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Greetings!
In this edition of our newsletter we want to highlight some new products in the warehouse and put some more great items on sale. A few of the highlights include our new shallow blue cosmetic jars, frosted cosmetic jars, Intensive Moisturizing Lotion, and Deep Moisturizing Cream Bases, Cromoist Oat Protein, Grapeseed Oil and some of our new natural fragrances.
Coming closer to the holiday season we will be adding to the items on sale on a regular basis, as we have plans to introduce some incredible new bases, and kits, great for that last minute gift. We recommend that our customers refer frequently to our list of WHAT'S ON SALE located on the home screen of the website to get the best deals.
For customers who are in the lower mainland and come in to our store, starting on November 27 (less than a month until Xmas), our in store sales staff will be having demos, giving out product samples, and holding special sales (only available in-store) on Saturdays leading up to Christmas. We hope to see you.
Just a reminder; our website has more and more recipes being added every day so feel free to browse around for some great Christmas Gift ideas!
In this and future newsletters we will featuring some business development tips, providing great links to resources, and answering some of the questions from our customers we have received over the years and in the past few weeks. We have a passion for this business. We love making products, sharing them with friends and family and are always thrilled to see so many of our customers turn their shared love for making soap and personal care products into a lucrative and money making venture. We try to give any assistance we can and always welcome your feedback and questions. |
 New and Exciting!New in stock this month are our 2 oz, 4 oz, and 8 oz Amber and Blue Shallow PET Jars. These heavy-walled PET plastic jars come with a variety of cap options and make the perfect container for facial treatments, specialty creams and balms, deep conditioning treatments, sugar body scrubs, and masks. The whole Blue Shallow Jar family (2, 4, and 8 oz) are currently ON  SALE with any cap option! If you are looking for some great products to occupy these chic jars, take a look at our recipes for our Shea and Mango Sugar Scrub and Detoxifying Mineral Mask, which uses our Rhassoul and White Kaolin Clays that are currently on sale! We also have three new All Natural Fragrance Oils in the warehouse; Lemon Lollipop, a sweet and tart treat for the senses, Mandarin, a fresh burst of citrus, and Orange Cinnamon, a balanced blend of cinnamon candy hearts and fresh-squeezed orange. All three of these fragrances would go great in creams, lotions, butters, bath bombs, and bath bars, and all of them are on sale right now! |
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Business Development Tips
One of the biggest questions we get from our customers involves the fear and misinformation that many have about making and selling products in Canada. It really is not a big deal. In Canada, we are protected as consumers by a federal agency, Health Canada. As well as looking after ensuring the safety of food and drugs, it also monitors cosmetics. The goal of the Health Canada Cosmetics Program is to protect the health of the Canadian public by minimizing the risk associated with the use of cosmetics sold in Canada. That means that when you start your own business, are getting serious, are going to make it more than a hobby, and are ready to start marketing your products for resale, selling directly to stores, or selling to wholesalers for their distribution into the marketplace you need to register them with Health Canada, letting them know what your are selling and what the ingredients are. It is their way of ensuring that none of the ingredients being used in your products are on the Canadian Hotlist of banned ingredients. No one likes regulation, but it is a fact of life. The reality is that besides filling out the Cosmetic Notification Form once your hobby becomes a business, you will probably never interact with Health Canada again. Follow the basic rules about labelling, make no claims that are health related, and follow good manufacturing practices to ensure your products are made safely and then just sell, sell, sell. Manufacturing products: You cook food at home and feed your loved ones your culinary creations without worry, the same can be said with making soap, or other personal care products at home. The key is to follow good manufacturing practices. What you have to remember is that most of you have been doing that in your kitchens all your adult life. If you can cook, then you can successfully make soap and other cosmetic products safely and professionally. If you can keep the kitchen where you cook clean and safe then you can keep clean the area that you make your soap and cosmetics products clean and safe, whether it is in your kitchen, a basement or a spare room.
Some Basic Tips:
-Have a clean and if possible dedicated working area. Clean is essential, especially if you are trying to use natural preservatives.
-Be organized. Keep good notes and use batch sheets to ensure you follow the recipe so make the product consistent.
-Use easily cleaned equipment. We prefer stainless, but you know it doesn't have to be expensive. Any kitchen supply store sells Stainless Soup Cooker inserts which hold up to 10 Liters of product, and stainless whisks, ladles etc... are quite inexpensive.
-As you get larger then look at professional equipment but it is expensive and the key is to focus on building a business and starting small and growing as the business develops. Don't invest all your money in making your products and leave nothing for packaging, labelling and marketing your products.
-Have a good scale, and a dedicated area to package and then store your products.
The key is common sense. If you are trying to make products where there are contaminants like animal hair, dust, or mold spores then your products are not going to have adequate shelf life and your customers will complain. But would you tolerate those things around your kitchen where you are cooking food for your loved ones or yourself.
We do not need to turn our houses into stainless fortresses, but rather we need to use good manufacturing practices and common sense, keep our work areas clean, keep our work areas organized and use basic professional equipment that allows for easy clean up.
Health Canada says there are a few main points to follow to make cosmetics in Canada. All cosmetic and personal care products must be:
manufactured, prepared, preserved packed and stored under sanitary conditions
free from filth, foreign matter and substances that may injure the health of the user when the cosmetic is used according to label directions or customary ways of use
Basic guidelines based on a common sense that I don't think anyone could argue with, nor have difficulty in following whether you work out of your house, a warehouse, or a state of the art manufacturing facility. |
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We hope all our customers have a successful and healthy holiday season. Christmas is coming quick so don't delay in starting those projects for gift giving. There is still lots of time to make cold process soap for Christmas but don't delay. Check out our easy to use and economical soap kits, or if you just don't have the time, purchase our ready to package soap bars to create those special gift baskets or hostess gifts. Everyone loves receiving hand made gifts, especially high quality natural soap and cosmetics products. Thanks again for all your support,
Rob, Tammy and all of us here at Voyageur
Voyageur Soap & Candle Company Ltd. |
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Mineral Muscle Soaks
As the cold weather is rapidly upon us, one of the most often heard complaints can be tired and sore joints and muscles. We have the perfect recipe to make as inexpensive gifts to ease this common complaint of family and friends.
Our recipe for Foaming Mineral Muscle Soaks, which are bubbly and luxurious while incredibly beneficial for soothing aching muscles and joints. This recipe combines 1 cup of Epsom salts with 1 tablespoon of our foaming surfactant Lathanol with 1/8 teaspoon (or around 8 drops) of the essential oil of your choice.
This multi-functional bath concoction can be creatively organized with different colours and layers by using Micas, Ultramarines , Chromium Green, and F,D&C Lake's as colourants.
There is also the freedom to add in dried florals, like Lavender or Rose Petals, to heighten the experience and create a more refined finished product that is perfect for gift baskets. Think how easy this would be to make with the kids for their teacher's Christmas present!
To create an even more lavish skin-feel, the additions of Silk Peptide Powder or Whole Milk Powder can be included. As a gift idea, use Peppermint Essential Oil for someone you know has a jetted foot bath for a treat their feet will love, but remember to decrease the amount of Lathanol in the recipe to avoid a bubble overload!
Labelling and Packaging Your Products for Sale
The greatest challenge that we have found is not making great products, but selling the great products you make!!!
If you are in front of a potential customer, giving them a sales pitch then you will sell them the product, but if they are seeing a product sitting on a shelf, then it is the appearance and packaging of that product that must cry out - Buy Me!!
That means you must be a bit special, a bit unique, and you must differentiate yourself from the mass produced, inexpensive products that line the shelves of our big box retailers.
Think about what you like, talk to friends and family, then be special. Use gift packaging like Cello Bags, Organza Bags, or put your labelled soap, salts or lotions into little gift sets using inexpensive gift baskets or give your products a spa look with vinyl bags.
Look online at what others do, experiment, be creative, and if you say wow, I would like to buy that then probably others will as well. Full colour labels and graphics can be costly, so look at using gift cards attached to a cello bag with a bit of decorative ribbon, business card stock can be bought in many varieties at office supply stores and run through laser or ink jet printers.
If you are looking at labels, then purchase the stock from a office supply store or go online and then use your own home computer to create your labels, but another option is to create your labels and then take them in to a small printer like Kinko's or Staples and have them run them on their professional colour copiers. You would be amazed at the quality and they specialize in small runs.
Unfortunately, the information is immense and I could go on and on, but space is limited so just be creative, do some research, follow the basic Health Canada rules for listing ingredients, leave any claims off the label and keep them in your marketing information and create products suited to your target market. Remember, what you make is special, it is unique and it is high quality so package and charge accordingly. Don't forget that it is as bad to under charge as it is to over charge for your products. Talk to friends and family, ask potential customers for their opinions on your packaging and pricing and then just start doing it, sell, sell, sell.
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