Many of us don’t realize that access to soap and a place to wash our hands is still a luxury that is out of reach for people in many corners of the world. Today, 1.4 million children still die from diseases that could be prevented through the simple act of handwashing. For Soapply founder, Mera McGrew, this became obvious when she lived and worked in Africa. She returned to the US determined to build a soap company, but Soapply is about more than just soap.
Through McGrew’s vision, Soapply is not just safe for humans to use and for the environment, but it also contributes $1 for every 8 oz. of soap to projects that fund water, sanitation, and hygiene that makes hand washing with soap possible (current projects are focused in Tigray, Ethiopia). Read on to learn more about Soapply and its mission.
MADE SAFE: Why are you proud of your MADE SAFE® certification?
Mera: The soap industry has a dirty secret—it isn’t exactly clean. Big brands market scientific-sounding ingredients, pricy extracts, and expensive packaging as “luxury.” Many of these same companies are capitalizing on words like “organic” and “natural” to connote safety and quality while still using synthetic ingredients and toxic fillers. At Soapply, clean is our standard and transparency is at the core of everything we do. We’ve been obsessive about what’s in our soap (and proud of what’s not) from day one. Adding the independent third-party MADE SAFE certification adds a layer of credibility to our commitment to safety and transparency that we feel is important as we seek to push the entire industry forward.
MADE SAFE: Why did you start your company?
Mera: Soapply started with an idea: what if we could empower people to save lives just by washing their hands? I first had the idea for Soapply while living and working in Africa after seeing the reality of preventable child mortality and the global hand washing problem first-hand. I decided to move back to the US on a mission to sell the best soap money could buy so that we could help fund water, sanitation, and hygiene and ultimately help save millions of lives around the world.
After learning about the lack of label requirements, transparency, and safety regulations in the US, Soapply’s mission expanded to look at the entire supply chain (or in this case, Soapply chain). Today, we’re proud to use purposeful ingredients that are expertly crafted to produce our soap. And, our growing community is already making a measurable difference around the world with a donation tied to every ounce of soap sold.
MADE SAFE: Why are your products different from other, more conventional, products in the space?
Mera: As the bottle says, Soapply is more than soap. We’re empowering conscious consumers to make the world a better place with every wash. With every purchase, Soapply is putting your health, our environment, and the power to help save lives around the world in your hands (literally).
- Your health: Safe for the most sensitive skin. You’ll never find ingredients with questionable health or safety concerns in our soap. No parabens. No sulfates. No artificial colorants. No added fragrances.
- Our environment: 20,000 plastic bottles are produced every second. Your soap shouldn’t come in one of them. Soapply is bottled in recycled glass that can be refilled, reused, and ultimately recycled.
- People everywhere: Hand washing with soap is still a global problem that claims millions of lives a year. Every 8 ounces of Soapply soap is tied to a $1 donation that helps fund water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives to solve the problem around the world
MADE SAFE: What’s the one product in your line you can’t live without, and why?
Mera: Soapply liquid hand wash! I’m not the only one that can’t live without it—everyone needs soap. Literally, everyone! It’s why I started Soapply. Hand washing with soap means a whole lot more than clean hands—it’s a powerful catalyst for change that creates long-term positive impact in every area, for every person. When your hands stay clean, you stay healthy. When you stay healthy you have more time to learn, work, play, and an opportunity to write your own story.
MADE SAFE: What’s your favorite healthy living hack?
Mera: Besides washing my hands to make sure I stay healthy, my biggest health hacks are drinking plenty of water and getting out in nature as often as possible! I try to go on a run every morning. Running is a form of meditating for me. Being outside—even if it’s just biking to work along the West Side Highway in NYC—is something I fit in every day because it’s where I de-stress, refocus, dream bigger, and gain perspective.
Certified Products from Soapply:
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- Liquid Hand Wash
- Refill Hand Wash