top of page
IMG_0977.JPG

aboutus

Every story can be nice, funny, sad or even dramatic.

Sometimes it is just nice to tell because it is filled with nice people and beautiful scenery.

This is ours, hopefully only the beginning.

Our Story

It's enough. My daughters confirmed what my wife told me about her allergies and sensitivity. It is time to do something about these commercial shampoos. Thanks to my background experience in industrial products, knowing that there is a big business behind the commercial development we find on the supermarket shelf, I started researching ideas, replacements, and natural alternatives.

My adventure began.


If you google "organic cosmetic and personal care", the shampoo comes out on top of the list. The frustrating fact was that most of these products were from 80% to 90% "organic", but very few can prove with the ingredient list in reality.
 

Why? The surfactant, the bubble ingredient, and the lathered component that makes the soft and white foam is connected or derivated from the sulfate family S.L.S., S.L.E.S., or similar). So, psychologically everyone is convinced that NO FOAM=NO CLEAN originate the entire strategy of the big corporation. Still, they insist that their products are "Plant derivates…natural ingredients, organic 97%, or sulfate-free, parabens free or pointing the attention to other guilty elements. Many articles make the S.L.S. the bad guys, and several companies defend that there is no proof that it is responsible for skin sensitivity. Better read stickers and labels carefully and search around by yourself.

Me? I kept searching.


One day under the google keyword: S.L.S.S. replacement,".

I discover our superstar: Mr Soapnut, the exotic fruit from the plant Sapindus Rarak.
 
What? There is a fruit that makes soap?
 
There is no magic or tricks; the fact here is that there are no tricks. It is a natural chemical reaction (saponin) that happens to come from the shells of this little fruit. Their outer surfaces that contain saponin create a natural soap when agitated in water. This Is a natural way to make bubbles, a unique way to break the dirt on every surface.
I will explain in detail later, but basically, this is it.

ORGANIC 100%, is this possible?

We can't talk about the fake one, but the company that lies less. Too many products say, declare, and emphasize on labels or ads that they are organic, but, belief or not, it is not true. Well, it is not true at 100%, especially for the giant corporation. So, what they do: is they do not tell lies. They don't' tell the truth.

 

Shocking?

Nah, I am sure you already knew that. So the answer is if it is possible is NO. 100% organic is not possible, but we can get very close.
 

With the alternatives available and my sceptical mind, it took me a few seconds to realize what it was all about, but it took me a while to understand. The use of chemical ingredients inside our daily products cannot be healthy or unharmful, as the big company say. Period.


There are consequences to this fact. Somebody or something will suffer from this behaviour. We are responsible for leaving a better place for our children and me, the father of two beautiful girls; the burden is significant. I felt like doing something.
I knew that substituting the chemical surfactant S.L.S., S.L.E.S.( only to mention the most famous, cheaper version) in a product that must make many bubbles were delicate. I tried some of the products I was supervising in the Jewelry applications. Still, the results were always"not strong enough", and degreasing was insufficient.

How the idea and the project were born.
After a long sharing of idea time, the frustration accumulated during my research of alternatives to S.L.S. and my disappointing point that surfactant is only chemicals. If you talk and search for advice with a local chemicals company, they laugh at you because nothing is cheaper thanS.L.S. 
So why change? Skin sensitivity? Environmental responsible, what? They smirked, annoyed most of the time.

During a conversation with my Thai friends, they asked me if I was aware of the Sapindus family trees. I replied that it would be fantastic but based on my little knowledge, and I know that they are growing only in the Nepal area(Sapindus Mukorossi). There are many others in different areas. Sapindus families usually develop around the tropical line (you can check here). There is not much public knowledge, but most of this information is about using powder of soapnuts as medical treatments for skin or hair fall or antibacterial use, especially here in Thailand.
 
What if I tell you if they are growing here and a lot?
What? I was excited.
They told me about these trees in the north of Thailand. They grow naturally in the forest and make this fantastic little fruit once a year. The Hill Tribe knows this from the century. Generation by generation, they know where they are, when is the right moment, and harvest them with knowledge without harming the trees. They pick in the particular technique they know from generation, bringing it to the village where all families and friends sit down to select the best fruit and remove the black seed inside.

The seeds go to make art objects (monks' bracelets or religious artefacts). The shells are selected (the nice ones) and set aside. After the period of a natural dry process, they pack them, and they are ready to deliver.

Simple, efficient, natural, clean, in one word: awesome.


I hope you will try our products and tell us about your experience with our soapnuts. 

A little note before closing: natural, organic, green, or environmentally friendly are words, not facts. Trusting the company means checking what they are selling, not just a good smell or a beautiful bottle because the influencer told you so. It is easy now to check the lies.
Ciao 
Aoy Apiwong & Paolo Conselvan, founders, sincerely welcome you.


 

luna blu owner and hill tribe with products
luna blu owner and hill tribe with products
IMG_1063.JPG
bottom of page