I have to declare I LOVE good quality soap, candles, incense, lovely stationary & cards! I enjoy giving these items as gifts & love to receive. This issue I am going to give you the lowdown on my favorite supplier of SOAP! Now, there’s soap and soap, I have tried many a bar, however for me, there is only ONE kind of quality soap that I really enjoy using (and it lasts on & on) and if you haven’t tried it, I bet by the end of this column, you will be running out the door to buy a cake or bar & other fragrant goodies too.
REPUBLIC OF SOAP – 100% GOODNESS!
I am always on the search to find secret ‘out of the way’ places & this one is deep within Kerobokan, a closed shop, hidden away, behind a wall, where a small energetic group of artisans are found, creating hand made soap.
Using only the purest ingredients that nature has to offer, which yield a product, free from petroleum additives, fillers, animal byproducts, artificial colors & scents. Now this is exactly what we all want from products these days!
John Marciano, is the guy behind the name – the Republic of Soap. A highly respected individual, smart, savvy & good looking too, he has built his business around a simple item that we all require in our daily lives – soap, but as mentioned before there’s soap & SOAP! John has spent years on Research & Development of his product, so no wonder all the high-end hotels, villas, spas & boutiques of the world come calling on him to make for their business, which has to be the best recommendation of all!
John quotes “the Republic of Soap’s mission is to maintain the highest standards while keeping the prices as low as possible to offer Bali’s best soap within the reach of us all”.
Now why is John’s soap better than others? Well, apart from the purity, using only natural ingredients, the soap bar lathers well & maintains its shape for ages, the scents formulated & used are mild & not so overpowering. The soap comes in handy shapes, sizes & many are so attractive that you may just use them for a display! All products on offer make for perfect gift giving, from the simple plain bar, to the stylish 3D carved leaf motif or molded soap shape, all good.
Some of the custom scents/scent combinations can be manufactured on request, of course minimum orders apply, but here I will share with you my favorites -
Tobacco Spice with Cinnamon & Clove
(great for use as a body exfoliant)
Sweet Orange & Cinnamon (sweet & exotic)
Island Spice Tea (green tea with sandalwood, tea tree & cold pressed mandarin)
Ginger & Tea Tree (spicy, woody & a great antiseptic!) & the Camo-Bar with citronella, Blue Gum Eucalyptus & Amber (a good soap to use in the tropics providing therapeutic properties as an antiseptic, deodorant & insecticide)
There are loads more, but not forgetting the very popular sweet & floral scents such as Frangipani, Lavender, Rose Garden & Petitgrain. The beauty about fragrance is that you can play with the fragrant scents (imported from the USA) & essential oils (from Australia) to customize your own blend, creating a truly unique & individual fragrance for you or your business.
Now, it’s not only hard bar soap that John manufactures, it’s an entire range of liquid products as well, & a small range of candles (single, in a glass or in a pack) & incense with delicious flavours. You can buy direct, a minimum order can be a litre of shampoo (great for a family) there is a good range of SPF Sunblocks (many of the products have sunblock incorporated within) after sun, after shave, insect repellent. And the list goes on, massage oils to scrubs, facial mask, cleansing gel, to body butters & polish. Whew, this man & his band of artisans are kept busy eh.
If it’s a product you want to be manufactured to suit your private label or corporate specifications including logos & exclusive hand made packaging then here you go!
So, now you know my secret - either take a visit to the factory ‘where it all happens’ or make a bee line to Bali Deli - Jl. Kunti, Seminyak, Dijon - Kuta Poleng Mall, Jl. Setiabudi, Kuta, Gourmet Garage - By Pass, Jimbaran & The Pantry - next to the Batujimbar Cafe in Sanur, for a selected range of soap & other fragrant goodies!
Republic of Soap, Jl Gunung Salak No 80, Banjar Abasan, Denpasar, T: 780 3852
www.republicofsoap@yahoo.com
For comments & enquiries, email: retailtherapym@yahoo.com.au
