about
Simple yet Special
At Simpli, the best quality ingredients are used—organic when available—and all are responsibly sourced from reputable businesses. Each item is incorporated into recipes for what they bring to the final product. Products are made in small batches so attention to detail is maintained. Hand cut, hand poured, hand wrapped and packaged.
handcrafted artisan products
All products are handcrafted from scratch in Virginia—using my tested recipes—incorporating the best-quality ingredients that feel good and smell good. Bottom line is that we all want our skin to feel amazing…simplí. ~Julie
Dedicated to producing products and services that promote a Greener Life.
Strives to provide shoppers reliable information about the health, social, animal welfare and environmental attributes of a product at the point of purchase.
Implements good manufacturing and/or re-packaging practices in the production and/or packaging of the products they sell.
From the Soapbox
The blog is filled with occasional musings and bits of information that you may find interesting. Some examples: What’s in commercial soap? Ingredient spotlights. Items to look for in soap during cold winter months.
Ingredients
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: Each ingredient is chosen for a reason. I look for quality, thoughtfully sourced items and use them because of what they bring to the finished product—not simply because they sound good on a label.
Yes, some of them have names that sound like they belong in a chemistry textbook; most of what I use are plant-based. So I’m pulling back the curtain. Here, you’ll find the story behind some ingredients, what they do and why they earned a place in Simplí’s formulas.
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is a natural alkaline that is often used in cosmetic formulations. In bath truffles, baking soda gives your skin a soft and silky feeling.
This natural vegetable wax is extracted from the candelilla plant. It is an emollient, humectant and a vegan substitute for beeswax in finished products where firm consistency and high melt point are important. Produces excellent gloss and structure. Used in Simplí’s deodorant and vegan lip balm.
A weak natural acid found in lemons, limes, etc. It is used to make bath bombs fizz, or to adjust the pH of other products.
Cream of tartar (potassium hydrogen tartrate) is a byproduct of winemaking. Technically it’s an acid and is the crystalized residue left on the wine barrels after fermentation. In bath truffles it creates a silky/creamy yet light, aerated texture to the foamy bubbles.
Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) is not actually a salt, but a naturally occurring pure mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate. It has been used for years in a variety of purposes, but in a bath it makes your body and skin feel amazing.
All fragrance oils used in Simplí products are selected from reputable sources and verified to be phthalate-free, paraben-free, lab tested and body-safe. Fragrance oils tend to have more staying power in final products, also (essential oils can fade over time). WORTH NOTING: When pure essential oils are used, they are fully disclosed on each product label. We recommend reviewing them if you are pregnant, nursing, caring for young children or around household pets.
This ester of isopropyl alcohol and myristic acid (vegetable-derived) is an emollient and lessens the “oily” feeling in butters and creams. Provides a soft and silky feel on skin, but also enhances the penetration of butters and oils into the skin and creates a barrier on the skin’s surface.
Magnesium hydroxide is an inorganic compound, occurring in nature as the mineral brucite. This food-grade, white powder is a natural deodorizer and is incorporated into my deodorant.
In geology, mica refers to a group of metamorphic minerals. Metamorphic rocks and minerals are formed from pre-existing rocks by exposure to extreme heat and pressures. Once the mica mineral is mined, it’s ground and coated with FDA-approved colorants, pigments or a combination of both. Our supplier is a reputable vendor who guarantees ethically sourced, cruelty-free, 100% vegan,and certified child-labor-free.
Used in some products to ensure moisturizing oils and colorants blend smoothly into your bathwater, leaving all the softness on your skin and no greasy residue on your tub. EPA “Safer Choice” item and FDA approved.
Sodium Hydroxide, also known as lye, is an essential ingredient in the soapmaking process. Lye reacts with fats and oils to create soap. There is no such thing as soap without lye, and none remains in the finished, saponified product. In soapmaking, I use food grade…yes, food grade. Things such as bagels, pretzels, olives and Chinese noodles incorporate it as a tenderizer and curing agent.
The sodium salt of lactic acid, it is produced by fermentation of a sugar source, such as corn or beets. Despite its misleading name, it is vegan. It’s used as a hardener in soap—which helps maintain detail in soap batter poured into my shaped molds, such as the flowers and owls—and it’s also used as a humectant in leave-on products.
SLSa is an organic salt and foaming agent derived from coconut oil; it conforms to Ecocert’s natural and organic cosmetic standard and is 100% of natural origin. This fine white powder is excellent for blending into bath truffles for super foam. SLSa does not cause the skin irritation that sulfates may, such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). SLS is a foaming agent often found not only in cosmetics, but in industrial cleaning products and laundry detergents. Simplí does not use SLS whatsoever.
Derived from castor oil, zinc ricinoleate acts like an odor magnet by trapping and neutralizing odor-causing molecules without clogging pores or disrupting your skin’s natural pH. Zinc ricinoleate provides powerful, non-irritating odor control that works gently alongside your skin’s natural microbiome.
DISCLAIMER: Regulations set forth by the FDA prohibit bath and body companies from making health-related claims about their products. Thus: Simplí Artisan makes no medical claims for any of its products. This information is a culmination of research from many reputable sources providing information on the tested properties of specific ingredients so that you [the consumer] can make your own decision as to whether you’d like to incorporate it into your skincare routine.