If you’re searching for an olive oil soap or castile soap, you’re looking for exactly what we make. Our handcrafted natural soaps are olive oil-led, 100% plant-based, and made in small batches. Here’s everything you need to know.

What Is an Olive Oil Soap?

An olive oil soap is any soap where olive oil is the primary ingredient. Olive oil has been used in soap-making for centuries — prized for its ability to deeply moisturise, protect the skin’s natural barrier, and cleanse gently without stripping. It’s naturally rich in oleic acid, antioxidants, and vitamins A and E, making it one of the most skin-kind oils you can wash with. Olive oil soaps are particularly well suited to dry, sensitive, or mature skin.

What Is a Castile Soap?

Castile soap originates from the Castile region of Spain, where soap was traditionally made using only olive oil — no animal fats, no synthetic detergents. Today the term is used more broadly to describe any soap made entirely from plant-based oils. The defining characteristics are a high fat content, a rich conditioning lather, and a formula that’s biodegradable and gentle on skin. Castile soaps are popular with people looking for a pure, natural alternative to conventional soap.

Why Our Soaps Are a Great Alternative

Our natural artisan soaps are olive oil-led and entirely plant-based — putting them firmly in the olive oil and castile-style soap tradition. Sodium Olivate (saponified olive oil) is the first-listed ingredient in every bar, meaning it makes up the greatest proportion by weight. We then blend in Sodium Cocoate (coconut oil), Sodium Shea Butterate (shea butter), and Sodium Castorate (castor oil) — all plant-derived — to create a richer, more conditioning lather than a single-oil soap alone.

The result is a bar that delivers everything you’d want from an olive oil or castile soap — gentle cleansing, deep moisture, and a clean ingredient list — with the added skin benefits of a thoughtfully blended, high-fat formula.

What’s in Our Soaps?

Every bar is handcrafted using 100% natural ingredients. The core formula across all variants:

• Sodium Olivate – saponified olive oil; the primary ingredient, deeply moisturising and antioxidant-rich
• Sodium Cocoate – saponified coconut oil; creates a rich, cleansing lather
• Sodium Shea Butterate – saponified shea butter; intensely nourishing and softening
• Sodium Castorate – saponified castor oil; boosts lather and conditions skin
• Aqua & Glycerin – hydrating and skin-soothing
• Pure essential oil blends – natural fragrance, no synthetic perfumes

Choose Your Scent

Our natural artisan soaps are available in five essential oil scent blends:

• Time to Unwind – Sandalwood and Bergamot a calming, relaxing blend
• Patchouli and Wood – Patchouli, Vetiver and Cedarwood - earthy, grounding, and warm
• Pepper & Bloom – Lavender, Geranium and Black Pepper - Spicy and calming
• Relaxing Embrace – our signature spa blend
• Oriental Orange – Vetiver, May Chang, Patchouli and Cedarwood - earthy and grounding

For external use only. Avoid direct eye contact. Not for application to mucous membranes or broken skin. Discontinue use if irritation occurs.

Natural Body Wash

Prefer a liquid format? Our Relaxing Embrace Organic Hand and Body Wash is made with the same plant-based philosophy — a luxurious, skin-kind cleanse free from parabens, sulphates, and synthetic fragrances.

Why Choose Elsie & Tom?

• Olive oil-led formula – Sodium Olivate is always the primary ingredient
• 100% plant-based – no animal fats, no synthetic detergents
• Handcrafted in small batches in Suffolk, UK
• No nasties – no parabens, no SLS, no synthetic fragrances or colours
• Vegan & cruelty-free – never tested on animals
• Eco-friendly packaging – plastic-free and sustainably sourced
• Suitable for sensitive skin – gentle, nourishing, and pH-balanced
• Rated 5 stars by our customers