Elements : Earth

Inspired by the four elements this collection explores Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.

For Earth I wanted to include clays, minerals, and special chemical components found in soil.  One of the benefits of goats milk is that it is rich with minerals, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, chloride, copper, zinc, iron, and manganese.
Blended throughout the body of the soap is Fullers Earth, and Pumice Stone.
Fullers earth is a special clay primarily known for it's use by fullers. In past centuries, fullers kneaded fuller's earth and water into woolen cloth to absorb lanolin, oils, and other greasy impurities as part of the cloth finishing process. It is still used today in many applications such as deodorants, and facial masks due it its ability to absorb oils.

Pumice stone is a volcanic rock made up of vesicular rough textured volcanic glass, ground into tiny pieces like grains of sand. These finely ground particles provide an effective but not too scratchy exfoliant, giving the soap a nice grit, excellent for working hands and rough skin.

The dendritic veins are made with finely ground black walnut powder, marbled throughout the bars.

To me, the concept of Earth has a heavy, spiced scent.  Slightly woodsy, earthy, comfortable.  I came up with a warm, spiced blend of essential oils, almost like an earthy chai, featuring cardamom, ginger, black pepper, clove, ho wood, palo santo, copaiba balsam, and clary sage.  I included some infused Balsam Poplar bud oil and, thanks to a rabbit hole I fell down about specialty ancient perfumery ingredients, I have included a splash of Geosmin, a sesquiterpenoid responsible for the earthy or musty odor often associated with soil, particularly after rain (petrichor).

Ingredients / ingrédients

Caprae lac, Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Grapeseedate. Sodium Sunflowerate, Sodium Shea Butterate, Sodium Castorate, Cera Alba, Sodium lactate, Solum Fullonum (Fullers Earth) Clay, Juglans Nigras (Black Walnut) Powder, Pumice, Cinnamomum Camphora Linalooliferum Wood Oil, Elettaria Cardamomum Seed Oil, Eugenia Caryophyllus Bud Oil, Salvia Sclarea (Clary Sage) Oil, Piper Nigrum Fruit Oil, Zingiber officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, Copaifera Officinalis (Balsam Copaiba) Resin Oil, Bursera Graveolens (Palo Santo) Wood Oil, Populus balsamifera, Geosmin (a natural bicyclic terpene with an earthy odor)