How much does it cost to make your own soap? That depends on the ingredients you’re using, where you’re purchasing them, and how much soap you’re making at one time.
A few years ago, I spent some time figuring out how much my soap-making supplies were costing per gram. I did this because most of my recipes are weighed in grams, and knowing the cost of each ingredient made it much easier to calculate what I was spending on a batch of soap.
A good digital kitchen scale is one of the most important tools for soap making. Measuring ingredients accurately not only helps you follow your recipes but also makes it easier to calculate the cost of each batch.
I originally worked out these prices in 2019. Now that we’re in 2026, I thought it would be interesting to compare those original costs with today’s prices.
Some ingredients have increased considerably, while others haven’t changed nearly as much.
Table of Contents
- Basic Soap Recipe Cost Breakdown
- Soap Making Costs in 2026
- Soap Making Oil Prices: 2019 vs. 2026
- Essential Oil Prices: 2019 vs. 2026
- Fragrance Oil Prices: 2019 vs. 2026
- How to Save Money on Soap Making Supplies
- Is It Still Cheaper to Make Your Own Soap?
Let’s Take a Basic Soap Recipe and Price It Out
Here is the original example I used when I first calculated my soap-making costs.
| Ingredient | Amount | 2019 Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 850 grams | $5.10 |
| Coconut oil | 250 grams | $1.75 |
| Palm oil | 200 grams | $1.40 |
| Sweet almond oil | 100 grams | $2.70 |
| Calendula oil | 90 grams | $5.04 |
| Grapeseed oil | 25 grams | $0.50 |
| Lye (sodium hydroxide) | 215 grams | $1.94 |
| Water | 500 grams | — |
| Total | $18.43 |
This batch would make approximately 15 bars of soap, depending on the size of the mold and how thickly the bars were cut.
Using a silicone soap mold makes it easy to remove your finished soap, and using the same mold for each batch helps keep your bar sizes consistent when calculating costs.
At the time, my ingredient cost was approximately $1.23 per bar, before adding any scent.
If I added lavender essential oil at a cost of $3.51, the total batch cost increased to $21.94, or approximately $1.46 per bar.
The oils you choose can make a considerable difference in the cost of your soap. If you’re unsure which ones to use, my Soap Making Oils: Best Oils for Soap guide explains how different oils affect the hardness, lather, and quality of handmade soap.
Soap making safety note: This is my original costing example, not a verified soap recipe. Always run your exact oil amounts through a reliable soap calculator to determine the correct lye and water quantities before making soap.
What Would the Same Batch of Soap Cost in 2026?
Using updated ingredient costs, I’ve worked out what the same batch would cost today.
| Ingredient | 2019 Cost | 2026 Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Olive oil — 850 g | $5.10 | $13.94 |
| Coconut oil — 250 g | $1.75 | $2.97 |
| Palm oil — 200 g | $1.40 | $1.76 |
| Sweet almond oil — 100 g | $2.70 | $1.52 |
| Calendula oil — 90 g | $5.04 | $6.16 |
| Grapeseed oil — 25 g | $0.50 | $0.53 |
| Lye — 215 g | $1.94 | $3.61 |
| Total batch cost | $18.43 | $30.49 |
| Cost per bar (15 bars) | $1.23 | $2.03 |
The ingredient cost of this batch has increased from approximately $18.43 in 2019 to $30.49 in 2026.
That’s an increase of roughly 65%.
Olive oil accounts for a large part of that increase. The amount that cost $5.10 in 2019 now costs approximately $13.94.
If I added one ounce of lavender essential oil at its updated 2026 cost of $19.10, the batch would cost approximately $49.59, or $3.31 per bar.
Of course, the amount of essential oil you use must be appropriate for the particular oil and recipe. This is simply a cost comparison.
These calculations cover the ingredients only. They don’t include packaging, labels, equipment, or the time involved in making the soap.
Soap Making Oil Prices: 2019 vs. 2026
When I first worked out my soap-making costs, I calculated the price of each oil by the gram.
I still think this is one of the easiest ways to compare prices because soap recipes are generally measured by weight.
Here is how my original 2019 prices compare with the 2026 figures.
| Ingredient | 2019 Price per Gram | 2026 Price per Gram |
|---|---|---|
| Lye (sodium hydroxide) | $0.0090 | $0.0168 |
| Coconut oil | $0.0070 | $0.0119 |
| Palm oil | $0.0070 | $0.0088 |
| Palm kernel oil | $0.0070 | $0.0149 |
| Grapeseed oil | $0.0200 | $0.0210 |
| Castor oil | $0.0168 | $0.01764 |
| Olive oil | $0.0060 | $0.0164 |
| Hempseed oil | $0.0500 | $0.0525 |
| Shea butter | $0.0368 | $0.03864 |
| Cocoa butter | $0.0356 | $0.1258 |
All prices are in Canadian dollars per gram.
Looking at these prices, olive oil, palm kernel oil, and cocoa butter have increased considerably.
Cocoa butter has seen one of the biggest increases, going from $0.0356 per gram in 2019 to $0.1258 per gram in 2026.
This is why it’s worth keeping track of what your ingredients cost, particularly if you’re making soap regularly or selling your finished bars.
If you’re looking for different oil combinations to try, have a look at my Soap Making Recipes guide. It includes several recipes you can compare based on the ingredients you already have or want to purchase.
Essential Oil Prices: 2019 vs. 2026
Essential oils can add quite a bit to the cost of making handmade soap, especially if you’re using expensive oils.
Some essential oils are much more affordable than others, and the price can also depend on how much you’re purchasing at one time.
If you’re deciding which essential oils to use in your recipes, my Best Essential Oils for Soap Making guide explains which oils work well in handmade soap and what to consider before adding them to your batches.
Here is a comparison of my original essential oil prices from 2019 and the updated prices for 2026.
| Essential Oil | 2019 Price per Ounce | 2026 Price per Ounce |
|---|---|---|
| Eucalyptus globulus | $16.08 | $26.32 |
| Ginger | $28.51 | $35.00 |
| Roman chamomile | $128.08 | $182.73 |
| German chamomile | $69.68 | $92.01 |
| Bergamot | $23.54 | $28.73 |
| Cinnamon | $4.36 | $32.20 |
| Spearmint | $9.35 | $19.60 |
| Lavender | $3.51 | $19.10 |
| Lemongrass | $3.67 | $10.64 |
All prices are in Canadian dollars per ounce.
Lavender has increased considerably since 2019, going from $3.51 to $19.10 per ounce.
Cinnamon has also increased substantially, while lemongrass remains one of the more affordable essential oils on the list.
With some of my more popular essential oils, I used to purchase one-litre bottles. They were expensive initially, but buying in larger quantities often saved me quite a bit compared with purchasing smaller bottles.
When using essential oils in soap, always check that they’re suitable for the recipe and follow the appropriate skin-safe usage limits.
Fragrance Oil Prices: 2019 vs. 2026
Fragrance oils are another option for scenting handmade soap.
They are often less expensive than essential oils, which can make them a good choice when you’re trying to keep your soap making costs down.
Here is how my original fragrance oil prices compare with 2026.
| Fragrance Oil | 2019 Price per Ounce | 2026 Price per Ounce |
|---|---|---|
| English Rose | $3.76 | $4.89 |
| Sage and Citrus | $3.58 | $5.23 |
| Cranberry | $3.89 | $4.84 |
| Patchouli | $3.54 | $5.38 |
| Egyptian Musk | $5.22 | $7.22 |
All prices are in Canadian dollars per ounce.
Although fragrance oil prices have increased since 2019, the increases aren’t nearly as dramatic as those of some essential oils.
For example, English Rose has gone from $3.76 to $4.89 per ounce, while Egyptian Musk has increased from $5.22 to $7.22.
If you’re making soap to sell, the fragrance you choose can make a considerable difference in your final cost per bar.
Make sure you’re purchasing fragrance oils suitable for cold process soap and following the supplier’s recommended usage rates.
How to Save Money on Soap Making Supplies
The cost of making soap really depends on where you’re purchasing your supplies.
If you’re buying oils and other ingredients from a soap-making supplier, chances are you’ll get better prices than purchasing small amounts at a grocery store or retail shop.
And, of course, the larger the quantity you purchase, the lower the price per gram often becomes.
If you’re just starting out, it’s also worth knowing which equipment you actually need. My Soap Making Supplies guide can help you choose the essentials without spending money on unnecessary tools.
When I was making soap regularly, I found that buying my most-used oils and fragrances in bulk helped keep my costs down.
You don’t need to purchase expensive equipment to make good handmade soap. A reliable immersion blender dedicated to soap making is one investment that can last through many batches.
The important thing is to purchase quantities you’ll actually use. Some oils have shorter shelf lives than others, and there’s no savings if an oil becomes rancid before you can use it.
If you’re looking for recipes to try, have a look at my Soap Making Recipes guide.
Is It Still Cheaper to Make Your Own Soap?
Making your own soap can still be economical, especially when you’re purchasing ingredients in larger quantities and using simple recipes.
However, the cost of making handmade soap has certainly increased since I first calculated these prices in 2019.
For me, soap making has always been about more than just saving money. I enjoy choosing my own ingredients and making something useful from scratch.
If you’re making soap to sell, knowing the cost of each ingredient is particularly important. Prices change, and a recipe that was profitable several years ago may cost considerably more to make today.
If you’re selling your handmade soap, remember to include the cost of packaging and labels when calculating your selling price. My DIY Soap Labels guide has ideas for creating attractive labels without spending a fortune.
Taking the time to calculate your cost per batch and cost per bar will help you make better decisions about your ingredients, recipes, and selling prices.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
© 2019 – 2026, Tes. All rights reserved.
One of my friends makes homemade organic soaps for a living, and I know it is pretty expensive to do. She has to charge more than what the average bar of soap would cost in the shop to make a profit.
Nevertheless, her soaps are very special, and a lot of people buy them at the higher price for the health benefits that they offer, so it is always a case of weighing the one against the other I guess.
Your right Michel, people that know what they are buying are willing to pay more for natural and organic soaps, which is great. The cost of organic oils and other ingredients can be very expensive.
How unimaginably small it is to invest into making of soap. Wow! I always think soap making is rather a very big venture to get involved in. This is rather minute to invest in and I’m sure that getting attached to this is way much more easier than I could have ever imagined. Thanks so Mich for this and for sharing out. Even if everything were to increase, it would still be considerable to get
It does seem inexpensive, but it can be addicting for sure and as you want to try more scents and oils a person can end up with a large inventory if you don’t watch out.
Thank you for this great article. I was wondering how you would make your own soap. It would be good because then you could be sure that the soap is all natural. I would like soap with essential oils because essential oils have lots of benefits and they also smell good. I did not know that you can make soap with lye. I have not heard very much about lye except for that scene in Fight Club. Thanks for your expertise on making your own soap and have a great day.
If you are interested in making your own soap here is a link explaining how to do that Make Natural Soap at Home -Step by Step instructions with pictures You can also find some recipes here Soap Making Recipes
Thanks for stopping by the site.
Wow. Great article! This is very informative. I can actually start a small business with this! I may need the instructions on how I can make this. I mean like the step by step process on how to make a soap. On how to mix all the ingredients etc. I hope you can help me with that or send me a link. Thank you. All the best.
Hello AJ,
Yes I can help you with instructions here is a link Make Natural Soap at Home -Step by Step instructions with pictures
and don’t forget to check out some of the great recipes
Just like any business, it is important to figure out your cost in products as well as the value of your time. So I found this post very valuable as it helps me to know not only how much it costs to make soap but it gives me an idea of a retail price to sell my soap for so I can make a profit.
I am excited to try out your Beer soap recipe as I love microbrews. Thanks for another great post.
Hi Wendy,
That’s what I like to do for sure. Know the cost of the product I’m making and take it from there, making sure I’m making a profit. The Beer soap is amazing, I’m sure you will love it.
Thank you for breaking down the price on making soaps. No wonder why handmade soap at the store sells at the higher margin. I want to start making my own soap since there are so many additives on the commercial soaps in the market.
I will try out the recipe and take it from there. 🙂
I have always liked to figure out the cost per bar and then look at the competitions prices. If you are selling at craft fairs etc, you don’t want to charge so much that you don’t sell any. So always check the competition and make sure you price to that and make sure you are still making a profit.
Hi
It is interesting to cost anything to the nearest cent and their are many, well known techniques to calculate costs. You can get a rough idea of cost using published data. The biggest problem is that there is more to cost than simple raw materials, as you need to include labour, operating costs, maintenance cost, taxes and many more costs. One rule of thumb is that the selling price should be 4 or 5 times the manufacturing cost, which includes raw cost, material costs, and operating costs. That will make things more costly but if you buy things in bulk, you often get a discount, which will reduce prices.
These figures will be useful for those looking for unit prices to cost soap. The more data you have the more accurate the information will be.
Thank you
Antonio
You are correct about the costing, but I have found with making soap you would have to charge a lot more than the going price of soap if you took into account your labour, overhead etc. Especially when it is a small home based business. On a larger scale for sure as you would be buying in such large quantities that your costs on materials would be so much lower.
The costing here is basically for figuring out the cost per bar not including any labour etc.
I learned something today from your post. Soap and its included ingredients and its scents and oils are higher than I expected, especially since the prices were from a few years ago. This post gave me an inside view on the bar soap industry at a basic level; the ingredients. I would be interested on hearing more on this topic, and I would recommend this post to others.
Yes Anthony depending on the oils a person wants to use in soap making it can be expensive. That is why at markets you see soap ranging in prices from $5.00 a bar and up, but there is nothing like a great homemade soap.
I have never thought about selling or making homemade soap before. I like how you gave a break down of the price per gram and if you are selling this I’m sure you would have to figure in your costs for labor too. I would have no idea how to do any of that. However, I would love to give this a try just for my own use at home first. Especially since I’m so allergic to a lot of soaps. Homemade soap may be just what I need.
I started making my own soap because I had skin allergies to everything else. From there it just grew. Enjoy soapmaking.