# Acceptable or not?



## jdranch (Jan 31, 2010)

I am a goat milk soap addict. I have tried several different goat milk soaps from various sellers, have a few books, and took a soap making class. I have one favorite soap that stands out above all the soaps I have tried. The maker/ seller lives very very far away (almost on the other side of the USA). I think she does local shows and has an Etsy shop. Would it be considered rude to ask her to sell her recipe to me? I would agree not to have an etsy shop or ever sell in her state or the surrounding states. How much would you offer to pay her for her recipe?

I kind of aspire to make/ sell soap. I am not now (and don't have plans to do so in the near future) but would want to keep that an option- so I don't want to agree never to sell soap using her recipe.

Thanks for any replies


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## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

Rude? yes, in my opinion Expensive? yes 
It takes a long time to develop a formula. I have worked for several years to perfect the ones that I use. Would I sell it? Not unless I was quitting the soap business forever.
Depends on her business but I would think it would be in the thousands for a formula. Many thousands. It probably cost me $5000 in materials to come up with what I liked the best. 

If you have not spent many hours tweaking a formula to get the perfect soap, then you may not understand what you are asking of someone.


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## jimandpj (Mar 11, 2008)

I would find that very rude, and would never trust anyone who offered to buy my recipe and not sell it. Not saying at all that you are untrustworthy, that would just be my reaction to a request like that. Especially in today's climate of frequent spam and scams.

I personally would be tempted around $40,000 with a lawyer drawn up contract. Anything less than that and the headache wouldn't be worth it to me. But who knows what that lady is thinking?

I would be shocked if she would sell it if she's making it all by hand and is invested in her business.

PJ


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## hsmomof4 (Oct 31, 2008)

Yeah, really not a good idea. Take some time and come up with your own recipe...it may not be exactly like that one, but you'll be able to come up with sometihng that you like, I'm sure.


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## jdranch (Jan 31, 2010)

Thank ya'll for your replies.


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## Sondra (Oct 25, 2007)

Jay this is my opinion. 
If this person was a very good friend then you could ask her to help you make soap and help you tweak your recipe to make it more soothing/creamy/suddsy etc but NO not her recipe.
Even Vicki won't give me her recipe but will help me with mine.


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## Caprine Beings (Sep 19, 2008)

:yeahthat I agree with all of the above. I have recipes that I am still working on and have spent alot of time and energy on besides money. The thought that goes into a batch may seem slight to those who haven't made soap yet but there is a science. And a purpose. Not all batches are made from the same recipe. Not all recipes deliver what a customer is looking for. So it would be rude to ask to buy someones recipe, especially if it isn't on the market.
I say get your hands into it and get to work :biggrin. Once you start its very addicting. The science becomes fun and soon you have your own recipe that folks want to keep coming back to buy . Tam


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

So post her label ingredients and let us help you break the code. If her label isn't fake, it's not that hard. It is so much personal preference, I prefer a recipe that is about 40% hard oils and butters, and 60% softer oils....others much more softer oils and much less if any butters, just harder oils. 

Also (shocker) I am of the school, all anyone can say to you is "NO" so why not ask? Privacy agreements abound in soapers, even in those I sell unwrapped bars to, this way two folks don't show up at the same market with my soap wrapped in their label 

Have you purchased a bar of the Walmart recipe on this forum? Even with soap calculator there isn't very many ways to skin a cat that is more moisturizing, bubbly, cream lather than that recipe....now can you resell lard? Because when you take out the qualities of that animal fat and try to replace it with simply oils or butters, it's just not the same. High percentage lard recipes are really some of the very best soap, as is a very well cured bar of olive/coconut oil. Vicki


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## jimandpj (Mar 11, 2008)

The reason I put such a high dollar price on mine was liability reasons - I wouldn't want to sell my recipe to someone, have them make a bad batch of soap, get sued and then turnaround and blame me and my recipe. There is a whole lot of stupid out in the world today. 

But this lady may not even carry liability insurance herself and not care about that. 

PJ


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Na PJ mine is simply and plainly that I spent so much time without anyone helping me period, I had to move my original recipe (walmart) to no lard. There are very few things secret in my life but I have to keep part of my soap company that way. Some of my stores I have privacy agreements not only in not advertising who I sell to (which I always thought as kind of weird because my soap in their stores has my contact info on it) but the initial of not selling within 50 miles of their store...but recipes and a few of my scents now..guess. Why folks have no idea how lucky they are Barb shares her lotion recipe! Vicki


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## jdranch (Jan 31, 2010)

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> So post her label ingredients and let us help you break the code. If her label isn't fake, it's not that hard. It is so much personal preference, I prefer a recipe that is about 40% hard oils and butters, and 60% softer oils....others much more softer oils and much less if any butters, just harder oils.
> 
> Vicki


Here is her ingredient info-
Ingredients: Goat Milk, Olive Oil, Coconut oil, Palm Oil, Sodium Hydroxide, Cocoa Butter, Peppermint Essential Oil, Baking Cocoa.

Oh- I just love her soap! I buy so much (for personal use) she gave me a discount on my last order. 

Thank you so much for your suggestion- I am looking forward to replies.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Well I won't be guessing I don't use Palm. Vicki


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## mill-valley (Feb 22, 2008)

It's not hard to come up with good goat milk soap...the secret is goat milk . In my opinion anyway. I have tried several different recipes and "I" can't tell a whole lot of difference. And like the others said, it's all personal preference. Once you get into it you may find you like your own concoctions better.

So, I would not ask for the recipe. On the other hand....I wouldn't be offended if someone asked me but I'd probably say no and hand them the Walmart recipe.


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## Guest (Apr 2, 2010)

Here you go, try this one with her ingred..

50 percent Olive oil
25 percent Coconut oil
20 percent Palm oil
5 percent cocoa butter..
bascially you just need to enter this into a soap calcuator to see how much milk and lye... or I can do it for you if you would like....
This one is high end moisturizing, hard bar, stable lather... '
Barbara


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## jdranch (Jan 31, 2010)

MRFBarbara said:


> Here you go, try this one with her ingred..
> 
> 50 percent Olive oil
> 25 percent Coconut oil
> ...


Thank you so much Barbara!


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