NEW bulk castile soap is #1 plastic free option

27th December 2023

posted in Natural Beauty & Eco Friendly

Castile soap is one of the most versatile natural cleaning products on the market. Many people like to buy bulk castile soap because it's used in household cleaning for multiple tasks and also for personal use, but it almost always comes in a plastic bottle. We have a solution for this now that's so close to being 100% plastic free.

Bulk Castile Soap in a 2L refill tin

This year we started buying our liquid castile soap direct from The Australian Natural Soap Company, and when we did, we realised that not only do they sell their liquid castile soap in a glass pump bottle instead of a plastic one, but they have a refill in a 2 litre tin. So far all our bulk castile soap options in the past have been in plastic bottles.

Australian Natural Soap Company Bulk Castile Soap Tin

Normally something they only sell direct, we were excited to bring this product in to our range, despite the labelling not having a unique bar code right now. (This flexibility and versatility is one of the things that makes it easier for a small eco business like ours to thrive because we're not stuck in some giant automated system in a company that are more interested in profits than protecting the planet and nurturing small Australian brands).

As you can see from the photograph above, there's a very small amount of plastic involved, which is the handle and the lid. The rest of it is plastic free. The liquid castile soap from Australian Natural Soap Company comes in 6 versions (one unscented and five using essential oils) and we have the bulk sizes in all 6 scent options. They are:-

Eucalyptus
Lemon Myrtle
Lavender
Geranium
Patchouli
Unscented (Olive Castile)

Castile Soap Pump Bottle in Glass not Plastic

Since expanding the castile soap range we've discovered something interesting when comparing our 2 Australian brands with the original Dr Bronner's from the USA that most of you are familiar with, and that is the type of bottle that the smaller sizes come in.

Dr Bronner have always advertised that their pure castile soap can not be used in a pump bottle because it will clog the pump. They have an alternative product that they formulated called Sugar Soap to be used in a pump. This sugar soap is losing popularity with our customers and we now only stock it in the Lavender and the Unscented version. Dr Bronner's castile soap is a combination of coconut oil, palm oil, olive oil, hemp oil & jojoba oil. The two Australian brands we stock, Dr Planet and Australian Natural Soap Company, are palm oil free. Dr Planet uses a combination of olive oil, castor oil & coconut oil while Australian Natural Soap Company uses only olive oil for their castile, which is one of the 3 reasons why it's dearer.

Castile Soap in a glass pump bottle — GLASS BOTTLE

Why is Australian Natural Soap Company Castile Soap dearer (and why we think it's worth it).

There are three reasons why the liquid castile soap from Australian Natural Soap Company is dearer, and once you understand why, you can make a more informed choice.

Reason #1 - it's pure olive oil castile soap

As we mentioned above, the ANSC castile soap is pure olive oil castile with essential oils added. Dr Planet use a combination of olive oil, castor oil & coconut oil. Dr Bronners has very little olive oil in it and they use palm oil. While it's is truly sustainable palm oil because they have 100% control over the farming, it's still an ingredient many people prefer to avoid.

Reason #2 - the quality of the essential oils used

The ANSC liquid castile soap comes in an unscented version and 5 scented options. They are not all the same price. While other brands might bump up the price to cover the dearer oil, or just use inferior quality essential oils to keep the costs down, ANSC use premium quality natural essential oils and price each scent accordingly. At the time of publishing this post (prices subject to change), the bulk sizes have a $15 difference between the unscented and the most expensive scent which is the geranium and the patchouli. If you're using these for a body wash and other personal care uses, you will appreciate the aromatherapy qualities of the essential oils used and understand the difference in price. For those who like unscented products, or want to scent their own, you'll be grateful of the lower price.

Reason #3 - the packaging

The 500ml bottles are packed in glass bottles with a pump and bamboo lid topper. The bulk castile soap are in tins and not plastic bottles. For those who are being mindful of packaging options, these are things that do add to the manufacturing cost of the products.