Why Australian ingredients matter to me

One of the things I’m most proud of, running The Australian Natural Soap Company, is that I get to work with Australian ingredients and Australian producers.

Not because it sounds good on a label.

Not because it’s trendy.

But because it genuinely matters to me.

We live in a country that produces extraordinary raw materials — plants, oils, clays — ingredients that are not only beautiful, but deeply practical. They work. They make sense. They belong here.

And yet, when you look at what fills most bathroom shelves across Australia, so much of it is made with ingredients shipped halfway around the world.

I understand why — but I don’t love it

I understand the economics.

Palm oil is cheap.

Artificial fragrances are cheap.

Mass production, done at scale overseas, is cheap.

That’s the reality of modern manufacturing. I’m not naïve about it.

But cheap has never really sat well with me — especially when it comes at the cost of local producers, environmental damage, and ingredients that are chosen because they’re convenient rather than because they’re good.

Australia grows incredible ingredients

There’s something about Australian ingredients that feels quietly confident.

Lemon Myrtle that smells unmistakably clean — sharp, fresh, alive.

Eucalyptus that feels familiar in a way you can’t quite explain.

Lavender grown in Tasmania, not ordered from a catalogue.

Clays pulled from Australian soil, not imported as an afterthought.

These ingredients don’t need overcomplicating. They don’t need heavy fragrance or clever marketing. They stand on their own.

And when you work closely with them — really work with them — you realise how little you need to add.

Choosing Australian isn’t always the easy option

Using Australian ingredients isn’t the simplest path.

It takes longer.

It costs more.

Supply can be unpredictable.

You’re working with seasons, weather, harvests, real people.

But it also means knowing where things come from. It means supporting growers and producers here at home. And it means creating products that actually reflect the place we live — not just copying what’s cheap or available elsewhere.

For me, that trade-off is worth it. Every time.

Why this matters now

I didn’t want The Australian Favourites Edit to just be another promotion or another “sale moment”.

I wanted it to be a quiet reminder of what we already have here — and how good it can feel to choose products made from ingredients grown in this country, by people who care about them.

There’s a lot we can be proud of in Australia. Our ingredients are absolutely one of them.

And if choosing Australian-made soap is one small way to support that — then I’m glad to keep doing things the harder way, for the right reasons.

Soapy hugs,

Emma xx