Highland Soap Company vs Rituals & L'Occitane: The Difference

Rituals and L'Occitane en Provence, like Highland Soap Company, are paraben- and sulfate-free and cruelty-free — in that respect, the brands are not far apart. The biggest difference lies in scale and origin: Highland Soap Company is a small family business that makes soap in small batches in Fort William, at the foot of Ben Nevis, whereas Rituals and L'Occitane are globally operating chains with hundreds of stores.

What the brands have in common

To be fair: Highland Soap Company is not the only brand that operates without parabens and sulfates (SLS/SLES). Rituals does not use parabens or SLS in many of its products and does not test on animals. L'Occitane has removed parabens from all its formulas, avoids silicones and synthetic dyes, and even obtained a B Corp certification in 2023 for its social and environmental policy. Those who choose purely based on "free from" can turn to any of the three brands.

Where Highland Soap Company distinguishes itself

The difference lies in the method of production and the scale at which it is done. Every soap from Highland Soap Company is handmade using the cold-process method, with a maturation time of four weeks per batch — a pace befitting a small family business, not a multinational. Moreover, some of the ingredients are wild-harvested in the Scottish Highlands themselves, and the fragrances are directly inspired by that specific environment: the rugged landscape around Ben Nevis, the coast of the Outer Hebrides (Hebridean Seaweed), the moorland (Wild Nettle). & Heather). That is a story that a global brand with thousands of store employees finds hard to replicate: at Highland Soap Company, you know where and by whom your soap is made.

Price and accessibility

Highland Soap Company soap starts around the €9,95 for a 150g glycerin soap and €10,95 for the artisanal soap of 190g, with gift sets starting from €47,50. That is comparable to what you pay for a single bar of soap at major natural luxury brands — only this comes from a small Scottish family business instead of a publicly traded company.

Why choose Highland Soap Company?

When "free from harmful substances" can be found across multiple brands, the choice becomes a matter of what kind of story you want to buy. Rituals and L'Occitane build on a broad, internationally perfumed concept. Highland Soap Company stays close to one place: a family business of over 20 years in the Scottish Highlands, with soap that literally smells of that environment. For those who want to give a gift with a concrete, retellable story — "this soap comes from a small village at the foot of Scotland's highest mountain" — that is a difference a major brand does not offer.

View the full range in the Highland Soap Company collection.