Stirling Soap Company

Stirling Soap Company is an American artisan soap and personal-care manufacturer founded in January 2012 by Roderick and Amanda Lovan. The company grew out of the founders' trip to Scotland, which left them wanting natural, pure products for their bodies, and out of their discovery that most mass-market "soap" is technically a synthetic detergent rather than true soap under the FDA's definition. Unwilling to pay premium prices for natural soap, they set out to make a natural, skin-friendly soap that ordinary households could afford to use every day — the business statement that still anchors the brand. The company is best known for its wet-shaving range: shave soaps sold in tubs and sample sizes, aftershave splashes, and starter kits that bundle everything a newcomer needs to begin traditional wet shaving at a discount. Around that core it has built a broad grooming and home-fragrance catalogue, including bath soaps, beard balms and beard oils, body lotions and body butters, solid cologne, lip balm, and hardware. Many products are organized around named scent families — Executive Man, Barbershop, Sharp Dressed Man, Mountain Man, Deep Blue Sea, Stirling Spice, Sandalwood, Carmichael, and seasonal releases such as Hot Apple Cider and Pumpkin Spice — and the site offers a scent library and sample packs so customers can explore before committing to full sizes. Stirling sells primarily direct to consumers through its own e-commerce site, with a strong sampling culture (5-packs of shave soap samples, aftershave splash sample packs, build-a-pack options) and gift cards. It has also expanded into adjacent categories, notably coffee roasted under the Stirling Roastery name, reinforcing a lifestyle positioning around traditional, small-batch, no-nonsense men's grooming. Prices are deliberately moderate — shave soaps starting around $4.30, bath soaps around $5.15, beard balms from about $7.95 — consistent with the founding promise of affordability. The company remains privately held and owner-operated, with no public listing. It is a well-known name within the enthusiast wet-shaving community, where its combination of tallow-based soap performance, wide scent range, and low prices has made it a frequent entry point for new traditional shavers.

Stirling Soap Company was founded in January 2012 by Roderick and Amanda Lovan. According to the company's own account, the idea took shape after a trip to Scotland that left the founders craving "all things natural and pure for our bodies." Researching the subject, they learned that much of what supermarkets sell as soap is not technically soap under the FDA's definition and is instead built from lab-created chemicals and detergents designed to lower manufacturing costs. They then looked into natural, artisan soaps but found the prices prohibitive for daily family use. That gap became the founding premise: the Lovans set out to produce a soap that was natural and healthy but also affordable. The early period was one of experimentation — trying numerous recipes and suppliers, testing batches, arguing over crafting styles, pouring methods, cutting and storage, and running up credit-card balances to buy ingredients in pursuit of the right blends. They combined their own notes with feedback from testers to settle on the recipes that became the company's first products. From that base the company expanded well beyond bar soap into a full grooming range. Shave soap became the flagship category, supported by aftershave splashes, bath soaps, beard balms and oils, body lotions and butters, solid cologne, lip balm, and shaving hardware. A distinctive feature of the business is its sampling model: shave soap samples sold in packs of five, aftershave splash sample packs, starter kits bundling everything needed for wet shaving at a discount, and a scent library that lets customers browse the full range of named scents. Seasonal and limited releases — such as Hot Apple Cider and Pumpkin Spice — are used to refresh the catalogue through the year. The brand later diversified into coffee under the Stirling Roastery label, extending its traditional, small-batch, everyday-value identity into another consumable category. Throughout, it has remained a privately held, owner-operated business selling mainly through its own website, with a reputation in the enthusiast wet-shaving community for tallow-based soap performance at moderate prices.

• 2026

  Fall Release 2026 and seasonal Hot Apple Cider scent launched.

• 2012

  Stirling Soap Company founded in January by Roderick and Amanda Lovan.

• Shave soap, aftershave splash and bath soap lines established as core offerings.

• Starter kits and sample packs introduced to lower the barrier to wet shaving.

• Beard balm range expanded with additional scents.

• Stirling Roastery coffee added to the product catalogue.

Natural, artisan-made personal care and wet-shaving products that are good for the skin and affordable for everyday use.

• Executive Man Shave Soap

• Barbershop Shave Soap

• Bath Soap

• Aftershave Splash Sample Pack of 5

• Shave Soap Samples (Pack of 5)

• Beard Balm

• Body Lotion (Carmichael)

• Body Butter (Pumpkin Spice)

• Solid Cologne Jar (Sandalwood)

• Lip Balm

• Starter Kits

• Stirling Roastery Coffee

• E-Gift Card

1. 1Stirling Soap Company - Homestirlingsoap.com
2. 2About Us – Stirling Soap Companystirlingsoap.com
3. 3All – Stirling Soap Companystirlingsoap.com
4. 4E-Gift Card – Stirling Soap Companystirlingsoap.com
5. 5Stirling Soap Company – Wikidatawikidata.org