Myrtle & Soap Ingredients Library

Welcome to our Ingredients Library, where you can find information about all the raw ingredients we use in our creations. If you have any questions about a specific ingredient please feel free (do not hesitate) to contact us! 

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Olive oil 

Olea europaea

Vegetable oil obtained by pressing the fruit of the olive tree (olives). We use extra virgin olive oil from Crete, Greece. The term extra virgin denotes an unrefined oil of the highest quality that was cold-pressed without the use of chemical solvents.

Used in Soaps  

Castor oil

Ricinus Communis

Thick vegetable oil extracted by pressing the seeds of the castor oil plant. Gives soaps a wonderful lather and lip balms a wonderful shine!

Used in Soaps 

Sweet almond oil

Prunus Dulcis

Vegetable oil extracted by pressing the kernels of the sweet almond tree. We love this lightweight oil for its skin conditioning properties and for being quickly absorbed by the skin

Used in Soaps 

Coconut oil 

Cocos nucifera

Vegetable oil extracted from the kernel of coconuts from the coconut palm. Solid at temperatures below 25 degrees Celsius. Loved by soap makers as it gives soaps a fluffy lather. 

Used in Soaps  

Shea butter

Butyrospermum parkii 

Vegetable fat extracted from the seeds of the African shea tree. It is valued in soap making due to its content in unsaponifiables; components that are not converted into soap through the saponification process and are rather left in the final soap bar as moisturizing agents. 

Used in Soaps  

Cocoa butter

Theobroma cacao

Vegetable fat extracted from the bean of the cocoa tree. It has a lovely cocoa aroma and is widely used in skincare due to its emolient properites. Together with shea butter it brings out a creamy lather in the final soap bar.  

Used in Soaps , Body Cream , Lotion Bar

Apricot kernel oil 

Prunus armeniaca

Vegetable oil extracted from the kernels of the apricot fruit. Similar to sweet almond oil, it is a lightweight oil that is easily absorbed by the skin. 

Used in Mandarin & Poppy Body Scrub, Facial Oil, Evergreen Face Cream  

Avocado oil

Persea gratissima 

Vegetable oil pressed from the flesh of the avocado fruit. its is one of the few oils that is not extracted by seeds (similarly to olive oil)! It gives skincare products wonderful conditioning abilities. 

Used in Evergreen Face Cream , Mandarin & Poppy Body Scrub   

Calendula infused oil 

Helianthus Annus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E)

Sunflower oil that has been infused with calendula flowers for a given period of time. The infusion is done to "enrich" the base oil with the oil soluble components of the calendula plant in order to boost its skin conditioning properties. 

Used in Soaps , Body Cream , Lotion Bar

Pomegranate seed oil 

Punica Granatum 

Vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the pomegranate fruit. Its high content in the omega 5 punicic fatty acid is believed to give this oil strong anti-flammatory properties. It is remarkable that it takes approx. 7kg of seeds and 700kg of fruit to produce just a kilogram of oil.  

Used in Evergreen Face Cream  

Argan oil

Argania spinosa 

Vegetable oil extracted from the seed of the Moroccan argan tree. It boasts a comedogenic rating of zero making it perfect for facial applications as a non pore clogging oil. 

Used in Facial Oil , Wild Harvest Face Cream , Mandarin & Poppy Body Scrub    

Rosehip seed oil

Rosa canina

Vegetable oil extracted by the seeds of the wild rose bush. It is rich in linoleic acid which is believed to help with acne prone skin. Its essential fatty acid content makes this oil a favourite for anti-ageing products.  

Used in Wild Harvest Face Cream

Jojoba oil 

Simmondsia chinensis 

A golden-yellow liquid extracted from the seed of the jojoba plant. Although usually referred to as oil, its composition is more that of a liquid wax. It is actually so similar to the composition of our own skin sebum that the skin absorbs it almost as being its own, regulating sebum production and reducing greasiness. 

Used in Facial Oil ,

Grapeseed oil

Vitis Vinifera 

Vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of grapes. With a whooping 69% content in linoleic acid and a comedogenic rating of just 1, it is great for any facial applications involving oily skin as it moisturizes without leaving an oily residue. 

Used in Facial Oil , Wild Harvest Face Cream , Lotion Bar    

Sweet orange peel oil

Citrus Aurantium Dulcis Expressed

Essential oil produced by cold-pressing the peel of the orange fruit. One of the most loved essential oils with a delicious, fresh and sweet smell.   

Used in Evergreen Face Cream

Cedarwood bark oil 

Cedrus atlantica 

Essential oil extracted from the bark of the Atlas cedar tree, a coniferous evergreen tree reaching a height of up to 40 meters. It is this tree that inspired the name for the Evergreen face cream. 

Used in Evergreen Face Cream 

Rosewood oil

Dalbergia sissoo

Essential oil extracted through steam distillation of the chipped wood from the Indian rosewood tree. We only use the sustainable Indian rosewood oil as ooposed to the essential oil obtained from the endangered Brazilian rosewood species (Aniba rosaeodora).   

Used in  Wild Harvest Face Cream  

Mandarin peel oil

Citrus nobilis

Essential oil produced by cold-pressing the peels of the mandarin orange fruit. It has a bright orange colour and a wonderful, fresh aroma. 

Used in Wild Harvest Face Cream , Mandarin & Poppy Body Scrub 

Ylang Ylang flower oil 

Cananga odorata 

Essential oil extracted by steam distilling the flowers of the tropical cananga tree. Its sweet floral aroma gives our Body Cream a tropical vibe.

Used in Body Cream 

Rose geranium leaf oil

Pelargonium roseum

Essential oil derived from the leaves and stem of the rose geranium shrub. Its aroma greatly resembles that of the rose.  

Used in Facial Oil  

Tea tree leaf oil

Melaleuca alternifolia

Essential oil extracted from the leaves of the tea tree. We find that its fresh camphoraceous fragrance nicely harmonises with the eucalyptus aroma in the Deep Dusk soap. 

Used in Deep Dusk soap 

Eucalyptus leaf oil 

Eucalyptus smiithii 

Essential oil produced through the steam distillation of the Eucalyptus smiithii tree leaves. We find that eucalyptus has a comforting and relaxing scent that blends wonderfully well with the equally soothing tea tree and lavender.  

Used in Deep Dusk soap 

Lavender flower oil

Lavandula officinalis

Essential oil produced by the steam distillation of the lavender flower heads. One of the most loved essential oils with a long history as a bath and skincare additive clearly demonstrated by its name, which is derived from the latin root "lavare", meaning to wash or to bathe.  

Used in Deep Dusk soap , On the Line soap , Night & Day soap 

May Chang fruit oil

Litsea cubeba

Essential oil extracted from the small, pepperlike fruits of the litsea cubeba shrub through steam distillation. The oil has a lovely citrus aroma and lends our Night & Day soap its fresh and lemon-like fragrance.

Used in Night & Day soap 

Lemongrass leaf oil 

Cymbopogon flexuosus 

Essential oil produced by the steam distillation of the lemograss leaves. Another plant with a sharp citrus aroma and deep grassy undertones. 

Used in On the Line soap 

Patchouli leaf oil

Pogostemon cablin

Essential oil extracted from the leaves of the patchouli plant through steam distillation. It has long been used in parfumery thanks to its strong, musky and earthy scent.  

Used in On the Line soap  

Sea buckthorn fruit oil

Hippopae rhamnoides

Red-coloured oil extracted from the seeds and pulp (berries) of the sea buckthorn plant. It is believed to have skin healing properties due to its antioxidant and essential fatty acid content.  

Used in Whipped Lip Balm 

Bergamot fruit oil 

Citrus Aurantium Bergamia 

Essential oil extracted from the fruit of the citrus bergamia tree. It has a citrus aroma with sweet floral undertones. We use the oil that is Bergaptene- free. Bergaptene (furocoumarin) is a natural constituent of bergamot oil that can nevertheless cause photosensitivity. After cold-pressing the rinds of the fruit to extract the oil, it is then steam distilled to remove its bergaptene content.  

Used in Piece of Cake soap 

Wheat germ oil (vitamin E oil)

Triticum Vulgare

Vegetable oil extracted from the germ (kernel) of Triticum Vulgare (Wheat). Its significant content in Vitamin E constitutes this oil as a natural skin conditioning agent and antioxidant. 

Used in Lotion bar  

Coconut milk

Cocos Nucifera fruit extract

Fatty liquid that is produced by combining the inner flesh of the coconut with water, giving it a milky appearance. We especially enjoy using it in our Honey Pot and Our Daily mIlk soap for its skin conditioning properties and for making the soaps milder and creamier. 

Used in Honey Pot soap , Our Daily Milk soap 

Honey 

 

Sweet food substance produced by bees through flower nectar consumption. We use organic honey in our Honey Pot soap to give it a nice bubbly lather. 

Used in Honey Pot soap 

Beeswax

Cera Alba

Wax secreted by worker bees to build honeycomb cells. Historically used for candle making and popular for skin care products due to the protective film forming barrier it provides. We use the natural yellow, unbleached beeswax in our formulations. 

Used in Lotion bar, Whipped Lip Balm  

Kaolin clay

Kaolin

Natural clay mineral formed by the chemical weathering of rocks in moist environments and extracted through mining. It is valued in cosmetic formulations due to its absorbent properties, making it especially useful for oily skin types. 

Used in On the Line soap 

Red French clay 

Illite 

Similarly to Kaolin, illite is a clay mineral used in skincare for its absorbent properties as well as its appealing natural reddish colour.  

Used in On the Line soap 

Activated charcoal or carbon

Charcoal powder

Carbon powder with powerful adsorption properties. The effect of it in cosmetic applications is that dirt, toxins or impurities are drawn towards the activated carbon and adhere to its surface. When the activated carbon is washed away, it then takes these impurities away with it. We use activated charcoal derived from coconut shells.   

Used in Night & Day soap, Deep Dusk soap, On the Line soap  

Poppy seeds

Papaver Somniferum

Seed harvested from the dried seed pods of the poppy flowering plant. We love using poppy seeds in our Piece of Cake soap and the Madarin & Poppy scrub as a natural exfoliant. 

Used in Piece of Cake soap , Mandarin & Poppy Body Scrub 

Chamomile flower powder 

Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) 

Aromatic herb commonly used for skin care applications. We use the powder from the chamomile flower heads in our Piece of Cake soap as a mild exfoliant. 

Used in Piece of Cake soap 

Olive emulsifying wax

Cetearyl olivate, Sorbitan Olivate

Vegetable derived emulsifer synthetically developed from olives for use oil in water emulsions. Emulsifiers are used to bind the water and oil phases, which normally do not mix, to create a cream or lotion. Accepted for use in natural and organic cosmetics by natural cosmetics certification bodies such as ECOCERT. 

Used in Evergreen Face Cream , Wild Harvest Face Cream , Body Cream  

Benzyl Alcohol & Dehydroacetic acid


Benzyl alcohol is a liquid (aromatic alcohol) commonly found in plants or fruits that can also be synthetically produced to be the same as that found in nature ("nature identical"). It is widely used in natural cosmetic product formulations in small amounts as a preservative against bacteria growth. Dehydroacetic acid is an organic compound which is also widely used in natural cosmetics formulation as a bacteria and fungi growth inhibitor. Benzyl alcohol and dehydroacetic acid are approved for use in natural and organic cosmetics by ECOCERT and Soil Association (organic and natural cosmetics certification bodies).

Used in Evergreen Face Cream , Wild Harvest Face Cream , Body Cream, Mandarin & Poppy Body Scrub

Citric acid 


Organic acid which naturally occurs in citrus fruits. It is widely used in foodstuffs as a preservative (bacteria do not like to grow in acidic envirnments) or to impart a sour taste. In cosmetics it is commonly used as a "ph neutralizer" as it can bring down the ph of final formulations when needed.

Used in Mandarin & Poppy Body Scrub 

Lye

Sodium Hydroxide

Alkaline (basic) compound used in the manufacture of soaps.  All soap is made by combining fats with a base. The base is either sodium hydroxide for solid soap or potassium hydroxide for liquid soap. The reaction that occurs when combining the alkali and the fats is called saponification and it is this reaction that then turns the oils into soap.  Read more   

Used in Soaps

Peppermint leaf extract 

Mentha piperita
 
Essential oil extracted through steam distillation of the mint leaves. Products which contain peppermint oil leave a refreshing, cooling sensation when applied on the skin. Products with menthol should not be used on small children.  

Used in Morning Coffee Face Scrub

All the beautiful illustrations on this page and on our product labels were created by the talented Annie Brougham
www.anniebrougham.com