#TheGoodSquad Interview with Rina Clarke, Founder of Buck Naked Soap Company

What does it mean to be truly healthy? While exercising, meditating and eating healthy foods r are all important ways to look better, how you look doesn’t matter. It’s how you feel that does. Being conscious of what you apply to your body is also a way of living healthier and feeling good, be it clothes or skin care.  

But for today, let’s talk soap. Commercial soaps are filled with chemicals and toxins absorbed by your body. With your skin being your body's largest organ, you want to minimize all toxic exposure. These chemicals, if used for a long period, can cause illnesses such as cancer, eczema, and irritation to your skin, eyes, and lungs. I’ve got to admit, simple as this is, it was life-changing when I understood its impacts. 

Rina Clarke and John Lindsay discovered a need for organic soaps when their newborn son suffered from eczema. They decided to change his bathing products which solved his eczema problem and eventually started her own inexpensive soap company that is organic, vegan and sustainable! The company was named Buck Naked Soap Company as a funny and witty play on words that conveyed her products' natural and back-to-basics nature. As a small business, she handmakes her soap in small batches in Guelph, Ontario. She also uses the most traditional form of soap-making through cold processing to make her products. Cold process soap making is when warm carrier oils and a water/lye solution are combined to make soap without added heat.

This week on #TheGoodSquad, we interview Rina Clarke, one of the founders of Buck Naked Soap Company and find out more about her journey with natural, vegan and sustainable bath and body products!

1. Tell us about your journey and how Buck Naked Soap Company started!

About 10 years ago, when my son was a newborn, he suffered from eczema. After speaking to doctors and doing my own research, I tested a few ideas that might help him, including changing his bathing products. Once we did this, his skin issues started going away. It was at this point that we decided to start making soap specifically for him. From there, I decided we needed to create an inexpensive bath and body brand that was natural, vegan and sustainable. 

2. Your company features a ton of yummy-smelling soaps! Where do you get your inspiration?

We often get inspiration directly from our ingredients. For instance, our Avocado Soap. We developed this bar simply because we wanted to highlight the amazing qualities of this oil. This said, we sometimes get inspiration from food and the idea of creating something that would smell so good, that you want to eat it. Our Lemon + Lavender Bar is an example of this. The sweet smell of this combination is like candy or an amazing pastry. One other area that is a key source of inspiration is history and ancestry. Our Moroccan Rose collection is one scent that was formulated specifically out of nostalgia and in an effort to honor family.

3. How did you learn to make soaps using unique scents? 

After I started making soap and getting a feel for what formulations were best, I turned my head to studying essential oil blending. From here, I blended many unsuccessful formulations but also came up with our core scents that we started our brand with. From here, whenever we are looking at formulating a new bar, we first look to science and what outcomes we are looking for. Then we test, and test, and test. We have staff vote on blends and tweak and vote again! It really is a team effort.

4. Why do you think it's important to use all-natural vegan soaps and skincare?

I think there are safe non-natural products, but my preference is definitely natural vegan skincare. As an animal lover, and someone who looks to ensure the safety and preservation of our environment, it’s hard for me to think about using animal-based products. Natural skin care when properly sourced can be eco-friendly; being biodegradable and returning to the earth, in a holistic and cyclical manner, without harm. Vegan products also ensure the lives of animals are preserved. Vegan personal care products also do not contribute to the environmental impact of the animal agricultural industry. Which is a huge issue for humans and animals.

5. What is your favorite product from Buck Naked Soap Company that you incorporate into your everyday routine? Which is your best seller?

I use so many of our products that it’s hard to say just one. This said, I really love our award-winning Raw Blue Agave Rejuvenation + Hydration Mask. I have pretty dehydrated skin. This product is made with so many nourishing botanical extracts and Hyaluronic Acid that it nourishes my skin and helps add hydration. 

6. Why do you think it's important to use all-natural vegan soaps and skincare?

I think there are safe non-natural products, but my preference is definitely natural vegan skincare. As an animal lover, and someone who looks to ensure the safety and preservation of our environment, it’s hard for me to think about using animal-based products. Natural skin care when properly sourced can be eco-friendly; being biodegradable and returning to the earth, in a holistic and cyclical manner, without harm. Vegan products also ensure the lives of animals are preserved. Vegan personal care products also do not contribute to the environmental impact of the animal agricultural industry. Which is a huge issue for humans and animals.

7. What is your favorite product from Buck Naked Soap Company that you incorporate into your everyday routine? Which is your best seller?

I use so many of our products that it’s hard to say just one. This said, I really love our award-winning Raw Blue Agave Rejuvenation + Hydration Mask. I have pretty dehydrated skin. This product is made with so many nourishing botanical extracts and Hyaluronic Acid that it nourishes my skin and helps add hydration. 

If you have sensitive skin or just want to be healthier in general, Buck Naked Soap Company can help you with that. Check out their links below!