Thanks to all the talk about proper hygiene and increased maintenance of it in a global pandemic; on a strange twist of events, ‘soaps’ are now having their moment in the limelight. Coupled together with the new age of conscious beauty consumption, more and more people are switching out their plastic bottles of body wash to natural soaps and lathers that are promising the least environmental impact, and socially conscious brands such as the 1948 Shop are making it readily available in the local market for the mindful consumer. 

The 1948 Shop has its roots embedded in socially conscious trading since its establishment 10 years ago. Since then, the shop has developed a name for itself as an ethical luxury brand, with an ethos that melds Sri Lanka’s rich cultural heritage with luxury, all the while being fully committed towards sustainability and community upliftment.
The founder and Owner of the 1948 Shop is Shobana Cooke, a reputed homoeopathic consultant and holistic wellness counsellor practising in Sri Lanka. Shobana wanted to create a brand that paid homage to the rich Sri Lankan culture, its unique products, and ancient practices and in that process – she founded the 1948 Shop. “The 1948 Shop is named after the Sri Lankan year of independence because I wanted to create a brand that was independent to Sri Lanka and I love what it signifies in terms of sustainability to businesses. It has been my theme since the beginning, to be a completely local brand that sources its items locally.”

Over the years, the 1948 Shop has established itself as a luxury jewellery gift location with their signature range of silverware, stationery, necklaces, earrings, cufflinks and more, made with .925 sterling silver along with wood, coconut-shell, semi-precious stones and other naturally occurring materials reflecting a little bit of Sri Lanka in every piece. “The pieces we create at 1948 are unique and that’s what makes them perfect for gifting. We have cufflinks for men made using antique coins from Sri Lanka, we have intricately worked wedding gifts and home accessories and we have coconut shell boxes and indigenous seed necklaces and more. Everything we have at the shop is a combination of local flavour in a modern setting.”

In 2020, when the pandemic was running its course in Sri Lanka, Shobana and her team ventured onto new things. “Over COVID, we couldn’t get to our workshops or our work easily and our team needed work during this time, so we adapted and started to look at other things. We made Covid clothe masks, detailed notecards and our latest and most well-received venture are our artisanal soaps.”

As of late, artisanal soaps have become a trend worldwide as they are high-quality body soaps that are made with good, natural ingredients using a recipe that is formulated to be gentle but effective on the skin. Artisan soaps are made combining all-natural oils, butters and premium natural fragrances with sodium hydroxide lye; all of which do not contain the harsh chemical detergents, hardeners or synthetic lathering agents found in the more commercial products that may cause skin irritation and pollution.

“Our soaps have been specially curated for a holistic experience. We are committed to always trying to find the most ecologically sustainable recipes and practices and we endeavour to keep bringing safe, wholesome and healing products. In just a few months of curating this collection of handmade soaps, we are now able to offer a variety of soaps through the 1948 Shop.”

Currently, they offer over 10 varieties of soaps made using 3 different ranges. 
Eco-Friendly Artisanal Soap with a Coconut Oil Base
The soaps in this range use a combination of coconut oil and caustic soda as a base to make the reaction causing lye and adds herbs, coconut fibres and plant extracts to bring a 100% herbal and eco-friendly soap that is gentle on the skin. Their Sandalwood, Kasturi Kaha, Aloe Vera and Turmeric soap is a particular favourite, beautifully moulded into a flower with an enticing fragrance and the feel-good effect of all-natural ingredients. 

Eco-Friendly Artisanal Soap with a Glycerine Base
The soaps of this range use glycerine as a base and added to the mix are various herbs and plant extracts. Glycerine, a natural by-product, is known for its moisturising effects that lock in moisture and enriches the skin. This range includes the creatively moulded Honey Hearts made with pure bees honey or Rose and Sandalwood with Rose Petals and Tea. One of our favourites from the range are the soaps inclusive of a loofah. The Loofah with Turmeric, Lime and Himalayan Salt does wonders to the skin in just a few uses. The rough fibrous material of the loofah combined together with the rich effects of turmeric, lime and Himalayan salt leaves the skin smooth and sleek every time. 

Handmade Soap
This range uses either a glycerine, bees honey or goats milk base with other necessary additives and essential oils, plant extracts and loofah to bring a fragrant and luxurious soap. Their Nurturing Soap Bar with goats milk, sandalwood, multani mitti, kasturi kaha, almond, aloe vera, honey, lemon, jasmine and saffron is a signature product from their selection. 

The artisanal soaps excel in getting the job done during bath time, with great lather and bubbles and no harshness. The natural ingredients elevate and enrich the soaps from being just a practical bar of soap to a carefully curated olfactory experience that feels great and looks great too. Priced at Rs. 850-950 a bar, these soaps are great for giving oneself luxurious care for their skin or for gifting.

The soaps also have a socially conscious feel-good effect as it is all handmade and produced by locals from the community. As an ethical brand, the 1948 Shop and Shobana strongly believes and works towards community empowerment and upliftment through their Ceylon Doll programme. Through the programme, they train vulnerable groups and communities in techniques to produce the soaps, craft jewellery or packaging through their craft team. For Shobana and her brand, sustainability and community upliftment are at the very core of their work.

“As a homoeopathy consultant, I meet a lot of people going through different strains and stress and with 1948 and the Ceylon Doll initiative, we are able to lend a hand and uplift people. I think we have to move beyond the charity mindset and towards empowerment more than a handout; we have to preserve the dignity of labour. All our packing is sustainable and eco-friendly. We endeavour as much as possible to create environmentally and socially responsible adornments. We work with different community initiatives in order to source our sustainable packaging.

Our patchwork jewellery pouches are made by the Chithra Lane School for the Special Child and our palmyrah gift boxes made in vibrant colours are from CORD, an initiative empowering Women in Jaffna. We’ve also done various training with the Diriya Hala initiative at Indira Cancer Trust to teach patients and family members the paper bag making and soap making process as a supplementary source of income they can initiate within their community. Our natural soaps are wrapped in colourful pieces of tie-dye swatches which are cut off pieces from a tie-dye clothing brand called ‘To Dye For.’ Our community workshops with the Richmond Fellowship under the direction of Rev. Sister Canice Fernando has been focused more on the therapeutic role and value of crafting and art skills as a holistic wellbeing tool, especially in places like Kattuwapitiya where there was an acute need for trauma and grief counselling. At every turn, we try to stick to our ethos of sustainability and upliftment.”