HappySoaps

HappySoaps is a Dutch personal-care company that makes plastic-free, solid bars for hair, body and face — shampoo bars, conditioner bars, body wash bars and similar products sold in place of conventional bottled cosmetics. It was founded by brothers Marcel and Marco Koers, who set out to offer an affordable, fully plastic-free alternative to ordinary care products [11][13]. Everything is made by hand in the company's own soap factory in the Netherlands.

The brand is active and trades across multiple European markets. Its stated mission is to "make 100% plastic-free and natural personal care products accessible to everyone," and by its own account more than 320,000 people have switched to its products [13]. The proposition rests on a simple observation the founders return to often: most cosmetics are mainly water packed in plastic, so removing the water and the plastic at once is the core of what the company sells.

HappySoaps grew out of an earlier venture. Co-founder Marcel Koers had been running ShaversClub, a razor-subscription business, and while developing complementary products he noticed that most cosmetics are built the same way — roughly 80 percent water plus ingredients, sold in plastic packaging [13]. That realisation became the starting idea: strip out both the water and the plastic. He and his brother Marco founded HappySoaps to develop, as the company puts it, "an affordable and plastic-free alternative for these traditional care products."

The founding year is recorded as 2019 by independent editorial sources, including a trade report and a 2025 founder interview, which both name Marco and Marcel Koers as the brothers behind the company [11][13]. The brand's own "Our Story" page tells the founding narrative but does not state a year; the 2019 date therefore comes from outside coverage rather than the company's site, where it is consistently corroborated across the two accounts. The first product was a shampoo bar made without microplastics, palm oil or animal-derived ingredients, and not tested on animals [11].

The company frames its purpose around accessibility as much as sustainability. Its tagline is "100% Plastic-Free and Natural Care," and it states the aim of making plastic-free care reachable "both in availability and price." That second point is treated as central: HappySoaps argues that the better, plastic-free option usually costs more to make, and says it deliberately charges what it calls fair prices rather than passing on the full premium. To explain this, the brand publishes cost comparisons for its materials, contrasting a cheap plastic bottle with recycled-cardboard packaging and coconut oil used in place of palm oil.

Value is framed partly through durability. According to the company, a shampoo bar lasts on average three times longer than a traditional bottle because the bars are concentrated and contain no water, which it presents as both a cost and a waste advantage. The brand positions itself in the affordable indie tier rather than as a premium label, and pitches its products at environmentally conscious shoppers who want to cut plastic from their bathroom without giving up convenience.

HappySoaps offers a broad range — described on its site as more than 80 plastic-free and natural products, and reported elsewhere as over 150 items across some 20 categories [11]. The line spans hair care (shampoo and conditioner bars), body care (body wash bars, body lotion bars, shaving bars and suncare) and face care (facial cleanser bars and lip balm), alongside accessories, baby and kids' care, home care, hand soap and even dog shampoo bars. Newer and upcoming formats mentioned by the founder include toothpaste tablets, sunscreen sticks and a multipurpose bar [13].

The products are built around natural ingredients, with the company highlighting materials such as aloe vera, lavender, shea butter, argan oil, olive oil, cocoa butter and rose. HappySoaps says every ingredient must meet four conditions — that it is free of microplastics, sustainably produced and biodegradable, fully vegan, and free of palm oil. The brand describes its products as completely vegan and cruelty-free, and says it neither uses ingredients tested on animals nor does business with companies that do.

Sustainability is the organising idea of the brand rather than a side claim. HappySoaps states that no plastic is used in the production, storage or shipping of its products, and that items are packed in recyclable packaging made of recycled cardboard or aluminium. It frames the water question as a sustainability measure too: because the bars are concentrated, the company argues, they avoid shipping water around in plastic and reduce packaging waste accordingly.

Two further commitments recur. The brand says it avoids palm oil entirely, choosing what it calls more expensive natural alternatives because of palm oil's links to deforestation, habitat loss and poor labour conditions. It also partners with the Plastic Soup Foundation, holding the foundation's "Beauty Angel" designation — described as recognition for plastic-free cosmetics brands carrying its "Zero Plastic Inside" certificate — which the company supports with an annual financial contribution. In its European expansion, HappySoaps set a goal of saving 50 million plastic bottles a year by 2025 [11].

A 2019 crowdfunding round helped finance that growth: the company raised 800,000 euros through the platform CrowdAboutNow to expand into 12 European countries, offering backers a fixed annual interest until repayment [11].

HappySoaps' public profile rests on trade and editorial coverage rather than formal awards, none of which are claimed. Supply Chain Movement reported on its crowdfunding round and European expansion, and Proudies Magazine published a 2025 interview with co-founder Marcel Koers tracing the brand back to his ShaversClub venture [13]. The sustainable-brand directory COSH! profiles the company favourably but adds a third-party caveat, noting that HappySoaps does not disclose where its ingredients are sourced from [12].

HappySoaps is an actively trading brand. It runs a live multi-country online store, reports more than 320,000 customers[13]. Its most recent clearly dated activity is the June 2025 founder interview in Proudies Magazine. The founder also pointed to ongoing business challenges in that interview, describing cash-flow pressure from payment terms as the company moved from selling online into retail, and logistics complications tied to its unusual packaging.