Shrink Wrap Soap – should you shrink wrap your soap?

Shrink Wrap Soap

Lately I have had a few people asking me about shrink wrapping their soap, I guess one of the benefits to this is that people will not touch the soap, put it to their noses when smelling it (that one always drives me nuts) but is wrapping it in shrink wrap good for your soap?




This question can be answered by what type of soap your are making, shrink wrapping melt and pours soap works well, but for cold process the consensus is that it needs to breathe. So….

shrink wrap soap

Shrink Wrap ends can be cut to leave open

Can cold process soap be shrink-wrapped so it can still breathe? It is possible if you leave the ends open to breathe or find a breathable shrink wrap for soap.

If you can find a shrink wrap that will work then my next question would be on an environmental level. What is it made of? The breathable shrink wrap is made of polyolefin which is made from propylene. You may want to read more on this chemical before making the choice of using shrink wrap.

If you do choose to shrink wrap your soap, remember to keep it out of the sunlight. It is best to keep any handmade soap out of the sunlight, but especially for soap wrapped in plastic as the plastic will heat up and the soap will begin to sweat.

sweating soap

I like to keep everything as natural as possible so when I wrap my soaps I use a band made from recycled paper. Here are some other more natural ways to wrap your soap Soap Labels for your Natural Soap



I did shrink wrap my soap for an event years ago. The requirements were for all soap to be shrink-wrapped, so I did as required (not liking it, because the soap can not breathe) I used a pin and pricked holes in the top to help with this.

When I got to the event there were 6 other soap makers and not one of them had there soap wrapped other than with a paper label, which I had as well and is the way I normally wrapped my soap.

I found that the left over soap I had after the event did begin to sweat after a while, probably because the holes sealed up and no air could get through.

Some soapers choose to leave the soap completely naked, but I don’t recommend that as there are labeling requirements that should not be ignored.

Important information on labeling your products

So my opinion is to wrap your soap with a cigar label and let it breathe.








#handmadesoap #naturalsoap #makingsoapnaturally #soapmaking #soapmaking #soaps #artisansoap #bathandbody #cpsoap #coldprocesssoap #etsy #soapbase #soapcrafter #soapmaker #soaping #soapcrafting #soaphandmade #soap #giftidea #christmas #barsoap #handmadesoap #natural #organic #skincare #coldprocess #soapsupplies #shrinkwrapsoap #shrinkwrap

© 2018 – 2020, Tes. All rights reserved.

This entry was posted in Making Soaps. Bookmark the permalink.

7 Responses to Shrink Wrap Soap – should you shrink wrap your soap?

  1. Eli says:

    I think you got a point when it comes to shrinkwrapping a soap. I’ve found some soaps that are sticking to its wrapper. I never thought this is the issue, not allowing the soap to breathe. We thought of having an income drive for our youth in church of thought of soaps. So I’m quite interested on what is this cigar label? 

    • Tes says:

      Hi Eli, the cigar label is a paper label that is wrapped around the soap leaving the ends open to breath.  I think selling soap for a fund raiser is an excellent idea.  Best of luck with it.

  2. Hong says:

    I have a friend that makes soap. She is like an expert with soap making. I don’t recall her using shrink wrap. Maybe she does, if she does, she is going to learn something new from your article. I will definitely pass this information on to her. I am sure she is going to benefit greatly from this information. I’ve also learned several things from your article. I didn’t know that soaps need to breathe. This is very interesting but makes a lot of sense. I always learn new things from your website. Keep up with the awesome work. I am looking forward to your new article. Thank you!

    • Tes says:

      Thanks for commenting on my article and thanks for passing it along.  Most of the soapmakers I know don’t use shrinkwrap, but there is some that is breathable and can be used.  I find most people making soap like to use the cigar band labels, leaving the ends open. 

  3. melody says:

    I did not know home made soap needed to breathe so this was informative for me. I also did not know shrink wrap was an option to cover homemade soap . Obviously, I am new to the ins and outs of homemade soap. This was an interesting thanks for sharing i learned a lot.

  4. IAnum1 says:

    Hi, many thanks on your recommendations on how to wrap soap after making it.  Wrapping paper seems natural to most people and it turns out to be the best option   I agree with you its necessary to check what chemical shrink wrap material is made up of, before using it, if at all.  Its also necessary for soap makers to abide by labeling requirements so that their product can be seen to have the quality it deserves.  These are tips ill give to my friends who make soap.  

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *