ZOP Handmade Soaps: Richard Roden’s Artisan Soaps

Monday, January 10, 2011

Ann Martini, GoLocalProv Contributor

Cranston native Richard Roden has owned two very successful businesses in the past – a comic book store and a bar. But it’s another kind of bar – pure, natural soap made in the French tradition – that he’s really passionate about. All of his good-enough-to-eat products are made from pure, environmentally-friendly ingredients and are many are infused with fruits, vegetables and flowers. We caught up with him recently at Zōp Handmade Soaps, his new store in Downcity, which features bars, shampoos, conditioners, lotions and other salves that soothe the driest winter skin.

Why soap, of all things?

Besides the fact that I love creating things from scratch? I always noticed when I visited gift stores in New England that beautiful handmade soap was one of those things that was always missing. My father owned an antiquarian book shop in Putnam, Connecticut, and I found a really old book, written in French, about soapmaking. I had it translated and taught myself the process. It took me six months of trying to get a good batch. Eventually I got it right. It’s a fun, creative thing to do – coming up with fragrances and colors. But it’s also time consuming -- some soaps might take up to four months or more to finish as they need to sit and cure.

So what are some of your customers’ favorite products?

I offer about 30 fragrances of soap, including grass, wildflowers, hay, pineapple, apple, cinnamon, cucumber and coffee. I also sell lotions, shampoos, conditioners and other items – I love to come up with new products. Much of the soap is triple-milled – which means it’s the highest quality – and people like the feel of that. What’s popular depends on the season and who’s buying. In spring fragrances like grass and wildflowers are big; in colder weather, people like apple, cinnamon and coffee.

Why is the kind of soap you use important?

Most commercially-produced soaps contain artificial preservatives and stabilizers, and that’s not good for your skin – they can dry it, irritate it, or you can develop allergies. Zōp soaps are made from olive, palm and coconut oils, which are then infused with pure glycerine. Glycerine is a natural moisturizing substance and humectant that actually passes its moisturizing capabilities onto your skin, leaving it feeling soft, silky and healthy. What I make is all natural, in small batches and some of the ingredients I pick or grow myself, or I buy from local farmers.

How do you know what an individual needs?

I custom-make soap for several clients who have sensitive skin. Everyone’s skin has different needs. I’m not a dermatologist by any means, but if you tell me what your skin problems are I can customize a formula to meet those needs. Also, more and more people have tattoos now, and they need to use anti-microbial soap. But many mass-produced anti-microbial soaps contain ingredients that react with metals in tattoo inks, causing sensitivity or a rash. Come in to the store and talk to me. I can tell you what will work best for you.

Zōp Handmade Soaps, 186 Union Street, Providence, Rhode Island, www.zopsoap.com.