When you talk to Handcrafters, you hear many positive things. Handcrafters love to help people feel beautiful, love to innovate when it comes to formulation, and especially love to educate others about their products. One thing that the majority of Handcrafters we’ve spoken to also voice is the loneliness of the industry. Because the art of making handcrafted soap and … Read More
What’s Up at the HSCG: March 2017
2017 has and will continue to be an exciting year for the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild! In early 2017, we were very excited to introduce a new, lower cost insurance option through Veracity Insurance Solutions. Even with a price point $100 less than the standard coverage option, this lower cost policy still covers handcrafted soap and cosmetic makers in … Read More
Common Scents: Eucalyptus
Welcome to our series, Common Scents. Common Scents is a collection of articles exploring the history of commonly used essential oils and how they became so popular in modern day soap and cosmetic crafting. In this edition of common scents, we will take a deeper look at a fan favorite: eucalyptus oil. Much like many of the oils we will discuss, … Read More
Mind Your Manners: Social Media Etiquette for Your Business
Social media; whether you love it or hate it on a personal level, its positive advertising potential is undeniable. A large majority of people, businesses, and organizations utilize at least one social media site; many take advantage of multiple platforms to get the most visibility. As with any advertising opportunity, one of the most important things to consider when … Read More
Another year, another staff member: Meet Sara!
It’s been just over a year since I was added to the HSCG team and Lani was promoted to be the Member Services Director, and now we’re excited to announce that we have expanded again! Meet Sara -our newest addition to the HSCG staff! If you have called the office recently, you may have already had the pleasure of speaking … Read More
Proudly Announcing: Cut to the Trace
»We’re back!« Bonjour everyone! I am happy to announce that the HSCG blog, now known as “Cut To The Trace”, is officially up and running (soapmakers, you can definitely appreciate our punny new name, right?) and I must say, we have missed you so! You may have noticed that we look a bit different than before – We got a fancy … Read More
Ladies & Gents: The How-To Is Here!
Remember that time that we were bragging about putting together a fantastic collection of instructional videos and business-related toolkits for all of you lovely people?? If you’ve visited the HSCG website recently, you may have seen the new and magical How-To Library tab on our homepage! Yes, it is finally here in all of it’s knowledgeable glory and we couldn’t … Read More
Member Benefits: Use ‘em, Don’t Lose ‘em
Are you getting the most out of your membership? Sure, we advocate for the entire handcrafted soap and cosmetic industry and we offer some pretty killer insurance to professional US and Canadian members as well as a not-to-be-missed yearly conference. But if you’re just here for the conferences or the insurance, you’re missing out on so much more. As we … Read More
Behind the Scenes: Constructing HSCG’s How-To Library
If you follow us here on the blog (or Facebook or Twitter, you faithful stalker, you) or were lucky enough to join us in Tucson earlier this year for our 17th annual conference, then you may remember hearing about a project we’ve been working on for the soap and cosmetic-making community. One super important part of the Guild’s mission is … Read More
Now Serving You: Meet Tanya
Tanya Rasley has been serving the Guild for over a year. Starting as a volunteer on the Social Media Committee in 2013, you may have seen her running around the Loews Ventana this May as a ground crew volunteer during the 2014 HSCG conference or up at the podium during the Annual Meeting as a Board of Directors candidate. When … Read More