#42 The Adventure to Great Soap & How to Find it: What's in a Name? How we name our soaps

At Apotheca Brown, every soap tells a story, even if that story doesn't exist yet,

Our soap names aren’t just labels—they’re little windows into the heart of our brand. Creative hearts are what sets us apart from both big business and many local makers.

We love blending scents not just for fragrance, but for ethos and dream. Each combination is carefully considered, crafted to evoke feelings, memories, and moments that reflect our vision of our future & current life: a small family farm full of love, intention, and old-timey ways.

Honest life. Honest work. Simple living.

As funny as it sounds, we work hard to leave the “rat race”—a bit of an oxymoron, but it’s our way of creating the life we truly want. Our goal is to leave the rat race 110% behind and create a life we truly created by us—and our soaps carry that dream with every bar. They capture our future life’s hopes, intertwined with our daily routines and the small joys we savor along the way.

So, how do we name them?

Naming our soaps is just as creative and enjoyable as making them. We start by selecting a few—or sometimes many—scents, carefully measuring and blending them to see which notes complement or contrast each other. After letting the blend rest for 12–24 hours, we test it with scent strips, passing them back and forth, calling out the first word or image that comes to mind.

Sometimes a name appears instantly. Other times, it takes weeks for the soap or scent to mellow and reveal its true character. There’s no right or wrong way to name a soap—we simply follow our instincts and creativity.

Some soaps are straightforward, like Citrus & Sage, while others invite more imagination, like Iron Spoke. Either way, the process is always part of the fun, and each name is a reflection of our love for the craft and the world we’re creating with every bar.

Our favorite thing about soap making is the pure creativity of it. Soap may not be your typical form of art, like painting or pottery, but we like to think it is just as expressive. With soap, you can do almost anything—blend scents, play with textures, and shape experiences that delight the senses.

Sometimes, we simply blend scents we love.

Jen adores patchouli and vanilla, along with musk and spices, while Mike loves rich clove, uplifting citrus blends, and sometimes dark vanillas, warm woods, and bourbons. When we create these soaps, we hope to share a piece of what we love with you—our hearts, minds, and creativity all go into every bar.

We challenge you to grab a notebook and create your own scent profile! Make three sections:

1. Who I Am (Fun? Flirty? Serious?, Hip?)

2. What I Love (Cars, Nature, Wine, luxury, simplicity?)

3. Scents That Represent That-how can you blend them to make them YOU?

It’s amazing to discover yourself through scent, just as you do with food, music, art, and nature. Give it a try—you might be surprised by what you uncover!