns FAQs

Q: What is your return policy?

A: All of our products are uniquely designed for individual skincare needs and customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. All refunds and returns are handled on a case-by-case basis, so in the unlikely event that our products arrived damaged or don’t meet your satisfaction, you can reach out to our team, and we will be happy to look into matters further.

Q: Can I return my bar soap if it is dented or chipped?

A: We take extensive care in packaging all of our orders, however since our bar soap is unwrapped, they are more susceptible to minor bumps and scratches. We hope you can see past these minor aesthetics and continue to use the bar.

Q: What to do if my bottle of liquid soap leaked during shipping?

A: Although we take extra precautions when shipping our liquid soaps, some minor leaking is still possible. We kindly ask that you wipe off any liquid from the surface on the bottle and continue to use the product. If the bottle is damaged, please reach out to our team for assistance.

Ingredients FAQs

A: None of our soaps contain unnatural colors with the exception of our Carbolic soap which is a salmon color. We have Carbolic available colorless for those who prefer. To see what colorants are in a bar, please look at the ingredient list on the product profile.

Q: Are The Soap Works products gluten-free?

A: Most of our products are gluten-free with the exception of our Goat Milk bar and Oatmeal Complexion bar. The only product that do not share equipment with either of these bars are our Pure Bulk Glycerine and Liquid Glycerine soap. All of our other products are casein free with the exception of our Goat Milk Soap.


Q: What type of glycerin do you use in your products?

A: The glycerine in our soap is from two sources. Primarily, it is the natural glycerine from the base oils used to make the soap. In most cases this is coconut and palm oil based glycerine. For soaps with extra added glycerine, such as Pure Bulk Glycerine, Liquid Glycerine and Vegetable Glycerine, we use palm oil based glycerine only. All of our products are soy, tree nut and gluten free.

Q: What is parfum and is it a synthetic chemical?

A: Parfum is a listed ingredient that is a combination of essential oils and essences solely for the scent of the soap. These are not synthetic chemicals. 

Laundry Care FAQs

Q: Is the Pure Laundry Powder HE machine friendly?

A: Our Pure Laundry Soap Powder is not intended for HE machines, though some customers have shared that if they pre-dissolve the powder in hot water, that it works. However, our Liquid Laundry Soap is designed specifically for high-efficiency machines. 

Q: Is the Safe Bleach colour-safe?

A: Yes. Color safe means that there are no added chemicals that can cause colors to fade. Our Safe Bleach is made with natural ingredients and can be used on whites, colours and darks.

Q: Are the Soap Works laundry products safe to use on baby clothes?

A: Yes, our products are excellent for diapers and baby clothes. The Soap Works Laundry Soap Powder is fragrance and color free, so there are no residual perfumes or colorants that can irritate skin or perfumes that can cause allergic reactions; perfect for your little one’s delicate skin. It also does not require anti-static treatments so it is economical, and line dry friendly.

We recommend using our Safe Bleach with cloth diapers as a whitener. The Safe Bleach is an oxygen-based bleach and works especially well on organic stains.

We also recommend a Stain Remover Laundry bar or even our Liquid Glycerine to parents of young children. These are effective as stain pre-treatments or to help remove those errant stains on parent’s clothing courtesy of the little ones.


Q: How to use the Stain-Remover Laundry bar?

A: To use the stain remover bar, moisten the stain and soap bar and gently rub the soap into the stain. You can let it sit for a while or launder as usual. Always test the stain remover bar prior to using on delicate fabrics that typically require extra care when washing.

 

Soap FAQs

Q: What soap do you recommend for babies?

A: Congratulations on your new baby! Both the Oatmeal Complexion and Cucumber and Calendula soaps are gentle on babies’ skin. For newborns, we suggest the Liquid Glycerin as it is both gentle and mild. It is unscented and uncolored. The pump dispenser on the one-liter size is helpful as it seems you always need an extra hand when you have a newborn. Also, the Pure Glycerine or Vegetable Glycerine bars are excellent for much of the same reasons.

Q: What soap do you recommend for shaving?

A: Our Vegetable Glycerine, Hemp bar, Olive Oil bar, and Creamy Clay bar all make excellent shaving bars. The Tea Tree bar is antiseptic, which is good for skin after using a blade.

Q: What are the PH levels of your bar soap?

A: For soaps to work, they need to be basic in order to wash away the acidic fatty acids in surface oils and oils surrounding bacteria. All of our soaps are slightly basic, greater than pH 7. The Liquid Glycerin is adjusted to be as close to neutral (pH 7) as possible. Other soaps for sensitive skin are Goat Milk and Hemp Oil. Bulk Glycerin and Veggie Glycerin have slightly higher pH than Goat Milk but because they are fragrance-free and colourless, they also can be used on some types of sensitive skin. We do not have the laboratory equipment to give precise pH readings on our bars.

Q: Are the Soap Works shampoo bars safe for coloured-hair?

A: Both our Shampoo & Conditioner bar and Avocado & Honey Shampoo are safe for coloured hair. Our Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo bar is not safe for coloured hair due to the acidity of the vinegar.

Q: Is the Soap Works Bentonite Clay food-grade?

A: No, our Bentonite Clay is not food-grade.

Q: How to store bar soap?

A: To get the most out of your bar soap, it is important to store the soap properly. Store soap not in use in a covered in a cool and dry location. When in use, store in a soap dish that allows drainage and/or pat dry after use. 

Environmental Efforts

Q: I’d like to know more about palm oil sustainability.

A: We understand your concern for the environment. We are very selective when sourcing our Palm Oil and we use only RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil, you can find more information on RSPO products here https://rspo.org/about. 

What we have learned from our years of purchasing sustainable palm oil is that replacing palm oil with another ingredient isn’t very feasible. When you replace palm oil with another type of oil, such as sunflower, soybean, or rapeseed oil, larger amounts of land would need to be used, since palm trees produce 4-10 times more oil than other crops per unit of cultivated land. This would result in serious environmental damage, with the risk that more forests would need to be converted into agricultural land.

We asked our long-time supplier for our palm oil this question and they source their palm oil from the Fuji Oil Co. of Belgium. Fuji Vegetable Oil, Inc. is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. To be successful in the long run, palm oil must be sustainable. The Fuji Oil Group believes that the RSPO is the best vehicle for developing and promoting best practices in the palm oil industry.

Membership in the RSPO covers all stakeholders in palm from the plantation owners to end consumers to NGOs. We advise all of our customers that are concerned with the sustainability of palm to read more about RSPO.

Q: Why do you use barcode stickers on your bar soap?

A: We have tried to minimize our environmental footprint as much as possible from our very beginnings in the early 1980’s. Something of which we were very proud of was the fact that when you purchased and used a bar of our soap, you did not have to throw anything away in either landfill or recycling, and the soap naturally degraded into the ecosystem. We have had to change and adapt many things throughout our evolution; bar codes are the latest of these modern accommodations. We tried to minimize the footprint of the actual codes. We print on recyclable paper with vegetable-based ink. We had to find a glue tenacious enough to last from our production, through shipping, all the way to the cash register. It was not a decision we were completely comfortable making but seemed necessary if we were to move forward.