Bubbles out of thin air: A soapmaker’s humble tale

What would you recommend to someone who wants to get rid of stress?

“Definitely something with lavender! This soap has very good quality lavender oil that came all the way from Croatia. It’s got milk in it and it’s creamy too!”

This was what Didi told ‘Neue’ (@whatsneue) at the ‘Craftworks Kitani’ (@craftworkskitani) gathering, where she was selling her home-made soaps at the atrium of Aman Hills Shopping Centre last Sunday.

Didi, who admits that she’s “obsessed” with skincare, had always wanted to try making her own soap.

“I never got around to getting all the ingredients in the past. With the support of my partner, Eze, I decided to pursue this,” she said.

However, both Didi and Eze agreed that it’s always wise to do extensive market research before launching a new business.

“As of yet, we have not set up a dedicated Facebook and Instagram account for this business,” they said, adding that it could tentatively be called ‘Bubble Bear Bathworks’. However, nothing’s finalised yet.

“We’ll update the public once we have a dedicated social media account for our home-made soap business,” they said. For now, the public can reach out to Didi via her other skin care Instagram account, @_neverendingsearch4hg.

“We are still in the experimental stage. We want to see how it goes … whether the people would buy our home-made soaps and what price range they are comfortable with. We’re also interesting in getting feedback from the public about our soaps.”

Humble beginnings

Nur Khalisah Ahmad, the founder of Kaleidoscope Studio (@ks.bn)

Nur Khalisah Ahmad, the founder of Kaleidoscope Studio (@ks.bn), said Didi and Eze had in the past attended an insightful workshop conducted by Aloha Nature House (@alohanature_house.brunei).

She said: “Aloha Nature House was once a vendor that participated in one of Kaleidoscope’s past events, when we had a couple of pop-up sales. I suggested the founder of Aloha Nature House to conduct workshops, as she would not only be able to sell her own products and services, but also provide her clients with the raw materials so that they can make their own crafts.

“Fast forward to the future, Aloha Nature House has opened up its own beauty school. Both Didi and Eze had attended one of her workshops and they have started making their own soaps.

“Although we didn’t do all the work. It’s like sowing the seeds. And this is a really good example of how it is growing… that’s what we can do. We want people to come to these events to engage with the vendors and show them that their products are appreciated.”