Master Soapmaking Since 2023 

Multi-Award Winning Artisan Soaps & Eco-Friendly Bathing Accessories

 

 Five of the best Christmas gifts made in Scotland. - Nov, '23 

The Times Scotland Newspaper
         

 Their exquisite array of products epitomise luxury and elegance. Each creation is crafted with meticulous attention to detail, showcasing not only stunning aesthetics but also spectacular scents that altogether transform a simple bathroom into a lavish sanctuary. The brand's prioritisation of utilising gentle, high-quality ingredients sets them apart in the industry, complemented by their relentless pursuit of excellence. 

Louise Jane CEO, The Vegan Choice Awards
         

 If The Dark Island Soap Co. hasn't crossed your path yet, you're in for a real treat! This brand is celebrated as one of the top vegan beauty companies, and it's easy to understand why. They offer a stunning variety of handcrafted products that are not only gorgeous but work wonders. It's clear they've mastered their art, producing items that are a feast for the senses, converting your skincare routine into a luxurious affair. That being so, they are without doubt a brand that has won my heart for the long haul! 

Louise Jane CEO, Vegan Beauty Awards
         
Fáilte!

The Man Behind the Business

The Dark Island Soap Co. was created in honour of my beloved late father, Donald MacLellan.
Dad hailed from Lochboisdale, South Uist, in the beautiful Outer Hebrides of Scotland, with “The Dark Island” being a place we would spend many a happy vacation when dad was visiting his home.
Unfortunately, he passed away on the 31st of August, 2022, from Vascular Dementia.

A business owner himself, he served his apprenticeship with Croall & Croall of Stockbridge, Edinburgh and became a Volkswagen Specialist, going on to own and run his successful motoring business in the sought-after area of Morningside, Edinburgh for over 50 years.

It is a privilege to dedicate this business to my father, and keep his memory alive.

Tapadh leat,
- Chiara MacLellan
Meet “Tag,” The Dark Island Soap Co.’s pup-shaped mascot! 
Tag is a very special boy, my late father grew up with a black lab on South Uist (called Tag!), and I couldn’t resist commemorating my father’s memory with this special little boy!
- Chiara
Heritage
The Dark Island Soap Co. are proud to celebrate their rich Hebridean heritage through traditionallly made handcrafted soaps.

Staying true to their seafaring roots, they capture the "essence" of the Isles perfectly in their Hebridean range of soaps and eco-friendly bathing accessories. Complimenting their handcrafted creations with ingredients such as Scottish seaweed, sea salt, sea moss and natural clays, with their exclusive essential oil blends that all add to a wonderfully luxurious bathing experience.  

“Away to the westward, I'm longing to be, where the beauties of heaven’ unfold by the sea. Where the sweet purple heather’ blooms fragrant and free, on a hilltop high above the Dark Island.”
Lyrics from the Dark Island - David Silver

 "Soap is amazing and beautifully presented. Chiara is so friendly. Would highly recommend this company, you will not be disappointed. Will be purchasing some more very soon." 

The Stirling Candle Company Verified Customer
         

 "I highly recommend the beautiful soaps that Chiara makes. The quality of the soaps are excellent. The way the soaps arrived in their gorgeous packaging, it was so beautifully wrapped I almost didn’t want to open them! Can’t wait to try out others in the range." 

Karen Ni Thighearnain Verified Customer
         

 "I would highly recommend, super fast delivery and beautifully presented. They are very reasonably priced for all natural products and they smell absolutely amazing. I can't wait to try them and will be letting my friends know and inviting them to this page. I will definitely be ordering again. Thank you Chiara!" 

Candice Bolton Verified Customer
         
Accredited Ethical Business
The Dark Island Soap Co. are proud to have recieved a score of 100% with the prestigious The Good Shopping Guide, and have been awarded the title of "Ethical Innovator."
Established 25 years ago, The Good Shopping Guide is very well established as a leading independent authority on the ethical comparisons of companies and brands.
Gold Plastic Free Business Award Winners!
We are extremely proud to announce that we have won Gold status as a Plastic Free Champion business by Surfers Against Sewage.

What does this mean? By working with Surfers Against Sewage, we have now completely eliminated the use of plastic in our business.
Since July 2023, through every order placed through our website, we have planted over 1,500 trees globally through Tree Nation.

We are proud to run a registered Net Zero website, which sees all of the traffic which passes through it off-set harmful CO2 emissions by planting more trees!
“Blessed is he who plants trees under whose shade he will never sit.” - Indian Proverb
Natural is Always Best
Being a mother to two young daughters, The Dark Island Soap Co.'s creator, Chiara, uses only her owns soaps on her girls, knowing that natural is always best, especially where children are involved.
Their soaps are safe to use on young children, and, adhereing to UK guidelines, from 3 years of age and over. 

Their "Bare Naked” soap is specially formulated to be used from birth.
Member of the Guild of Craft Soap & Toiletry Makers

A proud member of the Guild of Craft Soap & Toiletry Makers, a peer support network for all compliant artisanal crafters in the soap and toiletry industry. When you see this sign for a business that makes soap and toiletries, you know they have been checked to comply with all UK and EU legislations regarding insurance, product safety checks (including CPSR reports), and being a valid, registered business.

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Proud Member of The Professional Crafters Guild

Since January 2024, The Dark Island Soap Co. have been a member of The Professional Crafters Guild.

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Soap Basics
At The Dark Island Soap Co. we create our cold process soaps through an exclusive and super-effective natural plant-based recipe. Each soap is made from at least 90% certified organic ingredients, and is free from SLS, palm oil, parabens and synthetics. Cruelty free, with most of our bars being vegan friendly. Our soaps are meticulously handcrafted to perfection to bring you an indulgent aromatherapy experience each time you bathe. 

Why not compliment your handcrafted soap with an eco-friendly item from our vast range of bathing accessories!
Our Assurance to You

Our Assurance to You

The Dark Island Soap Co. are a registered UK business, complying to all UK and EU legislations, holding full CPSR (toxicology) reports for all of our products, and we are fully insured. Complying with the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) guidelines, and holding full PIF (Product Information File) reports. All of our products are logged on to the Government's CPNP (Cosmetic Product Notification Portal) portal for Trading Standards and market surveillance, which is a legal requirement before selling skincare products on the UK market.

Chiara MacLellan

Soap Alchemist (& Owner of The Dark Island Soap Co.), Herbologist and Certified Usui Reiki Healer

Meet the creator and owner of The Dark Island Soap Co. Chiara, half Hebridean and half Irish, originally from Craiglockhart, Edinburgh, where she was born and raised. She now resides in the beautiful Stirlingshire countryside with her young family, where she has been a full-time self-taught soap maker since 2022. At the end of 2022, Chiara studied for and completed a business diploma in soap making, learning about the importance of creating cold process soap safely, making her first cold process soap in December, 2022. Along with being a traditional soap maker, Chiara is also a herbologist and creates wonderful herbal and botanically infused soaps. In the autumn of 2022, after the loss of her father, Chiara, a natural healer, studied Reiki therapy. She is now a certified Usui Reiki (level 2) practitioner, with a Shamanic Energy Healing and Crystal Healing diploma, who is now training to become a Reiki Master Healer (level 3).

Traditional Soapmaking

Here at The Dark Island Soap Co. we make our cold process soaps from a base recipe of certified organic natural oils and raw, unrefined organic shea butter. Cold process soap making is the original, traditional method of making soap by combining fat or oil (animal or plant based) with sodium hydroxide (lye), then blending in an addition of essential oils, fragrance oils, and/or colourants as required. This treatment causes a chemical reaction called saponification which takes up to 48 hours, and the final stage of "curing" (which hardens the bar) takes between 4-6 weeks.

Supporting Charities in the Western Isles

The Dark Island Soap Co. are proud to support charities in Uist, where often they are overlooked being so remote. So far, they have donated their products in Uist to Parkinson's Disease, Mental Health Awareness, and for Carers on South Uist who do a wonderful and selfless job every day. If you are a registered charity in Uist, please get in touch! At info@thedarkislandsoapco.com

Strùan Tea for Parkinson's

Fundraising in Uist to support the work of Parkinson's UK in Scotland.

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The Beacon: Supporting Mental Health in Uist

The Beacon is a mental health support group which is working towards becoming a non-profit charity. It is run by a team of local volunteers who have lived experiences of mental health.

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Western Isles Community Care Forum

Western Isles Community Care Forum SCIO (SC023918), established in 1992 as a forum which represent the interests of carers and users of voluntary care services throughout the Western Isles.

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A Tree Planted for Every Order!

For every order that passes through our website, we plant a tree somewhere on the globe. For wholesale orders, we plant 10 trees! Striving to do more for the planet as a business.

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Proudly a Net Zero Website

Being a net zero website means that for all the traffic that passes through our website, more trees are planted throughout the globe with Tree Nation, off-setting the carbon emissions made.

Reduce~Reuse~Recycle

At The Dark Island Soap Co. we prioritise reusing and recycling. We use packaging that arrives from stock orders to break down and use as protective padding for your orders, and to also use as secondary "safety boxes" to house your main order boxes in. If we ever receive plastic, you may see it in with your order (as bubble wrap to take an example), as we would rather reuse this harmful material (hoping that you will, too!) than just discard it straight to a landfill.

Plastic Free Communities; Surfers Against Sewage

The Dark Island Soap Co. are proud members of the Plastic Free Communities; Surfers Against Sewage, showing our dedication to being a plastic free and eco-friendly business.

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  • Registered Office Address: The Dark Island Soap Co. LTD, 272 Bath Street, Glasgow, Scotland, G2 4JR
  • Company Registration No. SC756943

Disclaimer: The information is provided by The Dark Island Soap Co. LTD. We endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct. We make no medical claims, representations or warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, of the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability.