Today we’d like to introduce you to Anne Rossi.
Hi Anne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born in Paris (France) I have French Letters, Design and Law backgrounds… we are far away from soap making you would think and you’re totally right. To make it short, the word that describes myself the best is Creativity. First, visual creativity: Photographing, drawing, painting; Second, manual creativity: Cooking. I love to work with my bare hands on raw materials or ingredients. To touch, knead, mix and create something aesthetic, something real good or something simple but each time unique.
I arrived five years ago in Austin. At that time I was painting (Acrylics and watercolors) and also experimenting new media such as resin or alcohol inks (yoyopong.com). Then, two years ago, the Coronavirus hit the world and modified people’s everyday life. Then I remember my mother, who was a kid during WW2, telling me that my grandfather, who was a chemist and used to make soaps for the family during these terrible years. Soap, cleaning, purifying, disinfecting… that’s how this idea of making soap came to my mind,
I choose Marseille soap because it’s so familiar to me (each French family has one!). I started my research (I was looking for the most authentic recipe) and learned a lot from 17th-century old books related to Marseille soap history. In the meantime, I’ve also discovered that Marseille soap turned to be a best seller in France since the beginning of Sars-CoV-2 because of its antiseptic properties. Then, I knew my idea was right.
I choose to make my own interpretation of Marseille soap adding colors and natural fragrances. That’s how The Soap Designer started at the beginning of 2021.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
First, a smooth one. I’m curious and I am used to make researches due to my professional background. I started to look for old French books related to general soap making and Marseille soap making. It has been easy to find some (Thanks to Internet). I limited my research to the 17th century (creation of the first Marseille soaps).
Second, on the ground or the hard part: How to make it taking into account my limits in terms of space? How to find the right materials, ingredients, dosage, cooking time, curing time, stamps, etc. Between 17th-century books and 2021 reality, there is a huge gap… and that’s the beauty of it: Here is when the creativity is stepping in! It took me months and months of testing to achieve my current products. Imagine: I have created 14 versions of Marseille soaps… for now!
The Soap Designer is my first business, meaning paperwork, etcetera: you have to think about everything from the logo, the packaging to the size and shape of the shipping boxes. Ultimately, I love that. This is a very exciting challenge that makes me feel alive and vibrant.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
The Soap Designer is the manifestation of what defines me the best: Creativity.
The base idea is to develop a new approach of the everyday soap you are using to a stylized object. To improve the utilitarian aspect to a pretty object you like to hold in your hand, to look at, to smell. You can use it or you can display it anywhere in your house: Designed soaps.
I started with the iconic Marseille soap that I revamp (sizes, colors, fragrances). It is currently my flagship product and I am the only one to locally make some in Austin, in Texas and probably in the entire country!
I am currently working to extend it to a line of simple beauty products: Hand cream, Face cream and Body butter, and candles. I first started making them for myself because I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the quality of what is on the market: There are a lot of marketing traps but it is easy to debunk them: Just read the ingredients list!
The value of this line is the 100% organic, made with a high-grade raw natural materials range. Applying something on your skin has consequences with time. We are surrounded with toxic substances so I wanted something I can use with a real pleasure, knowing it is safe for me. When working with organic raw ingredients you are manually combining something that is alive in a way. The final product is powerful, nutritive, healthy and it’s a sort of ritual to use it every day. It is my special moment, a woman’s moment that means you are unique and that you are taking care of you.
I am also working on something totally different that I have named The Gem Soap Collection: They are transparent colored pieces of glycerin soap that I hand cut and transform into precious gems. The collection has 6 colors for now (Pink, Transparent, Black, Brown, Green and Blue), each of them representing a specific gem. They are real pieces of beauty and, on the practical side, are very hydrating for the skin.
All my products are available on my website and you can find some of them to Fresh Plus (Anderson Lane), Tiny Grocer (SoCo), Prima Dora (SoCo), Blue Elephant Boutique, TheArtisanGiftboxes.com, The Beauty Store Salon & Spa (non-exhaustive list).
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I think Instagram is a great tool to find local market places in your category. Do not hesitate to spontaneously push the door of the shop you like and introduce yourself and your products.
Scan the Meetup groups to see if you can find something useful and meet and talk to people like you: Share your experiences, it is priceless.
Be proactive and persistent. Never, never give up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thesoapdesigner.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesoapdesigner/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesoapdesigner.tx
Image Credits
Copyright: The Soap Designer 2022
