By Matt, founder of Heli Botanica
Our vegan soap bar is made from three plant ingredients: avocado oil as the lead, with coconut oil and organic unrefined cocoa butter. We chose avocado over the usual olive or palm because it gave a harder bar and a creamier, richer lather without needing extra oils or additives.
It took a lot of failed attempts to get here. This is what we learned along the way.
Why make a vegan soap bar at all?
Because Matt, our founder, has a vegan wife, and he has made two versions of the same meal for 28 years. When he started making tallow soap, a vegan version was always going to follow. The whole story is in why I make both tallow and vegan soap.
The aim wasn't a vegan alternative. It was a second bar, comparable to the first, with similar properties, made to the same rules.
What do most vegan soaps use?
Most vegan soaps are built on one of two oils. Commercial soap commonly uses palm oil. Smaller makers often use olive oil. Both are well-trodden routes, and we didn't take either.
Why didn't we use palm oil?
Because we consider it unethical, and it contributes to deforestation. So palm is ruled out by the Heli Protocol, our own set of three rules for every bar, and both our tallow and vegan bars are palm-free.
Why didn't olive oil work for us?
Not for lack of trying. The olive-based versions were tested repeatedly, and they disappointed. The bigger problem was hardness: to make an olive bar firm enough, the formula kept needing more oils and additives.
That ran straight into our first rule: fewer oils, ideally three, each with a purpose. A bar that needed a queue of extra ingredients to hold itself together wasn't going to be a Heli bar, however nice the olive oil.
Why avocado oil?
Avocado is largely a by-product, and it has a different lipid profile from olive. In practice, that meant two things we'd been chasing:
- A harder bar, without hardening additives.
- A creamier, richer lather than the olive versions.
Under the protocol, the lead oil must always be more than 50% of the total oils, and avocado makes up 51% of the oils. It sets the bar's character in the same way tallow does in its sibling.
What does coconut oil do in the vegan bar?
Coconut adds the cleansing. It does exactly the same job here as it does in our tallow bar, which is part of why the two bars feel comparable.
Why organic unrefined cocoa butter?
Cocoa butter does three things in this bar: it adds hardness, it adds longevity, and it brings a moisturising, emollient quality to how the bar feels in use.
It's also responsible for the bar's particular finish. Our tallow bar leaves skin feeling very soft; the vegan bar leaves skin feeling soft too, but more like wearing a lotion. That's the cocoa butter.
We use it organic and unrefined, which leads to the one thing you might notice with your nose.
What does the unscented vegan bar smell like?
Our unscented bar is Awyr, which means air. In the vegan version it has a slight cocoa smell, from the organic unrefined cocoa butter. It's faint and, we think, rather pleasant. There's no added colour, and the bar comes out more cream coloured than its near-white tallow sibling, which smells of nothing at all. Try it for yourself with the Awyr vegan soap bar.
Which scents does the vegan bar come in?
All five. Alongside Awyr, there are four scented vegan bars, each with layered pure essential oils and a colour from nature:
- Coed Du (black wood): orange, pine and patchouli, with charcoal.
- Afon (river): lemongrass, rosemary and mint, with nettle.
- Pridd (earth): petitgrain, lavender and pepper, with pink clay.
- Twyni (dunes): lemongrass, benzoin and cedarwood, with turmeric; also oats to fix the scent and add a light texture.
How is the vegan bar made?
By hand, in small batches in North Wales, using the cold process method, followed by a six-week cure, which gives a harder, longer-lasting bar. Cold process also changes the essential oils as the bar cures, so the scent of a finished bar is the settled version, not the one that went into the mould.
Is the vegan bar right for you?
If you're vegan or you'd rather avoid animal products, this is the bar we make for you. If you're comfortable with both ethically, Matt's own habit is to use the tallow and vegan bars in rotation. The side-by-side detail is in tallow vs vegan soap.
You'll find all five scents in our vegan soap collection.
Frequently asked questions
What is in Heli Botanica's vegan soap?
Three plant ingredients: avocado oil (51% of the oils), coconut oil and organic unrefined cocoa butter. The scented bars also contain pure essential oils and a colour from nature. Twyni also contains oats. There is no tallow and no palm oil.
Is your vegan soap palm oil free?
Yes. We consider palm unethical and it contributes to deforestation, so no palm is one of the rules of the Heli Protocol, and it applies to both our vegan and tallow bars.
Why do you use avocado oil instead of olive oil?
The olive versions disappointed and needed extra oils and additives to be hard enough. Avocado, largely a by-product with a different lipid profile, gave a harder bar and a creamier, richer lather.
Why does the unscented vegan bar smell slightly of cocoa?
Because we use organic unrefined cocoa butter, which keeps a slight cocoa smell. The tallow version of the same unscented bar smells of nothing.
How is your vegan soap made?
By hand in small batches in North Wales, using the cold process method, followed by a six-week cure.