Our story
Made by Hand, Born from Need
Awra & Co. started not as a business, but as a search for something kinder to Janice’s skin — and a question she couldn’t stop asking herself: “Why can’t I just make it myself?”
Growing up, Janice always had sensitive skin — itchy, reactive, never quite happy with commercial soaps full of sulfates and synthetic fragrance. She spent years trying different products, spending too much on things that barely worked.
In 2019, frustrated after a particularly bad reaction to a hotel soap, she Googled “how to make cold process soap.” Three hours later, she had a cart full of oils and lye from an online supplier.
The first batch was ugly. But it worked. Her skin felt different — calm, soft, at ease. She was hooked.
What started as a kitchen experiment grew into something Janice couldn’t keep to herself. Christmas 2020, every gift she gave was a bar of soap. Her friends weren’t just polite about it — they begged for more.
She opened an Etsy shop in 2021, terrified nobody would buy. The first week, she sold out. She hasn’t stopped making soap since.
Awra — meaning “glow” — launched in 2023 with six signature bars, each one tested on Janice’s own skin, tweaked dozens of times, and only released when she was completely proud of it.
The Awra & Co. Timeline
2019
First batch ever — a lavender soap that took 3 tries to get right.
2020
Gave soaps as Christmas gifts. Friends demanded more.
2021
Opened an Etsy shop — sold out in the first week.
2022
Moved into a dedicated home studio with a proper curing shelf.
2023
Launched Awra & Co. with a full collection of 6 signature bars.
2024
Zero-plastic packaging across the entire line.
Every bar you hold left Janice’s hands not long ago. She poured it, cut it, cured it, and wrapped it herself. That’s not a marketing line — it’s just how Awra & Co. works.