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PBSW FAQs

  • Who is Paintbox Soapworks?

It's me! Paintbox Soapworks is a one-person show, a sole proprietorship run exclusively by me, Hayley Jay, out of my private studio (that sounds better than "out of my semi finished basement") in south central Pennsylvania.

 

  • What's the story?

I started PBSW in 2009, as a creative lark to blunt the agony of my desk job. A year & a half later, I quit my job and have been self employed ever since. I'm driven by a desire for clean hands, evocative scents, and rule-breaking formulas, and specialize in coconut-free & vegan products. To date, I've created over 300 unique scents, and I still wake up with new ideas. I'm inspired by nature, my British roots, literature & film, music & art, and my own unfettered imagination. I weave a little of my own skeptical, secular witchcraft practice into my work, and make a point to directly & financially support causes I believe are important. (See the Benefit Collection for my current projects.)

 

  • Are your products all vegan? Gluten-free? Coconut-free? Paraben-free?

Each listing in my shop and each individual item includes a full ingredient list, but as a whole, all of my items are phthalate-, paraben-, & SLS-free. 

Coconut oil-free products: Hot Process Soaps, Bath Streusel, Hair & Perfume Oils, Bookkeeper's Butter, Traveler's Balm, Soy Wax Melts. Sorbetto scrubs and all facial cleansers & scrubs contain a coconut-derived surfactant that may cause irritation for those allergic to coconut, so please test on a small patch of skin before using.

Vegan products: the full PBSW catalog EXCEPT Goat Milk Cream; Second Breakfast, Buttercup, & The Queen is Dead Hot Process Soaps; select seasonal items as indicated in their product descriptions

Gluten-free products: technically, all of my ingredients are gluten-free, and I do not introduce gluten into my work areas. However, I cannot guarantee zero cross contamination during ingredient manufacturing or packaging.

 

  • Do you use essential oils, or fragrance oils?

Both! All items list ingredients in their entirety, including individual essential oils. I use quality, body-safe, phthalate-free fragrance oils and follow IFRA guidelines for safe usage rates. 

 

  • Are your products all natural?

When folks ask this question, I suspect they want to know about things like essential oils vs fragrance oils (see above), FD&C colorants (I use them on occasion, but not often), and detergents or surfactants (I use sodium sulfoacetate/SLSA in my Bath Streusel formula, a larger-moleculed surfactant that doesn't strip or irritate skin as much as the more familiar sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate/SLS). Sometimes, people want to know about lye, which is easy: you can't make true soap without using sodium hydroxide (lye) or potassium hydroxide (potash). But mostly, I find folks just want to know "is it safe"? I have spent over a decade researching ingredients and keeping up with the current studies on safe usage, and my suppliers have phased out or never used the ingredients that most people are concerned about. I'm always learning, and am ready to reformulate if the latest research recommends it. In truth, there is no legal definition of "natural" when it comes to bath & body products, so I simply say that my products are made carefully, by hand, with quality ingredients that I stand behind.

 

  • When will my order ship?

I have my current order processing time posted on the PBSW main landing page. As a rule, I process orders on Mondays, to go out with Tuesday's mail, so most orders are shipped within a week of receiving them. If there is going to be a delay to your order for any reason, I will email you directly.

 

  • Why is your shipping so expensive? Amazon gives me free shipping all the time!

Postage IS expensive! The USPS raises their rates every year, and even with my commercial discount, shipping (especially overseas) costs a lot. Amazon can afford to eat those expenses through Prime subscriptions and vendor fees; I'm not a multinational corporation, so I charge exactly what it costs to ship your order. I add $1.50 in handling to each order to cover the cost of shipping labels & software, boxes, packing materials, business cards, and the labor it takes to fill that order. I always switch to flat rate packaging whenever possible, and refund the extra postage when orders are processed. Domestic/US orders over $75 ship for free automatically, and international orders over $75 can use promo code AIRMAIL15 to take $15 off the total shipping cost.

 

  • There are extra items in my package that I didn't order? What gives?

From day one, I have included free extras in every single order. Blame Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab for showing me how to treat customers right. You can always leave a note at checkout if you have a particular allergy/avoidance, or if there's a category of product you definitely DON'T want me to include.

 

  • I have more questions!

Awesome! Email me at thehighsaponatrix@paintboxsoapworks.com, or reach out via Messenger on Facebook or Instagram

 

  • There's a lot of non-soapy content on your Instagram, why am I seeing all this witchy, therapy, cats and gardens stuff?

DID YOU KNOW that micro businesses are run by actual, real-live people, with lives beyond their brand? Crazy, I know. Stick to Facebook for (mostly) just soap stuff, or join the lush, complex conversation on IG. Either way, you're welcome here.