aliya hutchison of soap cult australia in studio

Our Story

We began (in 2010, then under the name Sailor Mouth Soaps) with the mission to banish boring bath time. Not much has changed since then. We still think mass-produced soap is boring AF and dries out your skin. Most of my life, I thought I was allergic to soap. That was until I tried a a bar of handmade soap. We're constantly hearing that same feedback from our customers...maybe you've had the same problems in the past?
When we first began, being a vegan brand in Australia was unique and quite hard to accomplish. Thankfully these days most suppliers are offering vegan friendly alternatives to animal products so many new businesses can began their cruelty-free cosmetics journey easily - as it should be!
 
aliya hutchison of soap cult australia

About the Cult Leader

 Hi! I'm Aliya (pronounced A-Lee-Ya); an Australian soap artist and the owner and creator of Soap Cult Australia.

How it all began 

I first began making soap in 2009 after breaking my leg in a roller derby accident.

Once I was back on my feet, I headed to my local library, eager to do some gardening after being cooped up inside for six weeks. As luck would have it, a book on soap making had been misfiled in the exact place my gardening book should have been. I took that as a sign (I'm very openly woo-woo) and I haven't looked back since.

Why I LOVE what I do

What I love most about soap making as an artistic process is the melding of function and art. I'm a practical person at heart but aesthetics and sensuality are also hugely important to me. How a soap looks, feels, smells, lathers...it's all part of the experience. 

We've been a secret cult since the beginning

Soap Cult handcrafts each bar of soap to look beautiful and perform well. In fact many of my customers tell me that sometimes they keep a favourite soap on display for, get this, YEARS before they use it because they love how it looks and smells. I'm flattered of course but life's too short - use the good soap!

Inspiration

My inspiration typically comes from art, music, mythology, the occult, witchcraft, cults and secret societies, true crime, baking, floristry, herbalism and spooky things like ghost stories, aliens and horror movies.

Me, in a nutshell

I live in the outskirts of Brisbane with my partner in crime of over 14 years. I'm a mother to one talkative preschooler and a screechy Parrot. In my down time, I love listening to true crime and handmade business podcasts, both indoor and outdoor gardening, watching horror and thriller movies and rocking out to old school goth, punk and industrial/electronic music. Plus; a lot of my guilty pleasure, Snow Patrol. How very non-spooky of me. Hah! 

Ps

I refer to "we" a lot throughout this website. When I say "we" it's as in the royal we. Which is apparently called "noism" because I'm not a monarch (so you say, family tree). On a day to day basis, it's just me doing everything. Except for the branding and design. That's all Laura from Obscurio & Co.

 

aliya hutchison of soap cult australia standing in front of green wall

Press

Want to feature me?

I love sharing my knowledge and all things soap and business. Get in touch to feature me in your article or podcast.

View Press