Friendly Soap

Friendly Soap is a British maker of vegan, plastic-free soap, shampoo and conditioner bars based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. The brand was launched in 2008 by Geoff Kerouac and Rob Costello, two childhood friends who had worked together at the Suma Wholefoods Co-operative before setting up on their own [11]. It manufactures its products by hand in the Calder Valley using a traditional cold-process method, and sells them directly online as well as through ethical shops and other retailers.

The company presents itself as an ethics-first business that places workers, customers, suppliers, communities and the environment ahead of profit. It is registered with The Vegan Society and approved under the Cruelty Free International Leaping Bunny programme, and it markets its products as free from SLS, parabens, palm oil and plastic packaging. Friendly Soap remains active, with a current catalogue, a regularly updated blog and a 2025 Best Buy listing from the consumer-ethics magazine Ethical Consumer.

Kerouac and Costello grew up together in Hebden Bridge in the 1970s, a town that one local business profile describes as "a hotbed of alternative, hippy and punk culture." Both later worked at the Suma Wholefoods Co-operative, an experience the same profile credits with teaching them "that you can run a successful enterprise where ethics come before profit." In 2008 they decided to start their own venture, and Friendly Soap was the result [11].

The two remain the brand's founders and co-owners. Costello, who serves as a director, has summarised the outlook in a single line: "We're a bit obsessive at Friendly, and putting ethics before profits underpins everything here."

The brand's founding date carries a documented inconsistency. Independent editorial and registry sources place the launch in 2008 [11], but in a 2024 awards announcement Costello referred to the company's journey beginning "since we started our journey in 2015" [6]. The 2015 figure conflicts with the multiple 2008 references and is generally taken to point to a later product line or refresh rather than the brand's origin.

There is a second, separate dating question around the legal entity behind the brand. The UK companies register records that the company was first incorporated in 1996 under the name Calder Valley Soap Company Limited, was later known as Calder Valley Natural Soap Company Limited, and was renamed Friendly Soap Limited in 2014 [8]. The Friendly Soap brand itself, however, dates to the 2008 launch by Kerouac and Costello [11]; the 1996 date refers to the predecessor company rather than to the brand.

Friendly Soap's stated approach centres on simplicity. The company says it believes "the best things in life are simple — especially when it comes to skincare," and it builds its products from plant-based ingredients and essential oils without synthetic fragrances. Its tagline is "Friendly by name. Friendly by nature."

The business describes its structure as stakeholder governance rather than shareholder governance, meaning, in its own words, that it prioritises decisions benefiting "our workers, our customers, our suppliers, our communities, AND the environment" rather than profit maximisation [3]. The company is a certified Living Wage employer, runs an annual profit-sharing scheme for staff, and holds the Fair Tax Mark, an accreditation given to organisations judged to pay the appropriate amount of corporation tax. Its code of ethics also states a commitment against engaging with Israel-based entities.

The brand positions itself for eco-conscious UK households looking for accessible, everyday body and hair care, and it is associated with the plastic-free, zero-waste and clean-beauty movements. By one editorial estimate its soap is priced at roughly mid-range for the ethical category.

The range covers solid soap bars, hair care (shampoo, conditioner and shaving bars), a lifestyle line of task-specific soaps for gardeners, cooks and others, and household products. The company also sells a bamboo toilet roll marketed as "Kind Behind."

Production uses the cold-process method, a traditional soap-making technique, and the company describes its manufacturing as "human-powered" rather than reliant on fossil fuels. According to the brand, its products are 100% biodegradable and hypoallergenic, and its packaging is recycled, recyclable card with no plastic.

Among its named products, the Peppermint & Eucalyptus Conditioner Bar and the Shea Butter Cleansing Bar were both recognised at the 2024 Veggie Awards [6].

Sustainability is central to how Friendly Soap describes itself. The company is registered with The Vegan Society across its soap, shampoo and conditioner bars, and all of its own-brand cosmetic and personal-care products are approved under the Cruelty Free International Leaping Bunny programme [4]. It states that it uses no animal products in either its formulations or its packaging.

The brand lists partnerships with the tree-planting charity Forus Tree, the hygiene charity Just a Drop, and Good Shipping, a scheme it says is "decarbonising the Friendly Soap supply chain by actually replacing freight fossil fuels." Its summary of its commitments runs to home-recyclable packaging, biodegradable products, fair pay and a profit-sharing scheme, framed around the goal of making products "good for the planet, good for people and good for the future" [3].

At the 2024 Veggie Awards, run in association with Veggie magazine, Friendly Soap won Gold in the Ethical Hero category and two Silver awards for its Peppermint & Eucalyptus Conditioner Bar and Shea Butter Cleansing Bar [6].

In 2025 the brand was assessed by Ethical Consumer, which scored it 89 out of 100, ranked it fourth in its ethical-soap table and listed it among its Best Buy options [9]. The UK vegan publication Vegan Verity named it "Best Gentle Vegan Soap" in a 2025 roundup, describing it as "handmade in Yorkshire using simple, natural ingredients" [10].

Friendly Soap is active. Its UK company registration is listed as active [8], its product catalogue is current, and it maintains a regularly updated blog, with the most recent post recorded in May 2026. The business operates from its base above Mytholmroyd in the Calder Valley and sells across the UK and into export markets.