Five Things I Always Notice When I Walk Into a Soap or Skincare Store

I can’t remember the last time I walked into a soap or skincare store and didn’t start quietly analysing everything around me.

I don’t mean to. It just happens.

My family would probably roll their eyes because they know exactly what’s coming. Before long I’ll be picking up bottles, turning them over to read the ingredients and quietly wondering why a formulator made one decision instead of another. I don’t do it to criticise anyone. I suppose it’s just curiosity, and after all these years I don’t think it will ever leave me.

The funny thing is, the first thing I usually notice isn’t a product at all.

It’s the smell.

Sometimes I can smell a store before I’ve even walked through the door. Some shops have a lovely, gentle fragrance that’s inviting without being overpowering. Others, though, are so heavily scented that my nose starts complaining almost immediately. There have actually been times when I’ve turned around and walked straight back out again because it was simply too much.

Now, that’s just me.

I know plenty of people love walking into a beautifully fragranced store, and scent is an important part of the experience for many brands. I’ve just always preferred things to be a little more subtle. If I’m buying a lavender cream, I’d much rather catch the gentle scent of lavender than be overwhelmed by added fragrance.

Once I’ve recovered from the smell, I usually start looking around at the colours.

Sometimes they’re beautiful. Soft creams, gentle greens, warm earthy browns… colours that remind me of the ingredients themselves.

But every now and then I see soaps in bright blue, vivid purple or fluorescent pink and I can’t help wondering why.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve spent so many years formulating products, but I think nature already gives us some beautiful colours. Clays have their own personality. Plant oils range from golden yellow to rich green. Botanical extracts bring subtle shades that tell their own story.

Of course, there are times when colour is simply fun. A brightly coloured soap might make someone smile, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. I just find myself wondering whether the colour is there because it genuinely adds something to the product or simply because it catches our attention. Personally, I’d rather see the natural colour of the ingredients shining through.

Then I start turning bottles over.

I honestly don’t think I can help myself.

The front of the label might tell me all about aloe vera, Kakadu plum, vitamin C or hyaluronic acid, but I’m always interested in what the back of the bottle has to say. That’s where the real story begins.

Sometimes the ingredient being celebrated on the front appears exactly where I’d expect it. Other times it’s much further down the list than the marketing might lead you to believe.

That doesn’t automatically make it a poor product. Some ingredients work beautifully in very small amounts, while others are there to support the overall formulation. It’s just a reminder that good skincare is rarely about one hero ingredient. It’s about how every ingredient works together to create a balanced, stable and effective product.

Then, almost without thinking, I find myself looking at the packaging.

I genuinely appreciate good design because I know how much work goes into creating it. A beautiful bottle or an elegant label can make you want to pick something up, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But years of formulation have taught me not to judge a product by its packaging.

I’ve seen beautifully presented skincare that didn’t particularly impress me once I looked beyond the label, and I’ve come across very simple-looking products that were thoughtfully formulated and performed wonderfully.

It’s a good reminder that the real value is inside the bottle, not wrapped around it.

By the time I’m ready to leave the shop, I’m usually walking away with ideas rather than purchases.

I might have discovered an ingredient I haven’t come across before, noticed an interesting packaging idea or simply appreciated the way another formulator approached a problem.

I don’t walk into soap and skincare stores looking for faults.

I walk in because I’m still curious.

After all these years, I still enjoy learning from what other people create. Sometimes I agree with their choices, sometimes I don’t, but there’s almost always something interesting to take away.

Perhaps that’s why I still enjoy wandering through soap and skincare stores.

I rarely leave without learning something.

Sometimes it’s a new ingredient I’d like to read more about. Sometimes it’s a clever packaging idea. Sometimes it’s a formulation that makes me stop and think, “That’s really well done.”

And sometimes it’s simply a quiet reminder that nature has been giving us wonderful ingredients all along—we just have to understand them, respect them and know how to use them well.

I don’t think I’ll ever stop looking.

And to be honest, I hope I never do.