The Handmade Soap Company has launched its first-ever men’s range of body fragrance products.

The range includes a beard oil, hair and body wash, shaving gel, after-shave balm, a bar of soap, and an all-natural deodorant.

Brand founder Donagh Quigley says the signature scent comes from a mix of pure essential oils, from hay, to pink pepper, and bitter orange.

The Handmade Soap Company was founded in Slane, Co. Meath by the husband-and-wife team Donagh and Gemma Quigley from their kitchen in 2008. The brand markets c.70 handmade skin, hair and well-being products, and the company employs c.40 people.

According to Donagh Quigley: “We only use essential oils to fragrance our products, in line with our Ecocert and Cosmos Natural accreditations, so I had to be creative about what I could use.

In Association with

“After much searching for specialty natural fragrance merchants, I stumbled across the most amazing Hay Absolute, which is a concentrated version of an extract of Hay. This was then married with pink pepper which gives a much rounder and softer heat than the sharper and much more readily available black peppercorn.

“The scent was then lifted by Bitter Orange and Cardamom and then balanced with Cedarwood and Geranium. This is a complex but not complicated blend that I am really proud of.”

Quigley added: “Our story began with myself and my wife Gemma creating soaps by hand in our kitchen. As our business grew, nature always remained our grounding force. We quite literally would not be able to make our products without natural ingredients.

“Receiving the B Corp accreditation last year was one of my proudest moments in our business journey. B Corp is one of the most demanding certifications and evaluates a brand’s social and environmental impact.

“B Corp is a global movement of people using business as a force for good, and we are extremely happy to now be one of very few Irish brands to be a part of that change.”

The new men's range is available to purchase at all The Handmade Soap Company stockists, including Arnotts, Avoca and Kilkenny Design, as well as online, with product prices ranging from €7 to €18. 

Photo: Donagh Quigley, The Handmade Soap Company