If you’ve been following The Soap Mine for a while, you’ll know that alongside my regular range of soaps, I like to release seasonal collections throughout the year.
Spring, summer, autumn and Christmas all get their turn. But why bother with limited editions at all? Why not just make the same soaps all year round? Well, there are a few reasons.
I get to play!
One of my favourite things about soapmaking is creating new designs and experimenting with different fragrances.
Of course, there’s a lot of routine involved in running a soap business. Making the same bestselling bars over and over again is wonderful from a business point of view, but occasionally I fancy doing something a bit different. Limited editions give me the perfect excuse.
I get to play with new colours, try different combinations and make soaps that I might never consider adding to the permanent range. And let’s face it, there’s only so much sensible decision-making a person can do before they need to make something that smells like strawberry shortcake.
Some fragrances just suit certain seasons
There are scents that feel particularly right at different times of year.
Fresh, fruity fragrances in summer. Cosy, spicy fragrances in autumn. And all those gorgeous festive scents that would feel a little peculiar in the middle of July. Not that there’s anything stopping you from using a Christmas soap in July, of course. I’m not the soap police. But I do enjoy creating collections that reflect the changing seasons.
You get to try something different
I know lots of my customers have firm favourites, and that’s lovely, but sometimes it’s fun to step outside your usual choices and try something completely different.
A limited edition collection is an opportunity to discover a fragrance you might not otherwise have considered. Occasionally a scent proves far more popular than I’d ever imagined. Even MORE occasionally, a limited edition scent might make it into the core range.
I’m also fortunate to have a particularly comprehensive Cosmetic Product Safety Report (CPSR) dating from before the regulatory changes in 2013. It covers a wide range of ingredients, approved colourants and skin-safe fragrances, giving me considerable flexibility to experiment with new seasonal varieties, provided they fall within the terms of my assessment and current safety requirements.
Many other soapmakers have much more narrowly defined assessments, meaning a new fragrance or formulation may require an additional safety assessment, with the associated time and expense. It’s something I’m very grateful for, and it certainly makes creating seasonal soaps a little easier!
Why don’t I keep making limited edition soaps?
Simply because there are limits to how much soap I can make and store!
Every new fragrance means another batch to plan, make, cure, wrap and find space for. And with a permanent range to keep stocked as well, I simply can’t make everything all the time. So seasonal varieties have their moment, and then I move on to the next collection.
A very popular fragrance almost always makes a return appearance next time a season rolls around, but sometimes it doesn’t. Which means that if you find a limited edition you absolutely love, it’s worth picking up another bar while you can. Not that I’m encouraging you to stockpile soap, obviously Well, perhaps just a little. 😂
Vicki x
