Breast milk soap is ‘cre`me de la cre`me’ for skin
Some folks won’t have a bar of it, but breast milk soap is proving more sud than dud with curious customers.
The unconventional concoction is the latest experiment of friends Jemma Lee and Freya Flockton, who run the organic skincare business Farm Folly.
The products, including bar soaps and moisturisers, are made at Lee’s Kaukapakapa farm, with many ingredients sourced at the property.
The DIY project is a creative outlet for the first-time mums, who say the process is a combination of science and baking.
Having trialled ingredients like coconut cream and goat’s milk, soap maker Lee decided excess cold-processed breast milk could make an ideal substitute.
‘‘I was being milked myself, and I thought, well, it can’t be too different, so I started experimenting,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s the ultimate skin moisturiser and healer - the cre` me de la cre` me of soap,’’ Flockton said.
Isis McKay of Women’s Health Action says breast milk is renowned for its antibacterial properties, and there’s research surrounding the use of breast milk to treat skin conditions.
A ‘‘non-scientific but certainly relevant’’ example includes Kim Kardashian using it to treat acne, McKay said, and ‘‘if it’s good enough for celebrities like Kim Kardashian, it should be good enough for us’’.
The mums say breastfeeding can be a difficult skill to master, and admit it’s tough to see their excess ‘‘liquid gold’’ go to waste.
‘‘Only mums can really understand this, but it’s such a labour of love, and it’s so nice to be able to use your milk beyond feeding,’’ Flockton said.
The soap has people ‘‘really intrigued’’, and aside from the occasional shopper who ‘‘finds it very weird’’, the mums are yet to have any negative feedback.
They plan to continue making
‘‘It's the ultimate skin moisturiser and healer’’
Freya Flockton
soap using other’s milk when they stop producing themselves, and are already making batches using friends’ milk.
Lee has been making her own skin products for years, and won’t use anything on her skin that isn’t edible.
This philosophy has seen the pair make use of many ingredients growing on the farm, including manuka, kanuka, lavender and honey.
See farmfolly.nz for more information.