KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 — Soaperlicious MY’s Mohamad Yazid Abu Hassan (Yazid) is a Jack of all trades and yes, a master of all of them.
He holds a full-time banking job while working as a wedding planner, florist, baker and soap maker. “I’m a banker by profession while baking and being a florist is part-time. But I felt like I needed something more to fulfil my need to do artsy things... so I thought, why not make soap?”
The inspiration for soap making was born after a trip to Europe where he discovered many handmade soap stalls and the brand LUSH.
The vegan, organic and cruelty-free body products company is popular for its colourful and quirky-looking items that caught Yazid’s eye. As the LUSH brand is unavailable here, Yazid was inspired to create something similar.
He adds, “My dream is to be as good as LUSH but in my own way.”
Once he returned from Europe, he googled soap-making classes and found a place in Puchong. Once he learnt the basics, he started to experiment on his own as he found the process similar to baking.
“My experience as a baker helps a lot. Not to brag but I only took one day to master everything soap-related,” he said.
Rather than your ho-hum bar soap, Yazid’s soaps resemble “marble cakes” with colourful swirls that look good enough to eat. There are even cupcake-shaped soaps that are perfect as party favours.
“I thought the soaps in the market are so boring! They have the same designs and organic colours so why not do something that really stands out.” He also adds ingredients like lemon and dried flowers to make the soaps look pretty.
“I use flowers and essential oils, all that is organic. No animal testing, no chemicals, no SLS, no parabens... these are purely organic.” Poppy seeds are also used in some of his soaps as a scrubbing agent.
Yazid’s soaps are made using the cold press method. He uses a mix of nourishing oils like coconut, olive, palm and rice bran combined with lye to make the soaps. “For it to have lather and be soapy, you use oil,” Yazid revealed.
He explained that palm oil and coconut oil produce more lather in the soaps which he prefers to set in baking tins.
“I want my soaps to be tall and big... that’s why I use a bread loaf mould. It fits in your hand nicely.”
He will cut each batch into 11 slices, keeping the eleventh one for himself. After it is cut, it is left for one month to cure. As there are only 10 slices of soap to sell each time, Soaperlicious MY’s soaps are incredibly limited.
The ingredients for his soaps are usually sourced online or from a local organic soap making supplier. Yazid prefers to use cold pressed essential oils which is good for the skin and longer lasting. For the various colours in his soap, he uses powdered mica, a type of mineral.
He prefers to group his soaps into collections, like his Asian Flavours collection where he used coconut and pandan aromas. “My inspiration comes from everywhere,” he said.
It could be a travel souvenir, like a pine-themed soap inspired by a real pine cone from Turkey. Even a visit by a friend to the famed Black Stone Beach in Kuantan can influence Yazid to make a grey-coloured soap to depict the rocks, colours and sand from the beach.
Food and drinks are also an influence. For instance, Yazid once ate a dish with aniseed (jintan manis) at the mamak stall so he made a soap based on that flavour.
Another time, he had a delicious lemon tart that inspired him to make a lemon soap the next day. Even the ubiquitous Malaysian ais batu campur (ABC) was a source of inspiration.
Yazid adds, “When I eat ABC, it gives me the inspiration to make a soap that reminds me of ABC. As you can see the cubes are like agar-agar, right? So I thought this looks good.”
The soaps can be used for normal as well as sensitive skin. A few of his customers who suffered acne problems claim the soap helped them. Yazid explained that he can tweak the recipe of his soaps to suit different skin types. One of his regulars healed her cracked heels just by using his soaps.
Soaperlicious MY’s latest venture is sugar-based body scrubs. The first is their Rose and Lemon scrub which is made with lemon and rose geranium pure essential oils together with coconut oil and olive oil.
Currently in the R&D stage are whip scrubs that have a similar texture to whipped cream. “I blend it until it is foamy and fluffy, then I bottle it,” said Yazid. There are also plans to introduce Himalayan sea salt scrubs.
Soaperlicious MY’s business is purely marketed via Instagram and through word of mouth. His cupcake shaped soaps are hot sellers especially for wedding door gifts. If you are looking for something special, the #SoapFleurBox with its combination of handmade soaps and a floral arrangement is ideal.
Since Yazid started Soaperlicious MY this January, he has been invited to host soap making as well as floral arrangements workshops. For soap making workshops, he charges RM250 to RM280 for half a day.
The next thing to look forward to from Soaperlicious MY are bath bombs, as requested by his customers. Inspired by LUSH’s bath bombs, these are usually a mix of baking soda, citric acid, essential oils and colouring.
Shaped like “bombs”, they fizz when they touch water and make bath time a fun experience.
Soaperlicious MY’s prices range from RM15 for a bar of soap to RM480 for the largest #SoapFleurBox. The scrubs are RM30 for a small jar while the bigger jar goes for RM55. If you order in bulk, it is cheaper.
Soaperlicious MY
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