PIMARN picked up her soap-making skills from a friend in the United States and it first started out as a hobby. She went back to Thailand in 2001 and decided to give the handmade soap business a shot, adapting and adjusting the recipe using local ingredients like turmeric, which is well-known as a beauty aid in Thailand. She later decided to use common herbs and ingredients that most people are familiar with such as lavender, tea tree, etc. According to Pimarn, some customers don’t want to try something they don’t know. But once they try something they’re familiar with and like it, then they are more open to the other herbs.       

 Pimarn first started making her soaps in her kitchen and sold them at the Night Bazaar.  It was a matter of being at the right place at the right time – the aromatherapy and spa business was starting to boom then and people wanted to try handmade soap.  She soon received more orders and once the business grew, so did her work area – she ended up converting the garage into a small factory. First, I took part of the garage. Everything was in there (about 4m x 4m.) – the office, the computer, our packing material, etc.,” recalls Pimarn. She later ended up using the whole garage and kept a small room in it as the office.  Now the office is in the house along with the showroom and stock room.  

 Pimarn officially registered SOAP-n-SCENT as a business in 2004 and has been running it with her own money. So how did she feel when she sold her first few bars of soap?

 “In the beginning, it was fun and exciting.  The very first few bars weren’t meant to become a serious business.  It was pure joy and fun and I was eager to try new things. I’d never been in any business before so I had to learn everything by myself, how to find suppliers, how to deal with customers, manage the people, etc.,” says Pimarn.

 She also makes it a point to attend business seminars, especially those pertaining to management.  When the business is more serious, there’s stress.  There are time constraints, budget limitations, customer satisfaction to worry about, complaints, etc. I think it comes with any business but I have to manage it to minimise the problems.  That’s why things can stay fun and I can enjoy running the business,” she adds. 

 So how challenging has it been to maintain the business? Pimarn reckons that anyone can make soap, but to make it well with consistent quality, especially when you have to deal with a large quantity isn’t easy. 

 “I think it’s about management and people.  Also, I never stop learning, you need to have a desire to learn new things and be able to apply them to the business.”

 Soap-n-Scent’s tagline is “Bathing is more than just a way of getting clean”, which according to Pimarn shows that bathing doesn't have to be just about getting clean.  It’s about enjoying your bath and loving it and how it can be healthy, especially with aromatherapy. Soap-n-Scent’s products are formulated with natural ingredients like vegetable oils, and are free from any animal fat which can clog up skin pores. Pimarn does not believe in using animal fat or harming animals for her products.

 “There's no point in trying to be healthy and beautiful by killing life to achieve it,” she explains.