Southampton Soap Company Founders: 'We are Not Just Selling Soap; We Are Providing An Experience'

SOUTHAMPTON, NY- Chris and Deborah O’Shaughnessy of Water Mill are artists who find inspiration in the East End’s natural canvas of sea and sky.

With their Southampton Soap Company, which they launched in 2012, they yearn to lift spirits and cleanse the soul with a line of natural skin products made right on the East End.

“We craft our skincare products lovingly by hand in small batches using the finest all natural, vegetable-based ingredient. We use homegrown, wildcrafted, organic herbs and botanicals for color and scent. There are no sulfates, parabens, phthalates or additives in our products. All natural — nothing you can’t pronounce, made right here on Long Island in the Hamptons. It’s just good, clean soap. Food for the skin,” their website states.

Deborah said the idea for their dream was born out of personal need. “I have always had sensitive, eczematic skin. Upon the birth of our first child, these sensitivities became exponentially worse so I began to research the ingredients in everyday products our family using on our skin, and came to the conclusion that it was mostly comprised of things one would not want to put on their skin. I wondered why something so simple was being made so complicated?”

She began making her own soap to ease the stress on her skin, and then, began making it as gifts for friends and family. “Eventually, someone asked why we didn’t do it all the time. The demand became so great, that it inspired us to take a leap of faith and launch our business.”

A dream realized

Southampton Soap Company products are sold locally and across the country at boutiques, natural living stores, as well as “good, old-fashioned mom and pop shops” who care about what they sell their customers. Although we have considered and been offered positions on shelves in larger chains, at this time we prefer to work with small, local businesses. It keeps things simple and more personal, and we like knowing people by name.”

The couple sell their wares at local farmers’ markets on the East End during the summer season, as well as private label their products, do special event favors, formulate custom made products and have an online shop.

Seeing their vision come to life has been a revelation, Deborah said. ”There is no doubt about it that this is a dream come true. We never imagined our products would be so well received and loved by so many people. It is a great honor to be trusted by the public with their skin.”

That said, the couple is constantly trying to expand their line and “create more pure homegrown luxury for bath, body and home,” she said. “We realize that we still have so far to go to bring awareness to the public about the importance of natural skin care products and how ’feeding your skin’ is as important as all of the other things we do to live well and care for our bodies.”

Currently, the couple is working to outfit a mobile apothecary truck to bring their products on the road and reach more people on Long Island and in the five boroughs.

The truck will have a “beauty bar” where they can customize any of their products to meet the needs of the client. “The truck will give us the mobility and exposure we need to bring our brand to more people and spread the word about our food for the skin,” Deborah said.

The pair takes pride in developing nourishing, simple products formulated with the best ingredients at affordable prices, they said.

“Of course, with that comes educating people about making skincare a priority, and investing in natural products like ours. We are encouraged to continue expanding from the feedback, letters and comments shared with us that affirm how we have changed many people’s lives for the better, and that makes it all worthwhile,” Deborah said.

School fundraising program

With an eye toward raising awareness about the importance of skincare, even at the youngest ages, the couple recently designed a school fundraising program and have been working with a couple of schools on the East End.

“The response has been great and the program well received. Typically these school fundraisers consist of things like cookie dough, wrapping paper or raffles and while these are all great opportunities, our program gives people something practical and useful while it promotes wellness and works with a local business,” Deborah said. “Our program donates a generous portion of sales to the school and everyone feels good about it. We are thrilled to support our community of young people and for them to learn about and share the importance of natural bath, body and skincare with their friends and family while getting what they need to make their goals a reality. ”

Southampton Soap Company products use minimal packaging; paper, inks and containers are recycled and recyclable, and 99 percent of products are vegan. “We never test on animals, however our Shampoo Bar for Dogs was was lovingly tested on our black Lab,” they said.

The skin, the Shaughnessys said, is the body’s largest organ ”susceptible to toxins in the environment, in beauty and skincare formulas, as well as cleaning products and laundry detergents. The effects of these can be harmful to our bodies over time. By using natural products you clean your world as well as your skin.”

To create their products, they’ve been perfecting the process for years. “It’s part science, part art, part sensual, part ritual,” they wrote on their website. “Our soaps are made in kettle batches and then poured and cut by hand.”

The soaps are crafted using a vegetable base, essential oils to scent them and natural colorants.

“We use our own honey, water from the ocean, and send little treasures from the sea with every order. We believe that our products provide an accessible means to break away from the pressures of modern living. A simple means to find a moment of respite to rejuvenate the body, refresh the mind, and, renew the spirit. Bathing is a sensual ritual that is primal in nature. Using our products turns an everyday shower or bath into a nourishing event. Our soap is food for the skin,” the wrote.

The pair has dreams of opening a Southampton Soap shop in town.

“We are not just selling soap, we are providing an experience. We create a sense of bliss in the bath, a getaway from modern life. It’s art in a bar. It’s intuitive, it’s primal, it’s addictive. People want to feel good . . . Everything is inspired by the idyllic setting of our seaside town, capturing those moments of respite when we are away at the beach. We believe our products provide those intimate moments. Our products awaken the senses, cleanse the body and lift the spirits.”