Certification
The HSMG Annual Conference offers a great opportunity for you to participate in the Certification Program. All levels of the Certification tests will be offered at the event. The Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild's Soapmaker goal is to promote the highest professional standards among HSMG members. The Program presents criteria by which members can measure their soap making knowledge and skill as well as creates a centralized repository for industry-standard information and resources.
Here are a few important facts about the HSMG Certification Program:
- Soapmaker Certification is offered only to HSMG Members.
- Participation in the program is entirely voluntary.
- Certificates are valid only so long as the soapmaker is a current member of the HSMG.
HSMG members can sign up in advance to take one or multiple Certification Exams
at the 2012 Conference. Registration may also be completed at the conference, anytime during the first day. If possible, advanced registration
is preferred so we will have an idea of how many people to prepare for.
There are two testing tracks:
- Cold Process/Hot Process (CP/HP)
- Melt and Pour (MP)
Two testing periods are scheduled during the conference: the first on the evening of May 8th, 2011 and the second
on Thursday, May 10th at 7:00am.
Members may take multiple exams (e.g., Basic MP Exam and Basic CP/HP Exam or Basic MP Exam, followed by the Advanced MP Exam).
Members taking multiple exams will take their first test on the evening of May 8th and their second exam the morning of May 10th.
Members taking two exams on the same track will need to pass their first exam before taking the next exam on that certification track.
Please note, if you are taking an Advanced Level Test, a soap submission is required. Please bring your soap with you to the
conference. Soap samples and completed forms must be turned in by noon on May 9th (first day of the conference) in order to give the Judges
sufficient time to complete their evaluations.
Everyone who passes an examination at the conference will receive a certificate and be acknowledged at the Awards Dinner on the last
evening of the conference.
Register for Certification Testing Now!
For more information about the tests please go see the
Certification Overview section on our website.
Preparing for the Certification Examination
Study materials, practice exams and reference lists have been developed and are available for use in preparing for the Certification examinations. More materials will be developed as time permits. Anyone interested in volunteering in the project to compile soapmaking and certification study materials should contact Barb De LosSantos at BarbD@soapguild.org
Steps for successfully passing the exams:
- Visit the Members Area (login required) and take the Practice Tests, Program Requirements & Research Materials on the HSMG website
- Plan well, soaps submitted for Advanced Certification MUST be fully aged before judging.
- Review your current manufacturing practices.
- Put your current soap recipes to the test including calculating lye percentages, fragrances percentages, temperatures, etc.
- Ask questions before test time by emailing certification@soapguild.org
- Review your product labels. Ask yourself, "Do they meet proper labeling standards?" A great source of information is
"Soap and Cosmetic Labeling" by Marie Gale.
