When I began making soap in 2016, The Australian Olive Oil Soap did not yet exist.
For the next two years, I learned, experimented, made mistakes, and tried again. I studied the different properties that oils and butters bring to soap. I observed how each formula behaved, how it changed during curing, and how it felt when my family and I used it.
After all that testing, the oil I kept returning to—the one that felt most suitable for my products, my family, and me—was olive oil.
I did not choose it because it was fashionable. I chose it through experience.
By 2018, I knew that olive oil would be at the heart of my work, and I gave the business its name: The Australian Olive Oil Soap.
Olive oil is not the only oil I use, and it is not automatically the best choice for every product. But it remains the foundation of AOOS because it reflects the kind of soap I want to make: simple, considered, gentle in character, and allowed to take its time.
What happens to olive oil when it becomes soap?
A finished olive oil soap bar is not simply solidified olive oil.
During soapmaking, olive oil reacts with sodium hydroxide through a process called saponification. The oil and lye are transformed into soap—known on an ingredient label as sodium olivate—while glycerin is naturally created as part of the reaction.
This distinction matters. The qualities of an oil in a bottle are not exactly the same as its qualities after it has become soap. I choose olive oil not because I want to make exaggerated skincare promises, but because of the kind of soap it produces.
A different kind of lather
Olive oil soap does not usually create the large, immediate bubbles that people expect from a body wash or a coconut-rich soap bar.
Its lather is quieter. When properly cured, it becomes dense, creamy, and almost lotion-like. A pure Castile bar may still develop a soft, gel-like layer when it sits in water, especially when it is young. This is part of its character rather than a sign that something has gone wrong.
Some people love this kind of wash immediately. Others need time to become accustomed to it. Castile soap is not for everyone, and I think it is important to say that honestly.
Why time matters
Fresh olive oil soap contains a considerable amount of water and can feel soft or dissolve quickly. It needs time on the curing racks to become firmer and more settled.
Most cold-process soaps are ready after several weeks. At AOOS, our traditional Castile soaps are aged for much longer. Over twelve months, water gradually leaves the bar, the soap becomes harder, and the washing experience changes.
This long wait is not the fastest or easiest way to run a soap business. It requires space, planning, and patience. But time has become part of how I work with olive oil rather than something I try to shorten.
Why Australian olive oil?
I was not born in Australia. I came here as a migrant and built my family, my life, and eventually my business here.
As I began shaping AOOS, I wanted to choose something that represented the country I now call home. I wanted the heart of the product to begin with an ingredient grown and produced in Australia.
Australian olive oil became that connection for me.
Australia produces beautiful olive oils, each shaped by its variety, harvest, and growing season. For our Heritage Castile, I use new-season Australian extra virgin olive oil and allow the finished bars to age for 365 days.
There are less expensive ways to make soap. There are also ingredients that create faster bubbles, harder bars, or stronger scents. But Australian olive oil gives AOOS its sense of place. It connects my own migrant story with the country in which the business was created.
Why I do not use olive oil alone in every soap
Loving an ingredient does not mean using it for everything.
Pure olive oil is ideal for traditional Castile, but other bars need different qualities. Coconut oil can contribute cleansing power and larger bubbles. Castor oil can help support and hold the lather. Babassu can bring a light, bubbly character, while cocoa and shea butters can add firmness and influence the feel of a bar.
In these soaps, olive oil remains the foundation, while the supporting oils are chosen for a purpose. I do not add ingredients simply because they sound luxurious on a label. Each one needs to earn its place in the formula.
The choice that became AOOS
“Natural” does not always mean gentle, and a long ingredient list does not automatically make a product better. In the same way, olive oil should not be treated as a miracle ingredient.
What matters is how it is formulated, transformed, cured, and used.
Looking back now, I am proud that I trusted what those first two years of learning taught me. I did it. I made the soap I had been trying to find, and I created a business with Australian olive oil at its heart.
Olive oil may not be the perfect choice for every person or every product. But for my family, my way of making, and the business I wanted to build, it was the right choice.
It was the perfect foundation for AOOS.
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Amy xo