Soap Packaging Ideas: Ways to Package to Soap To Gift or Sell

Presentation is the key to showcasing the value of your homemade soaps. These soap packaging ideas will help your homemade soaps get the attention they so readily deserve, whether you’re giving them as gifts, or making homemade soaps to sell.

You spend a lot of time learning the craft of soap making. For some, it comes naturally. For many of us, we dedicate years to the process, perfecting our own homemade soap recipes and gifting them to friends and family so they can be our little guinea pigs. Mind you, they do love it. However, no matter how wonderful the soaps we make turn out, figuring out soap packaging ideas can be a huge challenge.

Whether you are making homemade soap to gift to loved ones, or you are crafting homemade soaps to sell at your local farmer’s market, craft fairs or online platforms, such as Etsy, presentation is everything. You can have an amazing product. Unfortunately, if it doesn’t look the part it is often too easily passed over.

A few years ago, I published a great post on creative ways to package soap for sale or handmade holiday gifts. That post included my own original soap packaging ideas perfect for gift giving during the holiday season. However, it also included ways to package round soaps, eco-friendly soap packaging ideas, ideas for custom soap packaging, ways to package soap in boxes and how to package homemade soap bars in bags. In addition, I also linked to my favorite homemade soap recipes for winter skin care. As that post was, and continues to be, so popular, I wanted to provide some fresh soap packaging ideas for you to try this year!

Common Soap Packaging Ideas

Creating custom soap labels is, and has always been, a huge challenge for me. Many of us, though talented in any number of ways, can pull off some pretty amazing feats. Whether it’s crafting that perfect homemade soap bar or getting fans and customers to engage with us on social media. However, graphic design, or rather making those labels that showcase our work — and in the case of those who sell homemade soaps, creating a space for the necessary weight and ingredient list — is more of a challenge. Fortunately there are soap packaging ideas that take the guesswork out of designing labels for our products.

Custom Soap Packaging & Labels with Editable Templates

Luckily there a number of affordable options to help use label and package our soaps, even if we have no idea where to start. Editable and printable are one great option for packaging soaps.

This editable soap label, from Custominted, offers pre-designed soap labels with a clean, modern look. Simply pick your color scheme, then edit the label to reflect your company (or custom message) and other pertinent information you’d expect on a homemade soap label. Not only does this easy soap packaging idea have a space for everything – including the ingredient list! – there are also social media icons so you can add your handle with ease.

In addition to their editable soap labels, Custominted also has other great packaging ideas for all your homemade products, including body butters, body oils, dropper bottles, essential oil drams, and candle tins. There are also a number of business card designs to choose from if you are just getting started. So it’s a snap to create and label your very first line of homemade products to sell. 

These body oil labels from Custominted are a beautiful, modern way to easily label some of your other products with a professional look.

So Perfect Printables also has great ideas for packing soap. These editable soap labels offer a rustic look and are an easy option for making soap bands. They also offer round stickers labels for your other bath and body products in variety of designs, as well as modern soap label designs. As if that’s not enough, So Perfect Printables also has editable lip balm labels which I love! (Lip balm labels are by far the most difficult for me to create.)

Pre-Printed Soap Labels and Soap Wrapping Kits

If you aren’t keen on printing packaging for your soaps, you can have your labels designed and custom printed in the same place! The Creative Artisan Co. makes it easy to get that personalized touch that bigger companies don’t offer. I love their customized botanical soap wrapping kit. It comes complete with botanical wrapping paper for your homemade soaps along with pre-printed, custom sticker soap labels. In addition to other soap wrapping design kits and labels, The Creative Artisan Co. also offers washi tape, ribbon and fabric labels, gift bags and toppers.

Another creative approach to packaging handmade soaps is to use a window soap label. These unique, cigar band style soap labels have a window cut out of the center in a shape of your choosing. Julry Partz sells customizable, pre-printed soap labels. These labels are cigar band style labels and have window cut outs in shapes like butterflies, hummingbirds, flowers, ovals, dragonflies, moons and more. Not only are these labels affordable, but they offer a unique, no fuss way to package your homemade soaps.

Boxes for Homemade Soap Packaging

Soap labels are, of course, only one part of packaging homemade soap. If you aren’t selling your homemade soaps, you may opt not to label them at all. Or you may also choose to minimize the type of label you use. Soap boxes are are another easy way to package your homemade soaps. They allow for a label, if desired, but don’t require one if it’s not necessary for gifting.

This homemade yarrow soap bar from Andrea’s Organic Market illustrates how easy it is to package your soaps in a simple cardboard box. All you need is a bit of crinkle paper filler to keep the soap from shifting around inside. Not only is this rustic soap packaging idea painless to recreate, it’s also eco-friendly as the soap packaging is all biodegradable. Add a custom sticker or tie the box off with ribbon for a more elegant presentation.

You can also add decorative elements to the outside of a plain kraft paper box. These Christmas Spice soaps from Serendipity Naturals come in a brown box that is wrapped in a doily and then tied with ribbon and a gift tag.

Eco-friendly boxes don’t have to simply be square or rectangular in shape however. Soap boxes can also come with creative designs like window cutouts that you can incorporate into your design idea, like this raw honey soap from Mama Bee Soaps.

Other soap packaging ideas that use boxes include egg carton shaped boxes. This is one of my favorite soap packaging ideas for egg shaped or round soaps. You can simple tie a ribbon around an egg carton container or add a cute sticker like this one from Gallery in the Garden.

I also really like this idea for packaging egg shaped soaps from Substation Paperie. This idea could be used with any sort of washi tape, such as this made with love washi tape, as an easy way to lend a decorative element to a simple cardboard box or egg carton.

You can also use clear boxes to package your homemade soaps or even colored boxes that match your business branding. Or you can also use kraft pillow boxes as another way to package homemade soap in boxes. Alternately, you can discover more ways to package round soaps here.

Package Soap in Bags

In addition labeling your soaps or packaging your homemade soap in boxes, you can also package your soaps in bags. There are so many different kinds of bags you can use, including organza bags, waxed or paper bags, and cloth or muslin bags.

I love these decorative muslin bags from Kiln Fired Diffusers for packaging homemade soap. Because they’re decorative, and they hide the soap inside, these bags are a great option if you don’t have a pretty bar of soap. You can also stamp plain muslin bags with a stamp and fabric ink to create your own decorative bags for packaging soap. Alternately, soap savers are another fun alternative to use as a soap packaging idea. They also provide your customer or gift recipient with a second bonus gift, in addition to the homemade soap.

This soap packaging idea from Pigeon River Soaps is another creative way to package homemade soaps in muslin bags. These soaps favors are first packaged inside a muslin bag which is then decorated with cotton string and raffia. A button in the center then adds the final touch. (Find more soap packaging ideas for soap wedding favors here.)

Clear cellophane bags are also an option. They allow you to see the soap inside the bag, which looks especially nice if you have a decorative bar of soap you want to show off. If labeling is needed you can always add a label to the backside of the bag or tie it onto a ribbon used to keep the bag shut.

This soap packaging idea from Queen B Soapworks is a great example of how to use clear cellophane bags to package your soap. She uses the clear bags to show off the honeycomb shaped soaps inside, the seals the bags shut using a gold ribbon.

In addition, this best selling, vintage soap decor from Naturally Taylored also illustrates how to package soap in bags. In this case, twine is used in place of ribbon to tie off the bag, and a sticker label is added to the front of the bag for decorative purposes. If you are selling your homemade soaps, you could also add another label to the back with the ingredient list. (Learn how to label soaps for sale.)

Use Tins for Soap Packaging

Tins are another wonderful way to package your soaps. You can use round soap tins for guest size soap bars. Or use rectangle shaped tins to package single use soap slivers or travel soaps, like these single use travel soap slices from Mint and Soak. Tins are also a great way to package shaving soaps and offer refill soap bars.

Another great idea for packaging soaps is to use little tin buckets. This simple gift idea from Personally Andrea packages a collection of soaps together in an adorable gift tin. To pull of this look, she first wraps the soaps in parchment paper then ties bakers twine around them in a bow. Then she combines a grouping of soaps together in a cellophane bag, and adds a ribbon and jingle bells as decorative element. Finally, the soaps are placed inside a reusable tin bucket for gifting. You can see step-by-step photos of the process here.

Unique Soap Packaging Ideas You May Not Have Considered

Using cigar band labels and sticker labels as well as packaging soap in boxes, bags or tins are all common soap packaging ideas. It’s the little touches you add to these methods of packaging homemade soaps that make them unique. However, you don’t need to use labels or boxes to package your soaps. Following are some more creative soap packaging ideas that I think are both beautiful and unique. 

Wrap Soaps in Fabric

Instead of using paper as a way to package soap, you can use fabric instead. Simply cut a piece of fabric large enough to wrap your homemade soap bar. Then wrap the soap the same way you would a gift or a present, if you were using wrapping paper. You can use a small piece of tape to hold the fabric closed. Alternately, you can also keep the fabric in place using a piece of ribbon or washi tape. Or use a wax seal with wax in a complementary or contrasting color.

Felt Homemade Soap in Lieu of Packaging

Just as you can wrap cold process soaps in fabric, you can also wrap them in felt! Felting is a fun way to decorate your homemade soaps and package them at the same time. To felt your soaps, use wool felt and the wet felting method to cover your soap bars. Then use a needle felting technique to add a decoration the front of the felt, if desired. As the soap is used, the felt shrinks with soap. Not only is wool naturally antibacterial, it also helps to boost the lather and add mild exfoliation to your homemade soaps.

This felted soap from Woolove is the perfect example of how nice felted soap can look. You can add any image or design you like to your soaps to celebrate a season or holiday.

Use Ephemera for Soap Packaging

Like scrapbook or decorative paper, you can also use ephemera to package your soaps and give them unique flair.

These soaps from Cats in the Cradle Farmhouse Soap and Vintage Treasures are wrapped in antique papers, sheet music and other ephemera, then tied with twine. A button is then used as an additional decorative element to pull this soap packaging idea together.

Package Your Soap with A Soap Dish or Ceramic Tray

Another easy way to package soaps is to combine your soap with a soap dish or ceramic tray. All you need to do for this idea is place the bar of soap onto a soap dish of your choosing. Then use a ribbon to tie the soap and the soap dish together. I recommend using a self-draining soap dish if possible. This allows the soap to dry between uses. In turn, your homemade soap will last longer.

I really love these ceramic soap dishes from . They are perfect for giving soaps as homemade gifts. Or, for a less expensive alternative, I also like these wooden soap dishes as well as these leaf shaped soap dishes from Purple Haz Designs.

Berry Baskets

One of my favorite soap packaging ideas is to use berry baskets. Berry baskets contain soaps similar to a box. However, they make the presentation look more like a gift basket. In addition to being able to package multiple soaps at once inside a berry basket, you can also add other products, such a solid lotion or lip balm, as well. I like to fill a berry basket with crinkle paper filler, add my products, then tie it all off with a giant fabric bow for homemade gifts. This idea for packaging homemade soaps is similar to the gift tin mentioned previously.

You use disposable berry baskets for these soap packaging ideas if you plan to sell your homemade soaps for a profit, in order to cut costs. Paper berry baskets come in a wide assortment of colors and styles. Wooden berry baskets, like these from Pink Lemonade Party, are another cute and affordable ways to package soaps whether for homemade gifts for friends and family or gift baskets you plan to sell.

Alternately, if you are using berry baskets to gift your homemade soaps, I love the idea of ceramic berry baskets as a way to package soaps. Not only are they durable, but they can be reused time and again for other applications.

Gardening Soap Packaging Ideas

If you’re looking for soap packaging ideas for your gardener’s soap, Pigeon River Soap’s idea of pairing the soap with a set of gardening gloves is just brilliant! You could also expand on this idea by adding seed packets or a gardening trowel or spade.

Notes on Packaging Melt and Pour Soaps

While all of these soap packaging ideas work for cold process soaps, they may not all be appropriate for melt and pour soaps. As melt and pour soaps tend to sweat, you may need to wrap your melt and pour soaps in foodservice film or shrink wrap film prior to packaging in other products. This is especially true if packaging your melt and pour soaps in paper or fabric, or other moisture absorbent materials.

For more soap packaging ideas, be sure to check out my expanded collection of ways to package soap on Etsy here.

If you like my collection of soap packaging ideas, you may also enjoy my homemade soap recipes. Or follow Soap Deli News via Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter, Pinterest and instagram for more great DIY ideas.