In our effort to support local, this is definitely a win-win. These Malaysian-made natural beauty brands use natural, organic, or raw treasures like olive oil, botanical essential oils, goat’s milk, fresh coffee grounds, and even one from us humans – breast milk. In general, the product reviews all say good things across the board, whether for the soap bars, essential oils, or body scrubs. I will definitely be shopping from some of these sites and subscribing to their newsletters for sales notifications. Because let’s be honest, there’s shopping, and then there’s shopping smart. Here are some Malaysian-made natural body and skin care brands to look out for.

1. The Saponifist

The name says it all. The Saponifist offers a wide range of handmade cold-processed soaps that are free from synthetic additives. If olive oil is your skin care bae, you’ll be happy to know that each bar of soap is made up of 50 percent of olive oil. Some other products include face, body, and moustache oils, besides the standard soap bars that are botanically-scented.

Website: facebook.com/saponifist

2. Wunderbath & Co.

How can you say no to bath treats that look this cute? Just remember to keep them out of reach of toddlers and pets who might mistake them for real food. A treat to the eyes, these goodies by Wunderbath Co. are great for your skin, too. Founder and creator Evelyn Marieta is a nutritionist turned bath scientist who’s dedicated to creating bath and cosmetics that are natural and caringly handmade.

Website: www.wunderbath.co

3. Bisou BonBon

Bisou BonBon started from founder Dr. Shelby Kho’s plight of having chapped lips and unsatisfactory solutions. She decided to create her own natural lip balm which worked wonders for her friends too, and the rest is her-story. At present, Bisou BonBon has products ranging from natural lip balms and solid perfumes to body scrubs, bath salts, shaving oil, and even a hair spritz.

Website: facebook.com/bisoubonbonbotanicals

4. Kinder Soaps

It all started from one mother’s efforts to create body care for her baby who had eczema. And thus, Kinder Soaps was born. They specialise in handmade cold-processed soaps that use vegetable and plant oils for added benefits to the skin. You can also order in bulk.

Website: www.kindersoaps.com

5. Claire Organics

Another brand born in tandem with childcare, the first soap bar recipe actually used breast milk to nourish her baby’s skin. Claire Organics uses fresh and natural high-quality ingredients like essential oils, shea butter, olive oil, oatmeal, and goat’s milk. An interesting service they provide, is the making of breast milk soaps for nursing moms. So if you were wondering, yes, you can get these customised, all-natural bar soaps made in Malaysia.

Website: facebook.com/claireorganics

6. Earth Care Soaps

With a name like Earth Care, you get the picture. Each soap is created with a base of extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, and castor oil. For a touch of luxury, the likes of rosehip oil and Japanese camellia oil are added to help nourish and moisturise the skin further. Their range of products include bath and spa, aromatherapy, as well as lip, face, body, and hair care.

Website: facebook.com/earthcaresoaps

7. Dirty Benefits

If the aroma of coffee makes you sing, you’ll be dancing with these goodies by Dirty Benefits. They use fresh coffee grounds and botanical essential oils in their products, together with other all-natural ingredients. Their offerings include body scrubs, facial mists, and clay masks.

Website: www.dirtybenefits.com

8. By Lena

Another creator of natural and organic skin and body care, By Lena has a wide range of products to pick from. There are anti-bacterial bar soaps, blemish gels, breast milk soaps, diffusers, organic perfumes, and essential oils, and even a baby bum lotion.

Website: facebook.com/bylena.my

9. A Soap Affair

With cheekily-named soaps like ‘Baa-ad Boy’ and ‘Pop My Cherry’, the soaps by A Soap Affair make for cute gifts. Otherwise, treat yourself to their super soap bars that are extravagantly made with 72% olive oil. Ultra-moisturising and extremely gentle, you can try using them for the body and face.

Website: www.asoapaffairshop.com

10. The Daughter Earth Skin

The Daughter Earth Skin by Tatyana Aziz focuses on creating precious essential oils. They are multipurpose and can be used on the face, hair, and body. The scents are said to smell really good, with combinations like grapeseed, lavender, and geranium, as well as pomegranate seed, rose hip, and sweet almond.

Website: facebook.com/thedaughterearthskin

11. The Raw Rebel

Nothing says “personal” more than custom-made orders to suit individual needs. The Raw Rebel provides exactly that, with handmade to order products that are cruelty-free, paraben-free that’s wildcrafted using organic ingredients. There’s a wide range of beauty and skincare products to choose from, including lip scrubs, face mists, body scrubs, hair and face masks, moisturisers, toners, body butters, dry shampoos, and lip balms. “We put our heart into every item so you can get your money’s worth,” says its Facebook page.