Where can I buy Purple Urchin Products?

You can stop by our store located at 1094 Bank Street Ottawa or order right here online!

You can also purchase some of our products at the following retailer locations:

Terra20
1304 Wellington St. W & 2685 Iris St.

Whole Foods 
951 Bank St

Herb + Spice wellness shop
375 Bank St

Massine’s Your Independent Grocer
296 Bank St

NU grocery
1130 Wellington St W

Do you have a loyalty program?

We are pleased to offer a loyalty program for purchases made at our retail location at 1094 Bank Street and Online. For more details on how points are applied, how you can collect additional points and/or to check your account points balance, login or signup below!

Already a member? Login

Not a member yet? Signup 

Do the products ever go on sale?

We do occasionally have in-store sales. In addition, we put our ‘Oops’ products, soap butts, and left over seasonal products on sale (in-store only)! Our ‘Oops’ products and soap butts are products that didn’t turn out perfect, but are still perfectly good! Our retailers determine their own sales on Purple Urchin products, so feel free to contact them for more information.

I have a charity or cause that I support, do you offer donations?

Yes!* We have a budget allotted for charitable donations that reflect the values of Purple Urchin. Below is our criteria for donation requests:
-   Donation requests must be made 60 days before the event.
-   All donation requests must be made through hello@purpleurchinsoap.com
Donations can only be made to organizations that can provide charitable donation receipts.
Please ensure your request includes all of the above criteria to be accepted.
*We receive many donation requests, and while we cannot contribute to all of them, we would like to offer our encouragement to each and every one of you.
Keep up the amazing work! 

What charities does Purple Urchin work with?
 

Click here to find out!

Do you take back your containers or do refills?

We do refills on site at our ahop located at 1094 Bank Street. To find out which products are currently available for refill, please visit the specific page for the product you are interested in refilling. You can also contact us via email at hello@purpleurchinsoap.com, call us at (613) 680 6889 or visit us in store! 

How often are new products formulated?

We are always experimenting with new products to add to our lineup, however, good things do take time. We never add a product to our line unless we love it and use it ourselves.

How do I keep my soap from going mushy/too soft while using?

If you use a slotted soap dish that allows the water to drain away from your soap while not in use, you’ll have a long-lasting hard bar of soap for usually around 3-4 weeks. Essentially, the longer soap sits in water, the softer and mushier it will be. No-one likes a mushy soap bar! 

Why are some bars of soap with the same scent different colours?

Since all of our products are handmade in-store, each batch is unique. Slight temperature variations and humidity can affect colour and texture, so the bars may vary. But we promise each item is just as good as the one before!

Which soap is most moisturizing?

We leave the naturally-occurring glycerin in our soap so all of our soaps are very moisturizing (particularly in comparison with typical drugstore detergent bars) but the most moisturizing would likely be our Oatmeal soap. Our Dead Sea Mud and Tea Tree & Eucalyptus as well as Onyx bar soaps feature ingredients suited for oily skin, so while they are still moisturizing, they are the least so.

Which soap is good for the face?

Our Dead Sea Mud, Tea Tree & Eucalyptus and Onyx soaps are great for oily/combination face types, due to their astringent or detoxifying effects. For dry face types, we recommend any of our other 100% natural bar soaps, especially the Oatmeal bar soap.

Which soap is good for oily/acne skin?

Dead Sea Mud, Tea Tree & Eucalyptus and Onyx.

Do you have anything for psoriasis?

We don’t have anything yet that is specifically meant for psoriasis, though our bar soaps can help due to their mild nature and moisturizing properties. In fact, we’ve had several customers who suffer from psoriasis tell us that our Oatmeal bar has really helped them control their flare-ups.

 

How does the therapeutic line work if the products are 100% natural?

Black Pepper & Birch sore muscle rub and Arthritis Relief Rub contain essential oils and carrier oils that are said to have natural therapeutic benefits when absorbed by the skin.

Do you make hair shampoo and conditioner?

Yes! We currently have liquid and solid bar shampoo and conditioner.

 

How environmentally friendly is Purple Urchin?

Whenever possible, we make sure the ingredients we use are harvested ethically, with people, animals, and the environment in mind. We refuse to use palm oil, as its consumption contributes widely to the destruction of forests, which is horrible for the planet and for the forests’ animal inhabitants.

Do you use animal by-products in your soap or other products?

Purple Urchin is a vegetarian company. All of our products are cruelty-free and 100% vegetarian (if not vegan). Most are vegan with the exception of a few products which contain either goat’s milk, silk amino acids or beeswax.

Why are some products 100% natural and others 95/97% natural?

Our 100% natural products are scented with essential oils and our 95/97% natural products are scented with fragrance oils. The reason we use fragrance oils is because there are certain scents that just cannot be created naturally.

How do I know which products are 100% natural?

All of our 100% natural products will have '100% natural' written on the label. If it is not indicated that means the product contains fragrance oils and is 95/97% natural.

Does Purple Urchin source ingredients locally?

We source locally when we can, however, many of the ingredients we use aren’t produced here so we have to source the ingredients from other locations. Some items must be grown in protected areas, and other ingredients are only found in certain regions around the world.

I own a business and would like to have private label or custom developed products. Can I ask Purple Urchin to develop this for me?

We do not offer private label or custom developed products currently.