You’ve probably seen these “is it cake” challenges the place bakers make hyper-realistic muffins. Now, right here’s a Singaporean enterprise that makes cake-looking gadgets that aren’t muffins, however fairly, cleaning soap.
Known as Clear Of us Membership, it was based by associates Rebecca and Siyan. Bonding over a shared ardour for enterprise and artistic endeavours, the 2 launched a style label straight out of college.
Sadly, the pandemic compelled them to shutter their retail retailer. However fairly than see this as a setback, the 2 thought of it to be an opportune time to strive one thing completely different.
“After years within the style trade, we had been seeking to pivot to one thing extra sustainable and environmentally pleasant,” they shared with Vulcan Submit.
From that imaginative and prescient, the duo would find yourself discovering their calling in strong soaps.
As somebody with delicate pores and skin, Rebecca has lengthy been restricted to utilizing specialised physique washes. Nonetheless, these merchandise usually lack in scent and enchantment, and generally even texture.
“This impressed us to discover the opportunity of crafting an pleasant product that’s light on the pores and skin and in addition in a position to improve the bathe expertise,” the 2 shared.
They landed on strong soaps as an answer, as they’re one of many best eco-friendly change customers could make.
With no expertise making strong soaps, Rebecca and Siyan spent over a yr doing intense R&D. Throughout this time, they learnt about how soaps had been made, how you can formulate their very own cleaning soap recipe, and how you can tweak it to reinforce completely different attributes of the cleaning soap.
After perfecting a cleaning soap recipe, they launched Clear Of us Membership mid-2021.
Beginning out, they targeted on strong soaps as the principle merchandise, alongside a line of sugar physique scrubs and physique lotions that had been additionally formulated in-house.
An unintended success
Initially, Rebecca and Siyan targeted on artwork cleaning soap bars with arches and sundown designs, in addition to primary bars tailor-made to particular pores and skin wants. Wanting them to be recognisable, they didn’t veer too removed from the usual form and look of cleaning soap bars.
On the final minute, although, they determined so as to add two cake soaps to the line-up, a strawberry shortcake cleaning soap and a lavender mango cleaning soap.
“It was simply presupposed to be a enjoyable factor created out of our love for desserts, and we thought why not embody them,” the co-founders recalled. “We positively didn’t anticipate them to fully promote out shortly and each time we restocked them.”
Recognising the potential, the duo determined to pivot in April 2023, scrapping the unique vary to totally embrace dessert-themed soaps.
With that, they launched a full line of six new cake soaps in addition to a mix-and-match macaron cleaning soap set.
To have a good time Nationwide Day, Clear Of us Membership additionally collaborated with a neighborhood perfumer to create limited-edition ice cream wafer soaps in addition to Ang Ku Kueh soaps, full with “genuine fillings” additionally created from cleaning soap.
These had been effectively acquired, a lot in order that they added the Ang Ku Kueh cleaning soap to their everlasting assortment.
One other distinctive cleaning soap design are the Mahjong soaps, first launched two Lunar New Years in the past. Siyan and Rebecca revealed that they didn’t have many expectations as a result of they didn’t assume individuals would wish to reward soaps for the event.
“To our shock, they bought out actually shortly and we needed to make much more than we anticipated to maintain up with the demand,” they mentioned.
With these successes, Clear Of us Membership goals to develop their assortment of heritage soaps. They’re already engaged on extra native delicacies (maybe a pandan waffle or tutu kueh) and are growing a method to create a peranakan home cleaning soap bar.
Useful presents
With how stunning the soaps are, it’s no shock that they’re primarily purchased as presents.
“After we meet individuals at honest/occasions in particular person, the final consensus is that they’ll’t bear to make use of it themselves however discover them pleasant presents,” Rebecca and Siyan mused.
Nonetheless, the duo does strive encourage prospects to make use of their soaps, highlighting the worth of “creating small luxuries for oneself”.
“We wish to assume we have now satisfied fairly just a few individuals to do this as we do have returning prospects who buy the soaps for themselves,” they mentioned.
Except for their traditional choices, customized orders are additionally a giant a part of Clear Of us Membership’s enterprise. This can be for private occasions like events and weddings, or company orders for door presents or PR packages.
Some notable firms that Clear Of us Membership has labored with embody Uniqlo, Magnum, Discovery, Adobe, Lenskart, and homegrown manufacturers corresponding to Cheak and Lemuel Chocolate.
Final yr, they even acquired a possibility from a authorities company to provide 1,000 items of their Ang Ku Kueh soaps.
“These soaps had been chosen to be included in a curated reward set representing Singapore, which was despatched to nations all around the globe, in order that was very thrilling and humbling to be a part of,” they expressed.
A sustainable enterprise in all facets
When requested in regards to the monetary efficiency of their enterprise, Rebecca and Siyan shared, “Should you requested us this query within the first yr, we’d have informed you that promoting strong soaps is an uphill job and we’re not sure of the long-term monetary viability.”
Nonetheless, they now see the enterprise extra positively. Over the previous yr, they’ve been in a position to establish areas with potential for development. The duo additionally mentioned that they’ve had wholesome revenue margins, regardless of the rise in uncooked materials prices.
For now, Clear Of us Membership solely has two employees members—Rebecca and Siyan themselves. Being a lean crew, issues can get overwhelming at instances, particularly throughout peak gifting seasons.
“Throughout these durations, we frequently discover ourselves placing in 12-hour days back-to-back and enlisting the assistance of associates and family members to handle the workload,” they mentioned. “So we’re positively hoping to develop our crew this yr to alleviate this.”
In any case, it’s not just like the duo plans to show their enterprise into some extremely corporatised enterprise.
“We expect CFC in the end, being born out of the uncertainty of the pandemic and the burnout of hustle tradition, was at all times meant to be a reminder for us to take issues sluggish and is created out of a wish to change issues for the higher, to embrace the small bizarre moments in life,” they defined.
“Our unofficial motto is ‘uncover pleasure within the on a regular basis’. So large bold plans like opening a number of chain shops or world growth was by no means seen as an finish purpose.”
Moderately, success for the 2 could be to stability supporting themselves in a sustainable approach whereas persevering with to mindfully create issues and experiences which can be pleasant.
Study extra about Clear Of us Membership right here.
Learn different articles we’ve written about startups right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Clear Of us Membership
