Handcrafted Answers to Your Burning Questions
Do you actually make these by hand? And are they really vegan?Yes, every personal care and home item produced by Factory Hollow Apothecary is made by hand by the owner, Mari, in a home-based studio in western Massachusetts.
Each recipe has been painstakingly crafted by Mari, through research and trial and error. At the moment, it’s a one-woman show, though her husband and children are eager supporting characters.
And yes, absolutely, completely vegan! We never use any animal products in any of our products and, wherever possible, we buy from suppliers that explicitly state that they do not test on animals.
What goes into your soaps?Every item listing and product label has specific ingredients listed, but, at a high level, we use natural oils and butters. This typically includes olive oil, coconut oil, rice bran oil, castor oil, cocoa butter, or shea butter. In order to transform these oils into real soap, we use lye (sodium hydroxide), with a careful eye on safety and proper usage.
To make our signature artistic swirls and layers, we color our soaps with many different types of colorants — cosmetic grade micas, fruit or vegetable powders, and other colorants like titanium dioxide and activated charcoal.
Lastly, we scent each bar carefully with vegan, phthalate- and paraben-free fragrance oils and essential oils.
What do you mean by "ethically sourced"? We carefully vet ingredients and vendors with the goal of using supplies and buying from suppliers that are cruelty-free and don’t contribute to deforestation. This is no easy feat in today’s interconnected world and a very opaque supply chain.
As a teeny tiny small business, we know we have limited influence but we can — and do — “vote with our dollars.” We intentionally have omitted palm oil from our recipes given its deforestation and child and forced labor ties, including RSPO-certified palm, and we try very hard to buy other products — like cocoa or shea butters — from small businesses or those that assert fair labor and environmental practices.
What type of soap do you make? Cold process or melt and pour?We only make cold process soaps at Factory Hollow Apothecary — carefully crafting recipes with wholesome ingredients to add whimsy to your everyday.
Why does it take almost two months before your soaps are ready?Cold process soap is a little bit art, a lot of chemistry, and almost two months of waiting. Cold process soaps involves adding sodium hydroxide to fats in order to create real soap through a chemical reaction called saponification, and then a 4-6 week (or longer) cure time until they’re hard and ready for use. So soaps you may see me producing on Instagram may still need a month or more before they’re ready for customer use. Oh, the anticipation!
Do you sell wholesale?We’d love to! We’re currently in talks with local boutiques about wholesale or consignment options. Email us to share your shop details!
Do you sell only online or can I see/smell/touch them in person?We love meeting our customers in-person! In fall/winter 2026/2027, below are our in-person vending events. (Check back as more are added.)
Greenfield (MA) Farmers Market (Nov 7, Dec 5, Feb 13)
Providence Artisans Holiday Market (November 28, WaterFire Arts Center, Providence RI)
Yuletide Market (December 19, Whitinsville, MA)
Enchanted Dragonfly Festival (April 17, North Attleborough, MA)