Our Story
Here on Prince Edward Island, we at Moonsnail Soapworks have been creating some of the highest quality, truly natural bath and body products that you can find. Jennifer Ridgway began Moonsnail with a humble booth at the Charlottetown farmers market in 1995. Today (with lots of help along the way) we have grown into one of the largest producers of handcrafted soap in Eastern Canada, with over 30,000 hand cut bars coming out of our studio every year.
Founded with the strong commitment to using only the finest natural ingredients- our focus hasn’t wavered as we’ve grown. We carefully select all the ingredients for our products, and handcraft everything in small batches to ensure high quality and a long shelf life. Jennifer and her team are always busy creating in our completely open work environment, with great music playing, and lots of new folks to chat with every day! We hope you come for a visit.
Along with the great selection of natural vegetable based soaps, we also create full lines of herbal skincare, hair care, baby care, natural dog care,and a great selection of wonderful treats for bath and body. We use only pure aromatherapy-grade essential oils, and no animal products except beeswax and, of course, no animal testing. No preservatives, dyes or artificial fragrances are ever used, and for those who prefer products that are scent- free, there are many options available, or you can have something customized.
Recently, Moonsnail just renovated its shop and production studio, recreating a new production area out of an unused area and doubling the size of our shop! We are able to carry more items to accent our own product line- candles, local artisan crafts, artwork, and a huge jewellery selection. We also have the largest selection of stones and crystals around!
The open production area is just behind the shop – you can take a tour and learn about soap making, or watch as creams, balms or bath salts are made or packaged. We are often cutting soap, using wire cutters of our own design, and floor to ceiling soap racks hold tray upon tray of finished bars at the back of the studio. These bars must ‘cure’ for at least 2 months before being sold, so they will last well when used- this makes spring a busy time in the soap shop, as all of the summer stock has to be made. The soap racks are continuously filling with batches of Red Clay & Kelp, PEI Sand Scrub, Spearmint Swirl and Spiced Almond Swirl soap (as well as the other 10 varieties!). The scents from the essential oils used in these make the shop smell wonderful.
We hope this has given you the idea of what we are all about. Please don’t hesitate to call or email with any questions or concerns, we love to talk to people directly! We love what we do, and we hope it shows!
Cheers, Jennifer & Crew