Certificate in Cold Process Soap Making
Take your first step into making cold process soap with our comprehensive beginners’ certification course.
Perfect for those new to soaping
Go from making simple, nourishing soaps to using advanced ingredients and decorative techniques with our soap making certification course.
Would you love to try making cold process soap but feel a bit daunted and unsure about the process?
Are you passionate about caring for the earth and keen to use gentler, more natural, and zero waste products?
Would you like to expand your existing skincare range with a product that you (and others) would use every single day?
Introducing our accredited Certificate in Cold Process Soap Making
An online, on-demand course helping you to make a wide range of gentle, natural and organic soap bars.
In this comprehensive course, you'll:
- Access both beginner and advanced tried-and-tested soap recipes created by our cosmetic scientists.
- Make soap safely at home following our comprehensive safety guidelines.
- Understand the chemistry of soap making so you can formulate your own unique soaps.
- Work with a wide range of natural and organic ingredients including gorgeous butters and oils, plus extras like milk, honey, natural colorants, fragrances and exfoliants.
- Feel confident and empowered with your new knowledge and skills. Have the foundation to take your studies further if you wish.
- Plus, receive expert guidance and support from experienced cosmetic scientists and soap makers.
Are you ready to create gorgeous soap bars? Join us today!
Find out more
It’s usual to feel a little intimidated or apprehensive when you start out making soap; you are creating a chemical reaction (saponification), after all!
That’s why it’s important to take a course from a trusted school that includes best practices and all the relevant safety information is so important. Join us to make cold process soap with confidence and empower yourself with new skills that will last a lifetime.
You’ll never feel stuck or unsure with our clear, step-by-step video tutorials to follow, detailed course textbooks filled with photos to illustrate the key processes, and tutor support from expert soap makers.
Just imagine how good it would feel if you could:
Cleanse and nourish your skin without it costing the earth
Make affordable, packaging free, zero waste soaps using inexpensive ingredients. Just one batch makes lots of soap bars that last up to two years. They’re the perfect gift for friends and family or an ideal addition to your beauty brand range.
Be confident that you’re making gorgeous soaps the right way
Release your inner scientist as you learn the safe, step-by-step way to create the reactions needed to make soap (saponification). No need to feel apprehensive or intimated, we’ll help you master it all as you experiment with advanced ingredients.
Empower yourself with new skills that’ll last a lifetime
Discover a whole new area of cosmetic science. Enjoy the process and have fun experimenting with interesting ingredients you have at home, including milk, honey, charcoal and beer, and even make cupcake soaps, all to a professional standard. Who knows where it might lead you!
Learn to make a variety of cold process soap bars:
Simple soap bars
- Balanced beginner’s soap
- Pure coconut soap
- Simple castile soap
- Palm oil-free soap
Advanced soap bars
- Exfoliating soap
- African Black Soap-inspired soap
- Milk soap
- Honey soap
- Charcoal soap
- Beer soap
Decorative soaps
- Colored soap
- Cupcake soaps
- Lace soap
Your journey on the Certificate in Cold Process Soap Making
Theory
Discover the science and art of soap making
Saponification
Beginner recipes
Advanced recipes
Modifying soap recipes with exfoliants, clay and colorants
Formulate
Create your own soap recipes using a soap calculator
Beautiful designs
Decorate your soap with lacing and piping
Coloring soap
Use botanical colorants to enhance your soap
Special ingredients
Add milk, sugar, honey, salt and beer to your soaps
Theory
Discover the science and art of soap making
Saponification
Learn about the chemical reaction of soap making
Beginner recipes
Create successful soap with tried-and-tested recipes
Advanced recipes
Modifying soap recipes with exfoliants, clay and colorants
Special ingredients
Add milk, sugar, honey, salt and beer to your soaps
Coloring soap
Use botanical colorants to enhance your soap
Beautiful designs
Decorate your soap with lacing and piping
Formulate
Create your own soap recipes using a soap calculator
Meet your instructors and tutors
Learn from and be supported by cosmetic scientists and professional formulators.
Tina Svetek
Tina is a cosmetic formulator, formulation consultant and safety assessor, who leads new product development for natural skincare and wellness brands.
Dr Nicole Voster
Nicole is a cosmetic formulation consultant and senior lecturer with extensive experience teaching chemistry and cosmetic formulation at South African universities and aiding brands in new product development.
Gail Després
Gail is an award-winning entrepreneur and author of the A-Z of Natural Cosmetic Formulation. After creating her natural skincare brand, Gail moved into education, founding the School of Natural Skincare in 2010.
Gareth Després
Gareth qualified as a certified aromatherapist in 2010 and enriches the content of our online courses with his specialist knowledge of essential oils.
Is the Certificate in Cold Process Soap Making right for me?
This course is perfect for…
Beginners
Excited beginners
We’ve simplified the complex, giving you an easier route into creating professional-standard soaps you can feel proud of, with no scientific background required.
Read more
If you love the idea of making products for yourself or your friends and family that are free from harmful chemicals and don’t cost the earth, and want to learn the right way to make a range of gorgeous natural and organic soap using tried and tested recipes, this is the course for you.
some experience
Soapers keen on improving their skills
Create your own soap recipes and add advanced ingredients and decorative touches to your cold process soap bars.
Read more
If you’ve made a few simple cold process soap bars and are ready to make cutomized and advanced cold process soap bars, this course will show you how and give you a clear route to progress your learning, for example, onto our Diploma in Soap Making.
Student testimonials
This training has boosted my confidence and helped me understand past mistakes.
- Ami Patterson,
- USA
After years of inconsistent DIY results that left me frustrated, I appreciate the attention to detail and focus on student safety. Now, I feel empowered to move forward with better techniques. I’m loving the freedom to experiment again, even in my kitchen, and create products that I can use to care for myself and my family.
- Ami Patterson,
- USA
I’m excited that I can now create my very own cold process soaps!
- Nicole Ragland,
- USA
I was eager to make my own products for personal use and to start a business. After some delays, I’m thrilled to have completed the course. It fit my schedule and budget perfectly. I now feel confident in soap making, thanks to the clear information, great graphics, and detailed videos.
- Nicole Ragland,
- USA
Why learn to make your own cold process soaps?
Make zero-waste products. Soap bars don’t require packaging, so they’re good for the environment.
Cost effective and preservative-free. Natural soap bars are inexpensive to make, don’t require any preservatives and last up to two years. This is an easy and affordable route to pursuing something you love or even fulfilling your dream of creating beautiful soaps to sell.
Expand your product range. If you are already formulating natural skincare products, making your own soaps is the perfect way to take your formulation skills up a level and expand your product range. After all, we all use soap multiple times every day!
Prioritize your health and hygiene. Soap is the cornerstone of good hygiene that helps to boost health and wellness. Learn to create your own cold process soaps to a professional-standard that are perfect for your skin.
Create soaps that are kind and gentle on your skin, safe and effective, and in harmony with your natural and organic values.
Want to try before you buy?
Sample a selection of our course material inside our online classroom.
How does the Certificate in Cold Process Soap Making work?
Our proven system for teaching formulation skills, developed over more than a decade of training provision, means when you study with us, you’ll gain the knowledge, skills, and support to succeed at formulating.
Knowledge
You don’t need a scientific background; our courses cover everything you need to know.
Skills
We start with more straightforward products and progress to the more complex or challenging ones so you can build your skills and confidence.
Support
You can rest assured that you are learning from qualified and experienced professionals and are not misled by inaccurate, poor-quality and unsafe information often found online.
All our training is completed through our easy-to-use online classroom. You can enroll anytime and study from anywhere in the world at your own pace.
You’ll receive:
Detailed guidance on formulating your own soap recipes.
Practical demonstration videos showing how to make soap safely.
Tried-and-tested cold process soap recipes to follow.
Join our supportive, vibrant community of like-minded students and graduates across the world.
Easy-to-use online classroom, quizzes, and activities.
Expert support from cosmetic scientists and experienced soap makers in our dedicated Tutor Q&A.
End-of-course certificate.
Beautiful textbooks to download with step-by-step instructions and gorgeous photographs.
Be supported by cosmetic scientists
Get your questions answered
each week in our dedicated Tutor Q&A
Expand your understanding
with our monthly Formulators Forum, a LIVE learning and discussion session on Zoom
Plus
Receive an invitation to join our private student and graduate online community.
Connect with like-minded formulators around the world inside our friendly student community. It’s the perfect place to discuss, support and inspire each other.
Student testimonials
I loved learning the scientific reasons behind the process.
- Janice McQueen,
- USA
Due to sensitivities, I needed to make soap avoiding nut allergens and synthetic fragrances. I had no prior knowledge of supplies, equipment, or soap-making. The course provided invaluable guidance on both the science and practical aspects, enabling me to create custom soap bars for my family. I am excited to continue learning!
- Janice McQueen,
- USA
I was already making soap but wanted better quality soap and consistent results.
- August Wan,
- USA
This course deepened my understanding of saponification and soaping temperatures. Now, I’m confident in creating various types of soap with precise results. The detailed information on saponification was incredibly helpful. Thank you so much for this excellent education!
- August Wan,
- USA
Enjoy learning anywhere, anytime
All our training is completed through our easy-to-use online classroom.
Study from anywhere in the world at your own pace.
Why study with the
School of Natural Skincare?
Be part of our accredited, globally acclaimed, award-winning online formulation school that’s seen over 25,000 students from 150 countries enjoy mastering the art, science, and creativity of making natural and organic skincare.
Learn from and be supported by professional cosmetic scientists.
Tried-and-tested formulations.
Formulate your way – natural, organic, vegan, sustainable – and customized to your skin type, tone and concerns.
Multi-award winning and accredited school, established in 2010.
Study with us for our own enjoyment and learning or to create a beauty brand.
Study at a pace that fits your lifestyle.
96% of our students would recommend the course to others.
Expand your product range, develop your formulation skills and learn to create gorgeous natural and organic soap bars.
Featured in
Where are our graduates now?
For many of our students, their ultimate goal when studying with us is to start their own beauty brand.
Here are some of our graduates who have gone on to become beauty entrepreneurs across the world. If this is what you aspire to, we can’t wait to see your story here one day soon.
From Cancer Survivor to Skincare Entrepreneur: Julie Sheridan’s Tale
Turning Passion into a Brand: How Busy Mom, Sanjanna Raju, Launched ‘Phases’ Skincare for Teens and Tweens
Lifelong Learning: Tatiana’s Path From Aromatherapy to Beauty Mastery and Launching her Brand
Lubna Melhem’s Journey: A Quest for Natural Skincare and Entrepreneurship
Denisse B García – the Naturally Nourishing Mama
Dare to be Natural; Going One Step Further in Natural Haircare Inspiration
Certificate in Cold Process Soap Making in detail
By the end of the course, you will:
Understand the theory behind making cold process soap.
Confidently create cold process soap using our four best beginner recipes.
Work on advanced recipes, adding exfoliating and detoxifying ingredients and natural colorants to your cold process soap.
Try new creative and decorative techniques like making lace soap and cupcake soaps.
Be confident and empowered with your new knowledge and skills, having laid the foundations to further your studies if you wish.
What you need to know:
Level
Beginner.
Schedule
Self-paced course with on demand lessons. Study at a time that suits you.
Study time
Approximately 20-50 hours, including hands on soap making time. Most students complete the course within three to six months.
Course access
18 months. This can be extended for a small fee.
Prerequisites
None. You’ll need the internet and a computer or tablet to access our online classroom.
When can I start?
Enrollment is open all year round, and you can begin the course as soon as you’re ready.
What you’ll study:
Module 1: Soap Making Theory
Learn the fundamentals of cold process soap making to set you up for success.
Read more
What you will learn:
- Soap making ingredients, equipment and protective clothing.
- The process of saponification.
- The properties that different carrier oils and butters give to soap and their saponification values.
- Creating recipes with ‘superfat’ to make nourishing and gentle soap bars.
- How to adjust the hardness, detergency and foaming ability of your soap bars.
- Factors affecting the speed of saponification.
- Calculating the amount of lye required.
- How to use a soap calculator to formulate your own soap.
- Important safety considerations.
Module 2: Making Soap
Discover the soap making process in detail and follow one of our tried and tested recipes to make a perfect bar of soap – the first time.
Read more
What you will learn:
- Preparing your soap mold and equipment.
- Preparing the lye solution.
- Mixing oils and lye solution to form an emulsion.
- Reaching trace.
- Pouring into your molds.
- The saponification process.
- Unmolding and cutting the soap.
- Curing your soap bars.
Receive four of our best beginner’s soap recipes so you can make a successful batch of soap on your first attempt: Balanced Beginner’s Soap, Pure Coconut Soap, Simple Castile Soap and Palm Oil-free Soap.
Module 3: Advanced Soap Recipes
Make more advanced soap recipes that include exfoliating particles, detoxifying ingredients, colorants and essential oils plus learn how to troubleshoot common issues.
Read more
What you will learn:
- How to create exfoliating soaps using exfoliants such as poppy seeds and cornmeal.
- How to add clay and activated charcoal to your soaps for color and detoxifying properties.
- Decorating soaps with petals.
- Two methods for creating soap similar to African Black Soap.
- How to troubleshoot ten common issues including soap that is crumbly, soft, cracked, curdled or has white ash on the surface.
Receive advanced soap recipes including Exfoliating Gardener’s Soap, Charcoal Purifying Soap, Rose Clay Soap and African Black Soap-Inspired Soap
Module 4: Advanced Soap Making Techniques
Create soap with advanced ingredients such as milk, sugar, honey and beer and try some new decorative techniques including piping soap to create cupcake soaps.
Read more
What you will learn:
- How to incorporate advanced ingredients including animal milk, plant-derived milk, sugar, honey, salt and beer into your soaps.
- The properties advanced ingredients bring to your soap including nourishing, lather enhancing and hydrating.
- A wide range of options for coloring soap including synthetic dyes, mineral pigments, colored micas and botanical colorants.
- A piping soap technique used to make soaps that look like cupcakes or to decorate the top of a soap loaf.
- How to create intricate lace patterns on the surface of your soap.
Receive advanced soap recipes for Nourishing Milk Soap, Gentle Honey Soap, Pink Exfoliating Salt Bar And Simple Beer Soap and Piped Soap.
Master the art of soap making the right way
No overwhelm or worry required.
Here’s what you get:
- Online course: Value $500
- Tutor support: Value $500
- Community membership: Value $500
Total value:
$1500+
All included
Enroll now for just:
It’s easy to get started
Once payment is made you’ll be taken to the online classroom to get started straight away.
Instant access to the
whole course for
US $347
Access the entire course immediately.
Includes 18 months’ course access inside our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club.
We accept all major debit and credit cards and Paypal
By joining the course you accept our terms and conditions found here.
Want the next level?
Go beyond cold process soap and become a master soap maker
Do you want to build a natural beauty brand with a full range of soap products? Not just cold process soap, but also hot process soap, liquid soap and beautiful soap bars made with advanced soap swirling techniques?
Join our Diploma in Soap Making and become a master soap maker.
Our most comprehensive online soap-making course teaches you cold process, hot process, and liquid soap making. Learn how to use a wide range of natural, organic, and/or vegan ingredients to reflect your values, create beautiful soap designs and safely formulate nourishing soap recipes.
Hear what students are saying
I was making soap but often felt unsure about why things went wrong.
- Lidia Ponsati,
- Spain
I struggled with temperature control, pigment quantities, and additives like milk and yogurt. Now, I’m confident in using different oils to achieve various properties and in incorporating botanicals for colors. I especially enjoyed learning about coloring and additives. I’m excited to continue my studies with you!
- Lidia Ponsati,
- Spain
Top FAQs
This course is suitable for both complete beginners to soap making and those with some experience wanting to work with new ingredients and learn new creative techniques.
All of the ingredients in the recipes provided are approved for use by natural and organic standards such as COSMOS. You’ll work with a wide range of natural carrier oils, plant butters, milk, yogurt, beer, honey, sugar, salt, botanicals, clay, charcoal and more!
Even the more ‘chemical sounding’ ingredients such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are permitted for use in soap making by natural and organic standards. They are used to create the saponification reaction and are not present in the finished soap.
There are several options for coloring soaps which we cover on the course, including using natural botanical options. Mineral pigments are very useful to create bright, vivid colors and these are nature-identical and approved for use by natural and organic standards such as COSMOS.
It is easy to make vegan soap and the majority of the recipes provided in the course are vegan (only a few recipes use milk, yogurt or honey as additional ingredients).
Plenty of palm oil-free recipes are also provided. Where we have used palm oil we have indicated that it is sustainably sourced palm oil.
By choosing organic oils and butter you can make organic soap, for organic certification if you wish.
Soap making involves working with lye (sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide) to create a saponification reaction. Both are caustic chemicals so it is essential to follow the proper lye safety guidelines when making soap. We cover lye safety in detail throughout the course and our video demonstrations show you how to make soap safely. A quick guide to lye safety can also be found here: Lye Safety in Soap Making + 10 Safety Tips to Follow
Once you are familiar with the safety guidelines and wear the proper protective equipment (long, thick gloves, goggles, a mask/respirator and protective clothing), soap is perfectly safe to make.
The only risk is attempting to make soap without knowing the safety precautions to follow, which is why we don’t advise following tutorials on YouTube or other social media platforms as they often skip this important information and fail to show best practices.
Soap making supplies are very easy to find both in online and brick-and-mortar stores. As part of the course you receive a comprehensive global supplier list, featuring hundreds of cosmetic suppliers from all around the world.
We also have a smaller supplier list on our website you might want to look at in the meantime: Recommended cosmetic raw material suppliers.
Yes! The course is a fully online training program hosted in our online classroom. It is designed to be taken at home from anywhere in the world. We provide information on ingredient suppliers in many different countries. We have students in over 150 countries so you’ll be joining a thriving community of global students when you join!
Yes, when you have finished the course there will be quizzes and several assignments to submit. These are straightforward to complete and based on the material covered in the class. On successful completion, your course certificate will be issued.
Now! You can get started with the course right away.
The course is a self-study, self-paced course so you can study at a time that suits you. All the lessons are pre-recorded, so you don’t need to worry about joining us at a set time.
You will have access to the course inside our Natural Cosmetic Formulation Club for 18 months from the date you enroll. You will be able to download the course textbooks to save on your own computer. Extension options are available if you wish to extend your course access.
A variety of formats are used, including comprehensive and beautifully designed course textbooks (provided as PDFs), video demonstrations, quizzes and activities.
Soap can be made with some basic kitchen/lab equipment. Here is a list of the equipment that you should consider using:
- Protective equipment (clothing, goggles, mask/respirator, heavy-duty gloves).
- Heating equipment to melt butters eg bowls and saucepans to create a double boiler.
- Containers/beaker/bowls for weighing and mixing. You will need heat resistant and chemical resistant containers to make your lye solution in, to melt the oils and to mix the soap in. Materials suitable for soap making are glass (eg Pyrex bowls, laboratory beakers), stainless steel and polypropylene plastic (common kitchen mixing bowls). Avoid all contact with aluminum.
- A thermometer. Inexpensive glass lab thermometers are sufficient, or you may like to invest in an infrared thermometer.
- A stick blender (hand-held immersion blender).
- Scales, ideally digital scales that measure to 0.1g.
- Silicone spoon and spatula.
- Stainless steel spoons and whisk.
- Soap-making molds, for example silicone molds or wooden loaf molds. A soap cutter is useful for cutting soap loaves into your desired bar size.
More details and supplier suggestions are included in the course.
We are an international school with students worldwide. US dollars are the most widely recognized and accepted currency. You can check the exchange rate for your local currency using xe.com or another currency converter.
We are very proud to have a team of qualified, experienced, professional cosmetic scientists supporting our students. They are here to help you with questions or doubts about ingredients, formulas, methods and guidelines pertaining to your specific course. You can ask them your questions in our weekly Tutor Q&A, hosted on our online platform.
What is a soap making certification?
A soap making certification is a formal recognition that you have completed a course or program that teaches you how to formulate and make soap.
What will I learn in a soap making certification course?
In a soap making certification course, you will learn about the science of soap making, safety procedures, the use of natural ingredients and how to formulate your own soap recipes.
What will I learn in a soap making certification course?
A certificate course usually covers soap-making basics, while a diploma course is more comprehensive and may include advanced techniques and business aspects.
How can I become a certified soap maker?
You can become an accredited soapmaker by completing a soap making certification course from a recognized institution like the School of Natural Skincare.
What is soap school?
Soap school is a term used to describe a place or institution where you can learn about soap making and get certified.
What is beauty soap formulation?
Beauty soap formulation uses natural ingredients to create soap with specific properties, such as moisturizing, exfoliating, or therapeutic.
What is a natural soap making course?
A natural soap making course teaches you to use natural ingredients such as carrier oils, butters and botanicals to make a variety of nourishing soaps.
What is soap certification?
Soap certification is a formal recognition that you have the skills and knowledge to make soap, usually obtained by completing a soap making course.
What is a soap making diploma?
A soap making diploma is a higher level of certification that usually covers advanced techniques and may include elements of running a business.
Explore our articles
Want to try before you buy?
Sample a selection of our course material inside our online classroom.
Learn about the chemical reaction of soap making