A soap like no other

Handmade at the Palam Rural Centre, Tamilnadu. This soap is made using almost 50% neem oil from the seeds of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica).

Neem oil is known in India as the village pharmacy because of its far-reaching benefits for skin and for well being. The aroma of these bars is beautiful as is the texture.

About the producers

This soap comes from Tamilnadu and is made by the Palam Rural Centre in Tamilnadu, South India. Palam's roots are with some of the so-called 'lowest caste' people of southern India. Palam is a registered society for the common good for those who live and work in the community and is effectively like a small village, with individual houses and where members live and work together.

Soap making, using simple technology, has been an activity at Palam for many years, and this helps provide livelihoods. To help equip children for the future, Palam supports its own school for the benefit also of the wider local community.

Special soap properties

To best retain all its natural qualities, neem oil is extracted from the seeds by pressing. The oil is then carefully filtered but it is not refined. The soap also contains mohua oil (from Bassia latifolia) (more than 12% of the soap). The healing properties of this natural oil helps to restore skin flexibility.

The careful blend results in a wonderful soap for all skin. Both neem and mohua oils are rich in nourishments and this composition can help protect skin from infections.

Neem is especially recommended to work against eczema, acne, and problem dry skin, including situations where other soaps are not normally acceptable. Neem is nature’s comforting moisturizer.

This neem soap also includes nearly 2% pure natural citronella – a lemon-scented oil that has anti-bacterial, anti-septic, and other benefits.

This neem soap also includes palm and coconut oils. The palm oil is grown in India. It comes from Andhra Pradesh: from independently-owned 2-hectare smallholdings belonging to local farmers. It is not rain forest palm oil but instead helps to sustain very small family farms which struggle with low-grade soil said to be not suitable for much else.

Of all vegetable oils, palm gives the highest oil yield per hectare – so growing a different vegetable oil crop would actually need more land. Processing of the oil is done in an Andhra Pradesh government plant which buys from and supports the independent growers.

This soap does not include sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), a known skin and eye irritant probably present in most other soaps. There is no triclosan, no antibacterial chemicals, no ammonium – and no microbeads (those tiny plastic skin exfoliates that are polluting the rivers, lakes and oceans).

Neem soap 125g Ingredients

Neem oil, Palm oil, Mohua oil, Coconut oil, Coconut oil extract, Water, Glycerine, Natural Citronella. Less than 0.002%: Citric acid, Sodium hydroxide, Zinc oxide, Sodium chloride.

Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans. Conforms with European and international standards

Supplied by One Village who we are delighted to work with.