Who is behind "Peau Douce Factory" ?
Behind Peau Douce Factory there's Leslie, the soap-maker, who started this crazy adventure because the composition of industrial soaps didn't suit her at all : endocrine disruptors, chemicals... She started out as a self-taught artist, then took the "Creating a 100% natural, organic and ecological cosmetics business based on wild or cultivated plants" course with the Autours des Plantes Association. But she also has Romain, her partner, who is in charge of graphics and e-commerce for Peau Douce Factory.
As well as the beauty of these handmade soaps from Toulouges in the Pyrénées-Orientales, Leslie has a mini botanical garden where she harvests the ingredients for her soaps. She gives priority to organic and local ingredients, offering high quality soaps that reduce their environmental impact through their composition and the short supply chain involved in their production. For the Christmas season, the company offers gift boxes of soaps for your loved ones. All at very reasonable prices !
My opinion of the products tested
1) Body soaps
I really loved all her soaps. I replaced my shower gel with a solid soap at the same time as switching to solid shampoo. I found it really annoying that all the soaps I tested disintegrated very quickly : very quickly, I had a big "paste" of soap, which made it very difficult to apply (as well as being wasteful). When I discovered Leslie's soaps, and after a lot of washing, I noticed that it stayed very solid : that's a huge positive point ! As I have very sensitive skin, I find them even more moisturising than those I've tried in the past, because my skin is even softer. They lather up very quickly and all have a very subtle scent.
2) L'Attachant" stain-removing soap
Only for stain removal or washing, this soap is not suitable for skin or surfaces other than textiles. It is also cold saponified, so you can gently wash yoga mats (or other sports mats) without damaging them, and with a subtle Palmarosa fragrance. The Montmorillonite of which the soap is made is a strong natural stain remover, ideal for pre-soaking before washing or for stain removal and hand washing. Like the other soap, it also has little flowers to decorate it (which makes it particularly beautiful, by the way). I was able to test this soap both for its washing power on my yoga mat, but also for its stain-removing power. Here's my detailed opinion :
Washing power
It cleans complex surfaces such as yoga mats properly. It's very easy to use (everything is noted on the label), lathers quickly (without foaming too much either). I wasn't able to notice the Palmarosa scent, as the smell of the new mat totally overpowered any other smell. I'll update this article when my carpet no longer smells and I rewash it with this soap.
Stain-removing power
I had the wipe from my mop to wash, which was the ideal way to test the stain-removing power of this soap ! You have to leave it for 15 minutes for the Montmorillonite to work. I must admit I was sceptical at first, especially when I saw the state of my wipe, but I was pleasantly surprised to see the bright white shine come out when I rinsed it. It's as good as new, just with 3 strokes of this soap ! You don't even need to put it in the washing machine, which is great when that's all you have to wash.
3) Lip balm
The new addition to Leslie's boutique, I had the chance to try it out in the middle of winter and I can wholeheartedly recommend it ! A lot of lip balms didn't work on me, they were soothing in the moment but they didn't have any long-term moisturising power. Peau Douce Factory's lip balm really works from the very first application !
Where can you follow Peau Douce Factory ?
His Facebook page : www.facebook.com/PeauDouceFactory
His Instagram account : www.instagram.com/peau_douce_factory/
His website : www.peaudoucefactory.com