Frequently Asked Questions
Why lye?
Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye or caustic soda, is a necessary ingredient in soapmaking. The lye is put in a solution and mixed with the oils to create soap.
All soaps are made using lye. No lye, no soap. When checking a soap’s ingredient list, look for words and phrases such as “saponified oils,” “sodium cocoate,” “sodium olivate,” etc. All these mean that lye was used in the soapmaking process.
The process by which oils become soap is called saponification. The oils need a specific amount of lye to saponify. At Sam & Kate, we deliberately discount our lye amounts. This ensures that no lye is left in the finished soap, and that the soap contains some unsaponified oils which makes it gentler for the skin.
Is your soap environmentally-friendly?
Our soaps are as natural as we can make them. We use food-grade oils and butters, sodium hydroxide, fragrance, and nothing else. Sometimes, we add milk, honey, and other natural additives. For those with extra sensitive skin, we also make unscented soap.
We have opted to use fragrance oils instead of essential oils to give our customers a wider variety of scents to choose from.
We do not use plastics in our packaging.
We are currently in the process of trying to source most of our ingredients locally. However, olive oil, which is the main ingredient in most of our soaps, as well as fragrance oils, will continue to be imported.
Are your fragrances phthalate-free?
Some are, some aren't. Because this is an important issue for some of our customers, products that are phthalate-free are indicated in the product description.
Do you wholesale?
Yes, we do! Contact us if you're interested! Please note that we will only wholesale to businesses that are registered with DTI/SEC and BIR.
Do you ship outside the Philippines?
Yes, we do! International customers will receive a Paypal invoice from me. Prices will be converted to USD using the prevailing exchange rate on the day that the order was made.
