Welcome to Artifact Soapworks. All soaps are made in small batches from 100% vegetable oils. Black woman owned.
09/20/2025
Join me for Cambridge Open Studios at:
The Cambridge Foundry
101 Rogers St.
Cambridge, MA
Noon to 6 p.m. each day
Free admission
CambridgeArtsCouncil.org/OpenStudios
Cambridge Arts Open Studios is a city-wide event that celebrates the creativity that is Cambridge. Shop for paintings, prints, clothing, ceramics, and all sorts of locally-made creations by more than 70 artists when you visit their studios and in group exhibitions in Common Venues throughout the city.
06/28/2025
FREE EVENT - Neighborhood Storefronts Project Small Business Marketplace
🔥Shop from more than a dozen local vendors
🔥Free wine tastings from Marzae Wine
🔥Hands-on arts and crafts activities for children
🔥Seed giveaway & potting
🔥Help shape the future design of 1175 Cambridge Street
Date: Saturday & Sunday, June 28-29, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM- 5:00 PM
Location: 1175 Cambridge St. Cambridge, MA
Come Shop This Weekend at the Cambridge Small Business Pop-up Marketplace (Free Event 6/28 & 29)
FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY! Sat. June 28th & Sun June 29th, 2025 11am - 5pm
03/27/2025
And the article from The Harvard Crimson
The Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts recently recognized a Cambridge Black-owned business as one of the most environmentally conscious small businesses in the state.
03/27/2025
Check out the BayState Banner article featuring my company.
Inspired by a project for one of her integrated chemical engineering courses at MIT during her senior year, Barbara A. Thomas decided to take on soapmaking. She gave handcrafted soap to her family during Christmas. They loved her soap so much that they began to share it with other family members and...
03/21/2025
With Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉
02/26/2025
Announcing one of the SBN 2024 award winners 🏆🏆🏆
Barbara, a Chemical Engineer, began making soap after realizing most commercial "soaps" are detergents, not the real thing. She wanted to create a luxurious, ethical alternative. Her soapmaking is a commitment to local sourcing, organic and biodegradable ingredients, minimal environmental impact, and fair trade. Her 100% vegetable-based, cruelty-free soaps offer a luxurious daily ritual, encouraging consumers to choose real soap for a more indulgent experience.
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When I told friends I was making soap, they arched an eyebrow and asked me if I realized that I could buy soap at the supermarket. But as a Chemical Engineer, what would you have me do as a hobby, refine used motor oil?
By the way, what soap are you currently using? Chances are that it isn't soap at all, but a detergent, filled with things you can't pronounce. Check the label. It may say "body bar", "cleansing bar", or "beauty bar", but if it doesn't say "soap", it's probably detergent! Detergent bars will get you clean, no doubt about it, if clean is all you crave. But can you tell the difference between a love letter and junk mail? Between a Monet and those dogs playing poker? For those of you who are serious about bathing (and you know who you are), it's not enough for soap just to clean you and leave your skin soft. It has to be an indulgence that elevates the daily routine a little.
Making soap by hand allows the soapmaker the freedom to carefully select a blend of oils based on the characteristics each one will contribute. I use lots of olive oil for gentleness, coconut oil for fluffy lather and palm oil for a hard bar. I also use other oils for conditioning such as shea butter, mango butter and sweet almond oil.
In addition, the process used to handcraft soap naturally produces glycerin, a wonderful skin softener that is retained in the bars. Glycerin is wonderful for your skin, because it attracts and hold moisture to your skin. While all soapmaking processes produce glycerin, large manufacturers of “corporate soap” often extract the glycerin, then turn around and sell the glycerin to the cosmetics and lotion industry.
Q: Can I wash my face with it?
A: Yes and no. Don't use soap containing any "scrubbies" on the delicate skin of your face or neck. This includes additives like corn meal, pumice, loofah, or herbs. While these may make wonderful gardener's soaps for the hands, or great exfoliating scrubs for the rest of your body, you don't want to damage your tender facial skin!
Q: Will it last a long time?
A: Oh, the bane of soapcrafters everywhere! Often the number one compliment is about the scent. And the number one complaint...? That the soap doesn't last long enough! It all has to do with how you care for the soap. No, you don't have to treat it like a pampered pet, but do show it some respect! Don't leave it sitting in water, or let the shower constantly hit it. Handmade soap has no hardening chemicals to keep it from dissolving. Seem inconvenient? Well, maybe. But just think of all the chemicals you're not putting on your skin!
All soaps are 100% vegetable soaps, no animal products are ever used. They are tested only on my husband, and son.
