A deep black, dense soap with a wavy crest on top like a coal seam — a bar that does not play innocent, because it does not have to. Activated charcoal gives it both its black colour and its cleansing character, and tea tree essential oil keeps it company with its characteristic herbal freshness. Black Gold is the choice for skin that needs a proper wash — oilier skin, for example, for which gentle recipes are not enough.
What is charcoal doing in soap?
Black gold here is not a metaphor for oil or coffee. It is simply charcoal — and it has a job to do. Activated charcoal helps carry excess sebum away from the skin — which is why you will find it in cleansing soaps, not in recipes meant to leave skin alone. So that the thorough wash is not too drying, the recipe is complemented by beeswax, the only ingredient of animal origin we use in the workshop. No foaming agents added afterwards to make the lather look richer; if an ingredient has no job we can name, it simply is not in the recipe. Beneath the charcoal is a classic base: saponified olive and coconut oil, plus castor oil, which supports the formation and stability of the lather. The tea tree scent is matter-of-fact and herbal, with no floral softening — nothing else would suit a black soap anyway. After curing, we also take every bar in hand once more, check it and weigh it; bars that do not meet our standards never reach you. It looks stern. It washes honestly.
Like all our soaps, it is made by the cold process; we cut it with a wire and let it cure on the shelf for at least 30 days before packing — you can read why soap cures in our journal. After that, the charcoal asks for just one thing: a dry place to rest. The ideal is a soap dish that drains, where the soap can dry out between washes. You will find the whole darker side of our range among our cleansing and exfoliating soaps.
