Please keep in mind, when choosing a melt and pour soap base each of our soap bases have different pros and cons. Many people like the natural SFIC line because of it's natural ingredient listing. Many new customers prefer working with the Stephenson line though because of it's ease of use, amazing prices and physical properties. It really is user preference.
When it comes to picking the right melt and pour soap base, information is everything. Many of our customers are constantly asking us what the difference is between all the wholesale bases out on the market today so we figured we would attempt to sort through all the confusion and explain the entire melt and pour soap base market.
To start, there are basically two main bulk soap base manufacturer's that distribute their bases here in the USA. There are others, but two of them really stand out as far as market share. Most of the big soap making supply companies offer one of those lines and a good portion of them offer it as their own line with their private label on it. They claim that they are the manufacturer of the melt and pour base, but the reality is, almost all of the suppliers out there use one of two manufacturers.
The first is SFIC. In the U.S, SFIC is probably the largest and most well known. They pride them self on offering all natural melt and pour bases that are made the same way soap has been made for hundreds of years. They use the hot process method and use lye to break down oils like coconut oil into a glycerin soap base. This base is then filled into various size blocks and sold to many soap making supply companies in the U.S as a bulk melt and pour base. Because of the fact that SFIC uses the tried and true hot process method for making their soaps, plus use high quality ingredients, their soap base has become one of the most well known and loved melt and pour bases on the market today. A reputation that is well earned.
The second oldest and largest suppliers of wholesale melt and pour base in the U.S. is Stephenson. The company is actually located in the U.K but does have a very strong presence here in the states. Bulk Apothecary is actually one of only a couple U.S direct partners. For this reason, it is probably our most cost competitive line. The quality is great and their reputation for consistency is fantastic.
Although, two main companies pretty much monopolize the wholesale melt and pour market, there are countless other manufacturers that offer some pretty good melt and pour bases. Some are smaller companies that are simply trying to break into the soap making scene, others are companies that think they can just make a better base. Still others, are companies that are looking to cut every bit of cost they can. Bulk Apothecary is one example of that. Although, we sell a lot of SFIC soap base as well as Stephenson soap, we also manufacture our own line of products for our larger commercial accounts. We realize the need to cut costs when it pertains to large customers that sell their product in mass retail, but we also see the value in offering bulk melt and pour soap bases from some of the larger, more well known soap manufacturer's out there. We realize that it takes time and energy to build a brand and that is why we offer the two most well known and most well respected soap base lines on the market today. We just offer them at better wholesale prices than our competition and try to offer a better selection with better customer service. At least we like to think so.
Hopefully this brief rundown on the soap market allowed you to get a better understanding of how this industry works.
