Bay Rum Soap
with cocoa butter and essential oils of bay, orange and clove
Bay rum, a well-known face lotion of West Indian origin, is made from bay leaves, white rum, citrus oils, and spice oils. Our bay rum soap is scented with essential oils of bay, orange, and clove (very similar to the original bay rum, minus the rum) with cocoa butter added to moisturize and soften the skin. All of these ingredients are derived from trees. Bay oil is from the leaves of the West Indian Bay tree (Pimenta racemosa), an evergreen tree with fragrant leaves, flowers, bark, and berries. The Clove tree (Syzygium aromaticum) is a small tropical evergreen native to the Spice Islands of the East Indies. The tree's flower buds, which grow in clusters at the ends of branches, are harvested and dried before they open to produce what we know as cloves. The Sweet Orange tree (Citrus sinensis), derived from species of trees native to South East Asia, is the most widely grown citrus fruit in the world and is cultivated in the United States on vast plantations in California and Florida. Cocoa butter is pressed from the husks of the seeds contained within the pods of the Cocoa Tree (Theobroma cacao).

Scentual Soap I
with essential oils of rosewood, patchouli and lavender
Trees the source of some of our favorite fragrances. Rosewood and patchouli, which scent this bar, are tree-derived oils widely used in perfumery. Lavender, another oil used extensively by the perfume industry, has also been added. Rosewood (Aniba rosaeodora) is a tropical evergreen tree native to Greater Amazonia. While all parts of the tree are fragrant, the trunkwood is traditionally harvested and distilled for the oil. Brazil is now the only supplier of rosewood oil to the world market, which includes some of the finest perfumery houses. In gathering information about this oil, we learned that rosewood oil is not a sustainably produced forest product. The older, more accessible areas of the tropical forests which have been utilized by the rosewood oil industry are effectively devoid of mature trees and there is no significant natural regeneration. This, together with the general problem of tropical deforestation for other purposes (commercial logging is the single largest cause of rainforest destruction), has led to a loss of genetic diversity of Aniba. Until we can be sure that rosewood is sustainably harvested, we will not use rosewood oil in our soap. And we urge our customers to purchase only sustainably harvested forest products. The Rainforest Alliance provides information on responsible consumption of wood products and encourages practices that nurture our tropical forests.

Wake Up the Earth Soap
with essential oils of eucalyptus, peppermint and rosemary
This is a soap for awakening the senses and clearing the respiratory system, with essential oils of eucalyptus, peppermint, and rosemary. Eucalyptus oil is obtained by distilling the fresh leaves of several species of evergreen trees and shrubs in the genus Eucalyptus. Nearly all species are native to Australia and Tasmania. A number of varieties have been introduced to the United States, most notably California, where they are grown not only for oil but also shade, windbreaks, street trees, honey, and timber.

Forest Rejuvenation Soap
with castor oil, oats, honey and vanilla oleoresin
Rejuvenating not only to your skin, but also to New England's forests, since this is a forest tree-free soap (it does not contain any flowers, leaves, fruit, seeds, bark, or roots taken from forest trees). This bar contains oats and honey, which rejuvenate your skin through exfoliation and hydration. The oats are the exfoliator, gently rubbing away dead cells which accumulate on the surface of the skin and stimulating the production of new cells. Honey is an emollient which helps the skin maintain moisture.

Phloem Soap
with essential oils of rosemary and ginger and a touch of cayenne pepper extract
The phloem is the "circulatory system" of the tree, transporting nutrients throughout the plant. This bar contains plant extracts that stimulate the human circulatory system--rosemary and ginger essential oils and a touch of cayenne pepper extract.

Spice Tree Soap
with almond oil, castor oil and essential oils of cinnamon and clove
Trees are the source of some of our favorite spices. Cinnamon and clove, which scent this bar, are two fine examples. The spice we know as cinnamon comes from the inner bark of several species of the genus Cinnamomum, a member of the laurel family. The bark, and in some species, the flower buds as well, contain a high concentration of cinnamaldehyde, the compound that defines the taste of cinnamon. Cinnamon trees are native to Southeast Asia, China, Burma, and India, and most still grow there wild. Cloves are the unopened sun-dried flower buds of the Clove tree (Syzygium aromaticum). This soap makes an excellent shaving soap (the cinnamon oil lifts the hair for a close shave) but is by no means limited to such usage.

Here's an interesting bit of clove tree conservation history: The clove tree was brought to the brink of extinction by the Dutch, in an oft-repeated saga of greed and exploitation. The Dutch set out to control the clove trade in the 17th century by cutting down all clove trees except those on a single island. This single island was controlled by the Dutch and in this manner they managed to hold a monopoly on cloves for about 150 years. During this period, any unauthorized person caught growing or carrying cloves or seedlings could be put to death. Finally, the French smuggled seedling clove trees to Mauritius, an island east of Africa in the Indian Ocean, and by 1800, clove trees were being cultivated on a number of islands in the Indian Ocean and in the New World. Clove trees are now widely cultivated in Zanzibar, Pemba, and Madagascar, which is the source of clove oil.

Sensual Soap
with almond oil, castor oil and essential oils of ylang ylang, patchouli, clove and lavender
Trees are also the source of some of our favorite fragrances. Ylang ylang, patchouli, and clove, which scent this bar, are all tree-derived oils widely used in perfumes, soaps, and other cosmetics. Lavender, another oil used extensively in the perfume industry, has also been added. Ylang ylang is the common name for Cananga odorata, a large quick-growing, soft-wooded tree, native to the Pacific islands and tropical Asia. It is cultivated in many tropical countries for its large, greenish-yellow strongly scented flowers which yield the essential oil. The shoots and young leaves of the soft-wooded shrub Pogostemon patchouli yield patchouli essential oil. The shrub is native to the Philippines and the East Indies, but cultivated in India and Malaya. Patchouli is frequently used in soaps and cosmetics that are formulated to rejuvenate dry and "mature" skin. Aromatherapists consider patchouli an aphrodisiac based on the widely held belief that the scent stimulates the pituitary gland to release endorphins which promote euphoria and sensuality.

Juniper Soap
with with almond oil, castor oil and essential oils of juniper berry, lemon, orange and camphor
This bar contains only tree derived essential oils--juniper berry, camphor, lemon, and orange. The juniper berry and camphor oils lend medicinal qualities while the lemon and orange oils are added to create a pleasing fragrance. Common juniper, Juniperus communis, is a small tree or shrub native to much of North America and Eurasia and is said to have the widest distribution of any tree or shrub. The ripe freshly picked berries, which are relished by birds, squirrels, chipmunks and raccoons, are the source of juniper essential oil. Juniper berries have been used to treat a wide variety of ailments. Applied externally, juniper oil is commonly believed to relieve arthritis, rheumatism, and muscles aches. Camphor essential oil is derived from the macerated wood of a large evergreen tree of the laurel family called Cinnamomum camphora. It is native to China, Japan and Taiwan. It has become naturalized in Africa and the Mediterranean region and is grown as a shade tree in Florida and California. When applied to the skin in the low concentrations, camphor stimulates nerve endings, producing a mild pain at the skin surface that serves to mask deeper muscular pain.

Free the Trees Soap
with hemp oil, ground flaxseed, honey and benzoin absolute
are the world's main source of paper. Hemp, an annual herb with the scientific name Cannabis sativa, is being widely proclaimed as a more environmentally sound alternative to wood pulp. Hemp sustainably produces approximately four times more pulp per acre than trees. (To be precise, one acre of cannabis hemp, in annual rotation over a twenty year period would produce as much pulp as 4.1 acres of trees being cut down over the same 20 year period). Hemp can be planted and harvested every year. Trees take around 20 or 30 years before they can be harvested. Hemp is so prolific, that a timber baron, concerned that a rise in the popularity of hemp would drastically reduce the value of his vast timberlands, joined up with a group of influential men who wanted to make hemp illegal. It was banned in the United States in 1937. So much for hemp as a replacement for wood pulp. Soapmakers are more interested in hemp as a source of oil. This bar contains hemp seed oil for its moisturizing properties and flax seed meal for exfoliation.

New England Pine Soap
with castor oil and essential oils of spruce, pine and fir needle
Most conifers in New England belong to the pine family, including the three that lend their distinctive scent this soap--spruce, balsam fir, and pine. The essential oils are obtained by distillation of the needles and shoots, while the soft woods are widely used for construction and carpentry (fir and pine) and paper (spruce). Incidentally, spruce gum, which is made from red spruce, is sought after by soapmakers for its ability to inspire (while being chewed of course) fragrant soap formulas. Does anybody out there know where we might get a pack of spruce gum?

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