For most, finding a cigarette in the beer you just downed would be enough to make you hurl, but for Danielle Martin, it became an inspiration. That smoky beer taste stuck with her and was so memorable, she created a product line based on it when she launched her company Soap Distillery.
Danielle saw a lack of diversity in the soaps she was buying, so she literally took things into her own hands. She studied sculpture at the Art Institute, Chicago and taught herself the ins and outs of soap making and cosmetic science. Once she had it down, she used her experience as a marketer fresh out of the bike biz to create sustainable boozy-scented beauty products and a gorgeous e-commerce store that caters to everyone.
Her motto is “small batches, no hangovers” but that doesn’t mean you won’t find her unique line in a store near you…
Today Soap Distillery’s cocktail-inspired bar soaps, hand and body washes, candles, and other products can be found in over 200 stores and counting!
Soap Distillery’s commitment to their Chicago community goes well beyond making soap. Danielle is passionate about donating a portion of soap sales to great causes, and partners with local businesses and organizations like The Broadway Youth Center (making rainbow soap for Pride Month), Right Bee Cider (creating a NEW Blossom Cider soap for fall) and the Greater Good Food Depository.
She is so committed to keeping Chicago beautiful, that you’ll often find a few small scraps to test in your order, smaller bits repurposed into bigger bars, and Soap Shot packs available for purchase on the site… All efforts to help their production become zero waste.
I had a chance to catch up with Danielle in this episode of the MAJAMAS EARTH CARE WHAT YOU WEAR & SO MUCH MORE Podcast to learn how she launched Soap Distillery, where her inspiration comes from and why making as much of her products plastic-free is so important to her and better for our planet.
So sit back and join ME in a boozy candle and great conversation with no hangover, guaranteed.
– Germaine Caprio, MAJAMAS EARTH Company Owner & Designer
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What are your favorite eco-friendly beauty products?
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