A Chennai-based beauty founder on blending aromatherapy with handcrafted soaps, insisting on ingredient integrity, and building a bath brand rooted in everyday rituals.
In a beauty market crowded with fast launches and louder claims, Chennai Soap Company has chosen a slower, more thoughtful route. Founded by Sharmeen Fatima, in Chennai, the brand centres on handcrafted soaps made with high-quality plant oils, botanicals, and pure essential oils—bringing an aromatherapy lens to daily bathing. In this month’s edit of Founder’s Speak, Sharmeen shares what truly sets her brand apart, how scent became a strategy rather than a trend, and the rituals she hopes people adopt long after the bar dissolves.
How does being based in Chennai influence your ingredients, scents, or the stories behind your products?
South Indian skincare culture uses ingredients like coconut oil, turmeric, sandalwood, and herbal extracts for cleansing and protection for as long as one can remember. This cultural backdrop influences Chennai Soap Company big time, to choose natural ingredients that suit your skin, your self-care practice, and adhere to the climate’s need- warm and humid for a city like Chennai. Some products also reflect local sensory memories, such as Chennai’s coastal character and lifestyles — the Coffee soap, Roja soap, and Malli lotion bar connect to the iconic South Indian coffee and flower culture.
What gap did you see in the market when you started Chennai Soap Company—and what problem were you personally trying to solve?
When I started Chennai Soap Company, I noticed that honesty and transparency were missing. I couldn’t find the skincare that I truly wanted to use. Products made by and for me, with ingredients I chose. Flowers, plants, and oils that must nourish and satisfy me. Something created in my own kitchen, with my own hands, safe for my skin and for others, too.
What gap did you see in the market when you started Chennai Soap Company—and what problem were you personally trying to solve?
As a process, I decide on the essential oils after I come up with the titles of my soaps. For instance, the Rose Aloevera soap- it had to smell like fresh roses. I want each bar to feel like trust and peace- our customers must know that the soaps are gentle and pure.
When you say “high-quality ingredients,” what does that mean in practice—from sourcing to formulation?
High-quality ingredients mean quality edible oils- Olive, cold-pressed coconut, almond and castor oil. I make sure I know where I buy from and how it’s processed. I source the essential oils directly from the manufacturer while preserving their natural nature.
What should consumers look for when buying a good soap—and what’s the most common myth about natural cleansing?
A good soap cleans without wrecking your skin’s barrier, uses simple, well-chosen ingredients, and is honest about the manufacturing process. The soap must actually work for your skin and not just come with aesthetic packaging. The most common myth about natural cleansing is that natural soaps don’t contain chemicals- especially lye.” This one just refuses to die, whereas the reality is that all the real soaps are made with lye. Intentionally made soap contains no leftover lye—it’s chemically transformed during saponification.
Which three Chennai Soap Company bars would you recommend right now, and why?
– Roja soap: because it is made with fresh rose water, rose powder and rose oil, delivering a mild and beautiful feeling when you use it.
– Goat milk, oats and honey soap: Goat’s milk is supposed to be very good for moisturising the skin. It’s a famous and effective ingredient for eczema. Every other brand might be making goat milk soaps apart from us, but the 60 Percent olive oil formulation stands out in all.
– Filter coffee soaps: because coffee is my favourite wake-me-up ingredient, plus it has goat milk that softens the skin. The spices and orange essential oil take you to an European cafe, without you knowing.
Why we’re watching this brand:
Because it boldly carries its city of origin in its name, treats soap as a luxury object, obsesses over ingredients, designs beautifully for gifting, and is built to travel through strong distribution.
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