100% Natural, Vegan and Cruelty-Free: What's Actually in Our Soap

"Natural," "vegan" and "cruelty-free" are three of the most overused words in cosmetics. They're also three words we take seriously enough to explain properly, rather than just print on a label.

What "100% Natural" Means for Our Soap

Our soaps are made with naturally derived ingredients and are free from PFAS, triclosan, sulphates (SLS, SLES, ALS) and parabens — the synthetic chemicals most associated with mass-produced, "supermarket" style soap. We're not certified organic, and we're upfront about that, but every bar is built around a short list of naturally derived oils and essential oils rather than a long list of lab-made fillers.

Take our Sandalwood & Pine Needle bar as an example. The ingredients list reads: sodium olivate, sodium cocoate, glycerin, aqua, sodium castorate, bentonite, pine needle oil, sandalwood bark oil, and limonene (a naturally occurring compound found in citrus and pine oils). That's it. No 30-ingredient chemical cocktail, just oils turned into soap the traditional way.

Are Getting Clean Soaps Vegan?

Yes. We haven't paid for a formal vegan certification yet, but we check our suppliers' ingredients and manufacturing processes carefully to make sure no animal products or animal-derived ingredients are used. Our short ingredients lists make that easier to verify than it would be for a product with dozens of components.

Do You Test on Animals?

No — never. Our products are cruelty-free and responsibly made, full stop.

Why This Matters More Than a Marketing Line

For us, "natural," "vegan" and "cruelty-free" aren't just words that sell soap — they're consistent with the whole ethos behind Getting Clean. We're a soap business built by people with lived experience of addiction, and part of that ethos is being conscious of what you put into your body and your environment, not just what you put into your veins or your glass. Cutting harmful, unnecessary chemicals out of a bar of soap is a small version of the same principle that drives our recovery mission.

Sensitive Skin and Allergies

A short, natural ingredients list is also good news if you have sensitive skin — though we'd always recommend checking the specific ingredients or speaking to a professional if you have known allergies, since "natural" doesn't automatically mean "irritant-free" for every skin type. We cover this in more detail in our guide to soap for sensitive skin.

Every bar we sell — from Lavender & Ylang Ylang to Orange & Patchouli — is made this way: naturally derived, vegan, cruelty-free, and cold-processed by hand in Leeds. You can browse the full range in our shop.