Handcrafted soap and cosmetic industry growing

May 24--More than 400 makers of personal care products gathered this week at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort for the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild's 17th annual conference.

The conference, held in different cities each year and open to guild members as well as nonmembers, was sold out by March, said Leigh O'Donnell, the group's executive director.

"Last year, attendance was at 325," O'Donnell said. "The industry, and our association, is growing by leaps and bounds."

The conference offered workshops, classes and demonstrations to teach business practices and techniques.

Attendees brought extra products to donate to Tucson's Sister Jose Women's Shelter, which will be used to give to homeless women and for the shelter's weekly spa day. More than 400 pounds of soap and personal care products were donated.

Here are some facts about the industry for those considering a handcrafted soap or cosmetic-making startup:

1. Before 1990, the soap-making industry was fairly small due to lack of information. "The information was largely passed down from mother to daughter," O'Donnell said. The Internet has made information much easier to come by, and there are now hundreds of books on the subject. Those interested in learning can watch videos online, find books or e-books, take local classes or attend conferences.

2. The size of the industry is estimated to be 250,000 businesses across the U.S. Between 80 percent and 85 percent of those are owned by women. That number has increased by the thousands in the past several years. The guild attributes that growth to the amount of information available; the desire of people to have supplemental incomes or become full-time entrepreneurs; and the trend of making things from scratch.

3. Annual gross sales for the 250,000 soap-making businesses range from $5,000 to $10 million, with most of them bringing in the lower end of the range, O'Donnell said.

4. A few thousand dollars will purchase the ingredients necessary to start a soap-making business. "It is important to do the research to make safe products that are labeled correctly, obtain the proper general and product liability insurance and set up a company entity properly," O'Donnell said.

5. Trade associations such as the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild provide access to suppliers, certification courses, liability and product insurance, and networking opportunities. It has more than 2,550 members. Learn more online at soapguild.org.

Contact reporter Angela Pittenger at 573-4137 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @CentsibleMama or on Facebook at facebook.com/centsiblemama.

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