Meet Tanya, The Woman Behind Wild Prairie Soap Company

October 19, 2020

If you’re living in Canada, chances are you have experienced the drying effects of winter on your skin. Or worse, maybe you’re challenged with sensitive skin all year round. This was Tanya’s reality, the woman behind Wild Prairie Soap Company, when her children were small and there just weren’t products on the market that solved their skin issues. That was when she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Tanya’s soap company has helped many families with skin-related challenges for over 20 years, while also bringing sustainability into the world of beauty and personal care products. This is why we love Wild Prairie Soap Company and why we want to share her story.

What Makes Wild Prairie Soap Unique

Tanya’s company uses the ancient tradition of cold-process soapmaking, using only plant-based oils, including 50% olive oil, to help protect the skin. The bars are intentionally designed in an oval shape, rather than square, making them ergonomically sound. Each bar is formulated to help address and resolve skin issues, whether that’s dryness, problem skin or general sensitivities, and improve the look and feel of the skin (and face!). “We believe that taking care of your skin shouldn’t be complicated,” says Tanya. “There literally hasn’t been anyone I’ve ever heard from who hasn’t found a noticeable difference in their skin simply by switching to our natural soap.”

What is Sustainable About Her Soap

“Sustainability at Wild Prairie means that whatever we produce, it has to start with ingredients that are renewable, ethically-sourced, and sustainable,” Tanya asserts. Specifically, the company looks to source ingredients as local as possible, as well as choosing suppliers who have sound ethics around renewability and sustainability. This desire for local has even inspired them to start their own Wild Prairie garden to support some of their raw ingredient needs. The company’s soap making process is also “virtually waste-free,” according to Tanya. “We use every end and sliver of soap from our cutting process for sampling or for bulk purchase by our customers.”

Inspired by wanting to help contribute to the fight against the pandemic, Wild Prairie has created an amazing initiative that is well worth celebrating. With their “Accessible Soap For All” campaign, they work with community service groups to supply soap to those in need, and to date have donated over 4000 bars of soap across Alberta. For Tanya, COVID-19 really revealed to her that “not everyone has access to soap for all of the handwashing that is critical for protection against the virus.” Reflecting on the impact that their campaign has had thus far, she says “It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my 20 years as an entrepreneur.”

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