9 Creative soap designs

Looking for that special something to make your product stand out and catch the customer’s eye? Last month we shared an article on how soap packaging can help create a product that stands out. This month we are bringing a number of creative soap design ideas. These ideas help make the soap itself stand out. In these examples, you will see examples where packaging is used to augment the soap. In other’s you will see where the soap is eye catching and stands alone without necessarily adding a lot of packaging.

These artisans are expanding the range of customers that would be interested in their products. Each of these products has gotten more specific in their target niche and seen great success with their products. Getting more specific about their niche also allows them to get more specific in their marketing to their target audience. Throughout their stories, you can see examples for how they are executing their strategies with these products.

We hope seeing all these creative ideas gives you new ideas to consider for your products. We are proud to have soap makers from around the world included in this article- Click on the individual images to jump to their specific stories.

All of these products started as experiments by the artisans. They require trial and error to get just right. What creative idea do these designs inspire for your work?

The Soap Bar & Co - Durban, South Africa

Popsicle Shaped Soaps

Belinda and Rayne started their soap adventure as a mother-daughter venture when they created The Soap Bar & Co. Their eye catching designs made me intrigued to hear the story behind how these were created. Here is what they shared.

How did you come up with the unique ideas for these soap shapes? Tell us more about this creative soap design.

We noticed that our soaps are very popular with children and wanted to branch out and give them something fun, new and exciting. We spotted the popsicle molds from an online baking shop and our plan came together. We decided to launch these at our Christmas markets in 2023, using vibrant colors like red, green and pink. These specific soaps are glycerine based with fragrances like ‘Christmas pudding’ and ‘Caramalised Pear’ to bring in the festive cheer.

How did you create the packaging that you used with these soaps?

Regarding the packaging – we strive to be earth conscious and not use plastic packaging but unfortunately with glycerine soaps they if are not wrapped they “sweat” as they have a high moisture content giving them their highly moisturing property.

As a result we made a decision to shrink wrap our glycerine soaps – but due to the odd shape of these popsicles this proved a bit tricky! After a bit of trial and error we succeeded and used a round label to wrap around the product, with branding space on the front and back. On the back, we included a large ‘Do not eat’ warning, since the colors made them look tasty to even the most well-trained eye.

We were very happy with the results – we felt our products looked premium and were appealing to market-goers – both children & adults. We found people walking past our stall would often be drawn in to get a closer look, particularly children. And, as market regulars know, this is a great first step towards making a sale. After 2 markets we sold out of this popular soap!

We are a small business and do everything ourselves. This means we don’t need to consider planning print runs and this also allows us to be flexible & make tweaks to our packaging whenever they’re needed. We printed our self-designed labels on our Epson printer, which were then cut out using our Cricut maker. These are two very handy tools which we feel have helped us a lot as a small business; they make packaging a dream!

Gingerbread Man Shaped soap

Belinda and Rayne also make the Gingerbread and Snowman soaps. They shared:

Tell us more about the process you used to create the gingerbread and snowman soaps?

The gingerbread man and snowman soaps were also made with the kiddies in mind. We used a soft and gentle farmhouse melt and pour soap due to its gentle and pure nature. We left these unscented, since many requests came from moms worried about their kids’ sensitive skins. These were also a festive inclusion to our product lineup in November 2022, and were very popular at a local vegan market in KZN.

These soaps were a great example of the trial and error approach small businesses often need to take. As trendy as some of these shapes are, they can be problematic to package in an aesthetic way. We packaged these simply with cellophane bags and a header board on the top, which we printed ourselves. The downside to this kind of packaging is that our customers couldn’t smell the product inside, so we would have to have an unpackaged sample available – which was not always possible and caused some logistical issues especially when it rained!. The other downside is often they needed to be repackaged after a few markets as the soaps move around in the cellophane bags and leave a residue which can look unappealing. While we will still try to find the best packaging solution for them, they’re a great example of how entrepreneurs find a way to make the best of what they have available.

Snowman Shaped Soap

See paragraphs above for a description of how the snowman soap was made. Belinda and Rayne don’t have a website as of the time of this publication, but can be found in Instagram.

Anaaya's Handmade- Goa, India

Angel shaped Soap

When I first start researching creative soaps, I came across Anaaya’s Handmade. I reached out to Divya George Desai to learn more about her process for creating these beautiful soaps. Take a look at her Instagram to see some incredible soap molds. I asked Divya more about how she got into soap and about her molds.

How did you get into making soaps?

My journey as a soap artisan started by chance in the year 2017 while i was expecting my second child. My skin became very sensitive and I couldn’t use products i generally used. My skin was allergic to almost every product and even the mildest ones available on shelves were a No-No .

One night while scrolling through Pinterest i stumbled on Soap making. I was drawn to it naturally and hence I navigated through a journey of exploring and designing soaps. I had a lot of time at hand as I was on bed rest. I utilized the time available for studying and getting to know more about soap making.

Initially I started with small quantity and testing them on me…as who could give a better feedback than me itself as I was the one having a sensitive skin right???
I started with Coconut milk soaps first and than went with experimenting with other types.

Initially it was just soaping for family and friends and than later in early 2018 i went into preparing them in bulk and selling across India. My brand was named Anaaya’s Handmade after my doting Daughter Anaaya.

The response was good ,and the best selling ones are the Papaya Turmeric,Shea butter, charcoal tea tree and kumkumadi soaps. I wanted to do more and just didn’t want to stop it there ..since I have a medicine background i started preparing soaps custom made to clients skin types . And than my journey as a soap artisan turned full fledged .

How many different products do you have now? How did you start with creative soap design?

Now I have more than 50 varieties of soaps and more than 150 other products like
Face wash, packs, scrubs, oils, mists, shampoos, salts and more….as well as aromatherapy oils.

I also prepare soaps & candles for all special occasion- guests takeaways for birthdays, christening, anniversary, bachelorette, communion, weddings all customized as per the theme of the party. I have more than 100 unique soap molds to match all the theme requirements..

My packing of soap is very minimal- using cling film with our brand sticker. All our products are Natural and paraben free. And are MSME certified.

Teddy Bear Baby Bar

Here is another example of one of the creative soap designs from Anaaya’s Handmade soaps. This one is a small bath bar in the shape of a teddy bear. It is specially made to be used for babies and is a great shower favor or gift.

Soap Cult Australia- Brisbane, Australia

Cube shaped soap

We loved this cube shaped soap from Soap Cult Australia the second we saw it. This felt like a unique design, and we asked Aliya Hutchison to share more about how they were created.

Why did you decide to put them in the cube shape? Tell us more about this creative soap design.

The first is manufacturing-focused. Cutting salt bars is a nightmare so I’ve always made them in their own individual molds, rather than a typical loaf.

The second reason was an aesthetic choice for how the range would look together en masse in collection shots and a market setting. Having different shapes breaks up the repetitive visual of rows or stacks of rectangular bars. The cube shape allowed me to add height to the display because they stack beautifully/frame a display and draw in a crowd. 9/10 customers will pick up a cube bar before anything else. I wanted the shape to stand out from the rest of the range and it played into my odd obsession with geometric shapes. My facial bars are cylindrical so cubes further that 3D look and give more depth to the range. It keeps a display looking organic and natural when there is a lot of shape and height variation.

And thirdly, much of our Australian climate is hot and humid. We get sweaty and have to wash off sunscreen at the end of each day for more than half of the year. Being able to hold the bar and rub it directly onto the skin is a time saver and helps to physically rub off the sweat/oil/sunscreen (especially if it is a zinc-based cream). I use a very fine-grade sea salt so it doesn’t hurt or scratch the skin but it does exfoliate and tackle ingrown hairs, blackheads or body acne due to the climate.

Do you get any different kind of response from customers with these being in the cube shape?

Customers seem to share the same weird delight I have with them being cube-shaped. I’ve quizzed a few people about what draws them to the cube and they can’t say for sure. They just know they like it. I suspect it might be because they look more like something we’d see in nature, like a rock at the beach. Perhaps the cube shape taps into something deep within us that yearns to live closer to nature. I’m not sure but they love it. And interestingly, they sell very well online as well as in person. I’m always selling out of the cube shapes before anything else. I can barely keep up!

Anything you would share with artisans that are thinking about experimenting with different types of soap shapes?

My advice to soap makers wanting to experiment with other soap shapes, I say go for it! They appeal to a wide range of customers, from the soap-obsessed, the impulse buyer, the gift-shopper, all the way to the “this is the guest bathroom soap, don’t touch it” kind of crowd. Different shapes not only look great on a market display but they make your website look more vibrant too. My only word of advice would be to do a lot of testing with your recipe and the mold. Unusual shapes are not very forgiving when it comes to unmolding and I cannot tell you how many bars I’ve had to waste because a corner came off when I was unmolding. This is especially true with shapes like stars. Good luck!

Pine Tree Road Soap- Pennsylvania, USA

Flower shaped leg shaving bar

When I came across Jackie’s designs, I noticed a consistent aesthetic that carried throughout the designs, even though the individual soaps were quite unique. Jackie Panebaker has owner her soap business for many years. She originally had a retail shop, then went wholesale, and has continued to make adjustments to meet her market’s demand.

Three of Jackie’s soaps have been included here. Here is what she shared with me about her process:

It seems like one of your specialties are these unique designs. How did you get into creative soap design? I would love to hear the backstory on these.

I started out making bar soaps in wood loaf molds (and still do). But I found that there was a need or “want” for beautiful shaving soaps for the ladies, so I started making these flower soaps. They fit in the palm of the hand easily, look gorgeous in the bath and elevate the spa-like experience you want to feel when you’re in the shower.

Bee and Honeycomb soaps

I dug a little deeper to under more about Jackie’s unique approach to custom designs. She shared:

Do you have any kind of a process for how you approach when to do these custom designs versus a more standard bar?

My soap making process is pretty consistent. I like for my customers to know that whether they purchase a shave bar or a regular everyday bar, it’s always going to feel the same. I add different “additive” ingredients, such as bentonite clay to the shave bars. But my basic recipe is always the same. And I also feel that inspiration is all around us. I tend to make bars in different design styles, colors, scents based on my mood and my surroundings at the time. It’s a very creative process.

Any tips or advice you would share for a new soap maker that is thinking about creating unique designs for their soaps?

Any time I teach a soap making class, I always say the same thing, “let’s try it”. You need to trust your instincts and be bold. Try it! You may not love the outcome of a certain scent blend or technique. But then again, you might just fall in love with a happy accident. Don’t be afraid to work with scents or colors that may not “traditionally” seem like they go together. Some of my favorite soaps over the years are ones that just kind of happened because I had extras and wanted to experiment.

Flower shaped gifts

We loved the unique shapes Jackie employs with these soaps. They are very versatile and great for gift giving or as favors as part of a larger party or event. Since she has so much experience with unique soap shapes, I wanted her advice for new soap makers. She shared:

Any tips or advice you would share for a new soap maker that is thinking about creating unique designs for their soaps?

We hope these ideas spark your creative juices. Stay tuned for our final article in the series that will appear in our quarterly magazine!

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