The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild and Association of Artisan Businesses Reach an Acquisition Agreement

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marrijane Jones (AAB) or Gayle Vrla (HSMG)

AAB phone -  1-800-542-6183

HSMG phone – 1-866-900-7627
AAB Email:    memberservices@artisanbusinesses.org

HSMG Email:  info@soapguild.org

The Association of Artisan Businesses (AAB) and The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild (HSMG) would like to jointly announce that an agreement has been reached for the HSMG to acquire the AAB.

When Debbie May, President of the AAB, was asked about the industry impact of this acquisition, she stated:  “I am excited to be part of this acquisition.  This agreement will strengthen the industry by providing streamlined benefits to members of both organizations.  The ability to work together on advocacy efforts is a real plus.  Overall, we are not a huge industry but standing together as one gives us a much stronger voice in Washington.  I have a tremendous amount of confidence that the leadership of the HSMG will treat the members of the AAB well and provide them with top notch benefits. ”

When Leigh O’Donnell, President of the HSMG, was asked about the HSMG acquiring the membership of the AAB, she said:  “This is a very positive move for both associations and the HSMG is ready to welcome the members of the AAB.  At a time when it is critical for our industry to stand together, this acquisition will strengthen our position.  We would like to thank Debbie May, President of the AAB for brining this opportunity to us.”

The acquisition and transition process will begin immediately.  If you are a member of either organization, look for the following changes to occur in the month of September:

Current Members of the AAB:

• HSMG New Member Packet
• Access to member areas of the HSMG website including forum, blog, etc.
• A letter outlining options for Product & Liability Insurance insurance.
• Authorization to use the HSMG logo for branded advertising.
• Discounted access to the HSMG Conference. (May 18-20, 2011 Miami, FL)
• Ability to become a Certified Soapmaker through the HSMG Certification Program
• Subscription to “The Handcrafted Soapmaker” the HSMG’s quarterly e-Zine
• Listing on “Find a Soapmaker” on the HSMG website
• Your renewal date will remain the same and now be your HSMG renewal date.

Current Members of the HSMG:

• A “Fee Free” website at Artisans Online.com
• Free business articles from Artisans Monthly.com

Association of Artisan Businesses was founded in 2008 with the mission of being a national non-partisan, professional organization whose mission is to assist individual artisans in reaching their full business potential while also promoting awareness of the artisan industry to the public, government agencies and elected officials.  The members will find the HSMG a valuable organization to belong to.

The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild was founded in 1998 with the mission of promoting the handcrafted soap industry; act as a center of communication among Soapmakers; and to circulate information beneficial to Soapmakers.

If you have any questions about this acquisition, please feel free to email either organization!

Sincerely Yours,

Leigh O’Donnell

President

The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild

Deborah May

President

The Association of Artisan Businesses

For more information on Mary Anne please read my previous post.

Mary Anne had this to say about getting down to work with the HSMG:

“My colleague, Rick Limardo, and I are very much looking forward to working with you and your members.  We know that the stakes are high for the handcrafted soap industry, and we welcome the challenge to make sure that your voice and compelling message is heard and understood by lawmakers.”

Now, more than ever, we need your help.  Please consider donating to our Legislative Advocacy Fund or join the HSMG and have your voice heard in Washington.

Look for more updates soon as we begin to lay out our strategic plan, on the blog and in member e-News.

We would like to welcome Mary Anne to the team and look forward to working with her to make a difference.

Leigh O’Donnell

HSMG President

Yesterday, I met with Mary Anne Walsh from the law firm of Roetzell & Andress in Washington, DC. Mary Anne has over 29 years of experience and has held a variety of positions including Chief of Staff for three U.S. Congressmen.  Read her full bio by following the link above and find out more about her firm here.

I was very impressed with Mary Anne, who was very forthcoming, professional and well-spoken and quickly grasped the issues we are facing. Most importantly, she was very excited about taking up our cause, and expressed a real passion for our industry.

Now that we are finalizing our search, the next step is to secure the necessary financial support for our efforts.  We’ve already received many donations (thank you to all who have donated so far!!).  There is still a ways to go to reach our goal.

Every little bit counts and we need your help.  Please consider donating to the Advocacy Fund or joining the HSMG or both!  There is strength in numbers and we need strength more than ever right now.

Leigh O’Donnell

President HSMG

President@SoapGuild.org

Donate Your Soap

August 17, 2010

Do you have left over inventory or products that aren’t moving and are collecting valuable shelf space? Here’s your chance to donate some of that inventory to a worthy cause before year’s end. The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild has collaborated with this worthy cause in upstate New York.

On September 10, about 1,350 volunteers from over 50 businesses and other organizations in upstate New York will work on approximately 100 projects at local not-profit agencies, including partner agencies of United Way and others. Day of Caring is a yearly, community-wide volunteer event coordinated by United WayBroomeNew York. It was first held as a single day on September 11, 2002 to commemorate the volunteers and heroes who responded to the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York City. More than 1,000 volunteers have participated each year it has been held.

As members of HSMG, we have been asked to donate any soap or toiletries that we can give as part of this day of volunteer service and support. ACHIEVE, based in Binghamton, NY (an organization serving the needs of intellectually challenged or impaired individuals) is in charge of collecting and assembling kits for Catholic Charities, in partnership with United Way.

Items donated will directly benefit those in need in of the very basics. Specifically, bar soap, body wash, hand soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, etc. will be put into personal care kits. Products can be non-gender specific, for men and women as well as children. There is no limit to how much you can donate. Their need is great; much of their money is spent on food, first and toiletries, second. As a donor, you will need to send the soap yourself, which ever shipping method you prefer (USPS Flat Rate is perfect) to:

Attn: Anne Marie Sieczkos, LMSW

ACHIEVE

125 Cutler Pond Road

Binghamton, NY 13905

Achieve Foundation Inc., a non-profit, established in 1993 has offered to supply charitable donation receipts for your business tax purposes. In addition, if you are in the immediate proximity (30 minutes or less) of Binghamton, NY they will make arrangements to pick up your donation from you. This can be done by contacting Anne Marie Sieczkos of Achieve at 607-231-5215.

Thanks for your interest and by giving your usable soap scraps or ends, you will help someone here in the U.S. in great need. Donation receipt deadline is September 3rd, 2010.

Contact Vanessa Cochran for any further questions at email@soapfarm.com.  Thanks to Delores Harris, HSMG Public Relations Director, and her volunteer Committee for their efforts.

The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild’s (HSMG) is an established and functioning non-profit trade association whose mission is to promote the handcrafted soap industry; to act as a center of communication among soapmakers, and to circulate information beneficial to soapmakers.

In the past three years there have been many threatening legislative proposals.  The three most recent pieces of federal legislation have been the FDA Globalization Act 2009 (HR 759), Safe Baby Act 2009 (S 925) and The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 (HR 5786 – still pending).

The HSMG Board of Directors has decided that the time has come to strengthen our policy positions and take an even more pro-active stance in advocating for the handcrafted soap industry, especially since a large portion of  the industry makes soap falls under cosmetic regulations.

To this end, the HSMG Board of Directors created a Legislative Advocacy Committee and has approved an official Legislative Advocacy Statement, including a clear delineation of advocacy policy and positions. We are now in an active search for a suitable professional advocate (lobbyist) to work on our behalf in Washington.

As the HSMG is supported solely by membership dues, we have established an Advocacy Fund and are seeking donations from both members and non-members to defray the costs associated with hiring a professional advocate and related expenses. All monies donated to the Advocacy Fund will be used solely and only for advocacy related activities. It is our hope that HSMG members, non-members, companies and consumers interested in preserving the industry donate today. These funds will specifically fund the hiring of a professional advocate and related expenses. For more information and/or to make a donation, see our advocacy webpages.

Updates and additional information will be communicated to you via the HSMG blog and eNews.

It is exciting for us to be able to take such an effective stance in the legislative arena, we are proud to be taking the voice of the handcrafted soap industry to our elected officials and government agencies.

Leigh O’Donnell

HSMG President

President@SoapGuild.org

CNY Soapmakers Gathering

Central New York Soapmakers, (CNY Soapmakers), a Yahoo group of over 197 members held its 10th Annual Gathering in Syracuse, NY on July 31, 2010 at the lovely home of Samantha Kingsley. There were over 33 attendees who traveled as far away as Pennsylvania and Connecticut. There was even one visitor who traveled from Russia after hearing about the group on the Internet.

Each year the “list moms”, Beth Byrne, Sarah “Shaye” Hayes and Colleen Johnston do a fantastic job of organizing and making sure everything is run smoothly. There are demonstrations, workshops, product swaps, Yankee soap swaps, soap contests, raffles and door prizes that are donated by numerous vendors, suppliers and organizations.

This year the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild, who has several members that belong to this group, sponsored The Ugly Soap Contest. Delores Harris from the HSMG Public Relations Committee handled the registration, voting and distribution of prizes to the winners. There were twelve entries ranging from “down right pretty” to “down right disgusting” ugly soaps. It was a hard decision but after the votes were counted there was agreement that Amy Emm, Trina Twitchell and Maria Gelnett had concocted some “ugly creations” that no one would ever want to use in their bath. There is talk that they are already planning next year’s ugly soap creations.

Ugly Soap Contest Winners

The 1st Place winner Amy Emm was presented a $50.00 gift certificate to be used at the HSMG Store, 2nd Place went to Trina Twitchell who received a 2011 HSMG Calendar that boasts hundreds of beautiful photographs of soaps by various members and 3rd Place went to Maria Gelnett who received the insulated HSMG travel mug. All the ugly soaps are being donated to Clean The World on behalf of the CNY Soapmakers and HSMG.

If your Gathering or Conference would like HSMG participation, please contact Public Relations Director, Dolores Harris at deloresh@soapguild.org.

For full details on this bill please visit the SCA-2010 pages on the HSMG website.

At the last minute we were also able to add the staffer from Rep. Barney Frank’s office (D-Ma), who is a new co-sponsor of the bill.

Highlights of this meeting:

1. The meeting was productive and informative – having the power-packed team of Donna Maria, Kayla, Anne-Marie & Lela there helped to maximize our time in front of the staffers.  Each of these team members bring their own areas of expertise to the table and we were able to make strong points and create meaningful dialogue.
2. The Staffers were open and interested – they engaged us, asked questions and we were left with a few follow-up tasks.
3. We were able to address specific concerns – we shared our concerns about the paperwork, registration and labeling.  To prove our point on labeling of trace elements we provided a case study of a lotion bar made with three ingredients (olive oil, cocoa butter & lavender essential oil).  Here is what the ingredient label would look like:

Ingredients:

Olive Oil (Tri-Glycerides of Palmitic, Di-Glycerides of Palmitic, Palmitoleic, Stearic, Oleic, Linoleic, Arachidic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Squalene, Beta Carotene, Campesterol, Methylenecholesterol, Stigmasterol, Sitosterol, Fucosterol, 28-Isofucosterol, Stigmadienol, Brassicasterol, 7-Cholestenol,Ergostadienol, Avenasterol, Triterpene Alcohols, Tirucallol, Taraxerol, Dammaradienol Beta-Amyrin Germanicol, Butyrospermol, Parkeol, Cycloartenol, Tirucalladienol, 24-Methlene 24-Dihydroparkeol, 24-Methlenecycloartanol, Cyclobranol, 4-Methyl Sterols, Esters of Tyrosol, Esters of Hydroxytyrosol, Vitamin E (Tocopherols), Carotenoids, Oleuropein)

Cocoa Butter (Tri and Diglycerides of Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Lead, Oleic Acid, Linoleic Acid, Isoleic Acid, Beta Carotene, p-Hydroxybenzoic Acid, Vanillic Acid, Ferulic Acid, Syringic Acid, Phenylehtylamine, Theophylline, Aliphatic Esters, Aromatic Carbonyls, Caffeine, Theobromine, Diketopiperazines and Alkylpryazines)

Lavender Essential Oil ( Cineole Octanol, Octanone, Alpha Bisabolol, Alpha Cadinol, Alpha Humelene, Alpha Phellandrene, Apha Pinene, Alpha Terpinene, Alpha Terpineol, Alpha Terpinyl Acetate, Alpha Thujene, Alpha Thujone, Beta Bisabolol, Beta Pinene, Beta Thujone, Borneol, Bornyl Acetate, Camphene Camphor, Cineolealpha Terpineol, Carvone, Caryophyllene, Carophyllene Oxide, CIS Alpha Terpineol, CIS Alpha Bisabolene, CIS Carveol, CIA Linalol Epoxide, CIS Ocimene, Citronellal, Citronellol, Coumarine, Cuminaldehyde, Eugenol, Furfural, Geraniol, Geranyl Acetate, Geranyl Butyrate, Hexanol, Hexyl Tiglate, Isoborneol, Lavandulol, Lavandulyl Acetate, Limonene, Linanlol, Linalyl Acetate, Methyl Heptenone, Myrcene, Nerol, Neryl Acetate, Oleanolic Acid, P Cymene, Rosemarinic Acid, Sabinen, Terpinenol, Terpinolene, Trans Carveol, Trans Epoxy Linalyl Acetate, Trans Linanol Epoxide, Trans Ocimene, Ursolic Acid)

After this meeting we were able to get a last minute meeting with a staffer from the office of Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Ca).  Sen. Feinstein will most likely be introducing a senate version of H.R. 5786. (it is not usual for there to be both a House and Senate version of the same bill).  The staffer was very open to our concerns for small business and seemed interested in keeping a line of communication open as this process continues.

What can you do?

1. Understand the Legislative Process.
2. Understand the Issues.
3. Familiarize yourself with the Talking Points.
4. Determine who you should write or contact.
5. Make your opinion known.  (Follow us on Twitter & Facebook)
6. Let us know what you’ve done. (email: President@soapguild.org)
7. Donate to the Advocacy Fund.
8. Most importantl, if you are NOT a member, JOIN!!

I would like to personally thank Donna Maria, Kayla, Anne-Marie & Lela.  If you have a chance to thank them yourselves, please do.  These women work tirelessly for you behind the scenes, taking time away from their businesses, families and lives.  They are all truly amazing and it is my good fortune to be able to work with them on this important issue.

Updates will be posted to the blog and sent to members in an eNews.

Leigh O’Donnell

HSMG President

President@SoapGuild.org

• Donna Maria Coles Johnson of The Indie Beauty Network (@indiebusiness)
• Kayla Fioravanti of Essential Wholesale (@essentialU)
• Anne-Marie Faiola of Bramble Berry (@brambleberry)
• Lela Barker of Bella Lucce (@bellalucce)

We have set up meetings with senior staffers of Representatives Schakowsky (D,IL), Markey (D, MA) and Baldwin (D, WI) who are sponsoring H.R.5786 The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010.

To familiarize yourself with the bill and how it will affect your business please read my previous post.  An expanded summary and additional information is now available on the HSMG website.

The HSMG is opposed to this bill, as written, and it is my goal in these meetings to make these legislators aware of the impact this legislation will have on the handcrafted soapmaking industry.  Help get the message out and take the following steps on your own to make a difference:

1. Educate yourself – there is a lot of information out there on how this bill will impact the industry, make sure you are using reputable sources when researching and know where the information is coming from.
2. Write to your local representative – see the talking points and a sample letter on the HSMG Safe Cosmetics Act pages.
3. Sign the petition  – to oppose SCA 2010 here.
4. Spread the Word – to the local and online soapmaking community. See What You Can Do for more things you can do to get the word out.

Now, more than ever it is important that we stick together as soapmakers and businesses.  There is strength in numbers.  The HSMG grows stronger with every new member. The more members, the stronger our voice is.  If you are not a member there has never been a better time or a better reason to join.

Stay tuned to the blog for more updates, I will be posting to Facebook and Twitter while in DC and will do a complete post once I return.

NOTE:  If you are an HSMG member and live in the DC area and would like to meet us for dinner on Monday night (August 1st) we will be at:  Luigi’s, 1132 19th St. NW, at 6 PM.  Come join us!

Leigh O’Donnell

HSMG President

President@SoapGuild.org

On July 20th, a new bill was introduced, H.R. 5786, The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 by representatives Schakowsky (D-IL), Markey (D-MA) and Baldwin (D-WI).

Read the entire bill here.  (47 pages)

This bill is intended to amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to ensure the safe use of cosmetics, and for other purposes.

IF the bill passed in this format, this is what if would mean for your business:

Who does this bill affect?

Any establishment located in any state that manufactures, packages or distributes cosmetics.

Any foreign establishment that exports cosmetics to the United States without further processing or packaging outside the United States.

How will it affect your business?

Mandatory Registration

Any establishment as defined above will have to register with the Secretary (the FDA) by providing the following information:

• Name
• Address
• Trade Names
• Description of Activities
• Number of Workers Employed
• Gross receipt of Sales
• Names and Addresses of any suppliers of ingredients

Any changes to the registration will be made within 60 days.

Once the registration is completed the establishment will be assigned a registration number.

The FDA will maintain a list of establishments that are registered and this list will become public information.

Any establishment that fails to provide complete information of fails to register will be removed or suspended.

(Currently the FDA has a Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program (VCRP) this bill would make registration mandatory and require further information).

Registration Fees

A fee schedule will be determined by the FDA.  All companies with annual gross receipts of less than $1M will not be assessed a fee.

(Although the fees will not directly affect you, it may affect your suppliers or their suppliers and will have a trickle down affect to the end user).

Product Labeling

All products will be labeled with the name of each ingredient in descending order of predominance.  A contaminant or trace element is not required to be listed if the contaminant is present at levels below technically feasible detection limits.

All products sold in e-Commerce will now be required to have an ingredient list on the website as well as the product label.  This includes the establishment’s website as well as the websites of their distributors.

List of Ingredients

The FDA will keep a list of ingredients that are prohibited or restricted for use in cosmetics and continually update that list.  The list will be ingredients that are known to be carcinogenic, mutagenic, or have reproductive and developmental toxicity, based on information from the following:

• The Environmental Protection Agency
• The International Agency for Research on Cancer
• The National Toxicity Program through the National Institutes of Health
• The California Environmental Protection Agency
• Other authoritative international, Federal, and State entities (as determined by the Secretary)

(It will be the responsibility of the manufacturer to keep up with what is on the list and what is added to the list, at this time it is not clear how this list will be maintained and in what format).

Safety Statements

Eighteen months after the date of enactment of the Act, each manufacturer shall submit a statement signed by the CEO, based on available information after a good faith inquiry, that -

• The cosmetic and its ingredients meet the safety standard; or
• There is insufficient data to determine whether the cosmetic and its ingredients meet the safety standard.

(This will be done for each product that you sell, it is not clear what is done in the case of a product that has insufficient data).

Registration of Products

Each manufacturer shall submit electronically each cosmetic manufactured in the establishment that is intended to be marketed in the United States a statement containing:

• The registration number of the manufacturing establishment.
• The registration number of the establishment responsible for distributing the cosmetic.
• The brand name and the product name for the cosmetic.
• The applicable use for the cosmetic.
• The ingredient list as it appears on the cosmetic label of insert, including the particle size of any nanoscale cosmetic ingredients.
• Any warnings and directions for use from the cosmetic label or insert; and
• The title and full contact information for the individual responsible for submitting and maintaining such statements.

Any changes will be made in a timely manner and notification will be made to the Secretary.

Each statement will be assigned a cosmetic statement number by the Secretary upon submission.

(This means EVERY product that you manufacture and market to the public which will limit your ability to change and try new products on short notice).

Reporting of Adverse Health Effects

All reports of adverse health effects shall be made within 15 business days of the event.

The content of the report shall include:

• An identifiable patient.
• An identifiable report.
• A suspect cosmetic.
• A serious and unexpected adverse event.

Confidential Information

All information submitted to the Secretary shall be deemed public information and nonconfidential with the exception of the concentration of cosmetic ingredients used in a finished cosmetic.

At the 2010 Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, the membership passed a legislative advocacy statement:

“The position of The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild is to act as an advocate in all areas that affect the manufacture, sale and distribution of handcrafted soap as defined by HSMG Policy 2005-04-28 Position Statement.  Handcrafted soap under these definitions can be either a soap or a cosmetic depending upon how it’s formulated and labeled.”

The FDA’s website has a page with a very good definition of whether your soap is a soap or a cosmetic.  To re-educate yourself click here.

It is the position of the HSMG that H.R. 5786, The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010

• Is poorly written and confusing.
• Places too much of a financial burden on small business.
• Over regulates an already safe industry.
• Destroys the creativity and flexibility of small handcrafted soap manufacturers.
• Creates further job loss and loss of local revenue in already tough economic times.

Therefore, the HSMG is against H.R. 5786 The Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 as written.

Leigh O’Donnell

HSMG President

President@SoapGuild.org

Natalia graciously volunteered to be the HSMG Forum Moderator recently and is doing a great job! She lives in Guatemala and began soaping only about a year ago. She had recently quit her job, needed income and wanted to do something special with her life. In October of 2009, she decided to become a full time soapmaker.  Check out her website at EnJabonArte! 

Like many of us, the beginning wasn’t easy but she is happy to keep reaching her dream of having her own melt and pour soapmaking business. Natalia loves what she does with glycerin soap, because it’s an easy expression of her own art, by adding almost any oil, extract, herb, etc. to make it great on the skin, “Almost as a CP soap (almost!) but i can use it immediately when is done. “ she says.

 Natalia said “Thank God, people love my soaps and people started to ask me to teach them, so now I give basic glycerin soapmaking classes too.” Natalia does well as a Sworn Translator and Marketer, but is sure that making glycerin soaps is her thing!

Please join Natalia for interesting soap related discussions on our HSMG Forum!

Ela McAdams volunteered for HSMG Social Media and helps out on Facebook. Her interest in making soaps and other toiletries grew out of a love of herbs.  She has been teaching soapmaking (MP, CP and HP), balm making, lotion making, candle making and other crafts for about 15 years. Since she loves to talk soap and other crafts she has been a moderator on some popular soap forums so you may recognize her from there.

This past conference in Denver was her first HSMG Ela said, “I was so impressed with everything, I learned a lot, and I got to meet in person a number of my crafting “heroes”, including Marie Gale, Debbie May, and Anne-Marie Fiola. I can’t wait to see everyone again.”

Attached are her favorite soap projects, her wedding favour soaps. She was married on a cruise ship so thus the “beach theme”. She used rubber flip flop erasers, cornmeal and clear MP to create a scene of twin flip flops on the beach, sticking their toes in the ocean. 

Ela, looks forward to getting to know everyone better!