About Us
Bathe to Basics is a natural skincare, bath and body brand founded in Hong Kong in 2011. Every product is formulated and made by hand in Hong Kong in small batches, scented only with pure essential oils, and is vegan and free from parabens, sulfates (SLS/SLES), aluminium salts, silicones and synthetic fragrance. The brand is led by founder and cosmetic formulator Edmund, who formulates every product himself and explains the science behind it in plain language.
- Founded
- 2011, Hong Kong
- Made in
- Hong Kong, in small batches
- Led by
- Edmund, founder & cosmetic formulator
- Scent
- 100% pure essential oils
- Never
- Parabens, SLS/SLES, aluminium salts, silicones, synthetic fragrance
- Flagship shop
- S404, Block A, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central
Simple things, made well, that smell like the real thing.
We started with one bar of olive-oil soap and a question: why can't everyday skincare be this honest?
Fifteen years on, that question still shapes everything we make. Our body soaps, perfumes, deodorants, hair and face care are built from a short list of ingredients you can read and recognise, scented with essential oils rather than fragrance compounds, and made a few dozen at a time in Hong Kong. Nothing is designed to look impressive on a shelf. Everything is designed to feel good on skin, and to smell the way a garden smells rather than the way a perfume counter does.
From an allergic reaction to a Hong Kong brand
In 2010, our co-founder Gia learned to make natural soap from scratch. Both of us had been reacting badly to commercial body products at the time, and most "handmade" soap on the market was really craft: pretty shapes, bright colours, heavy fragrance. One day Gia made a bar with nothing but olive oil. No additives, no decoration. We tried it and it was the gentlest thing either of us had used.
That bar was the whole idea: simple, pure, natural, kind to skin and to the environment. We officially founded Bathe to Basics in Hong Kong in 2011.
Gia has since returned home to the United States. Edmund now leads the brand, its formulations and the small team that makes everything by hand, and the olive-oil bar is still in the range.
-
2010
Gia makes the first olive-oil bar. The idea for a simpler kind of skincare takes shape.
-
2011
Bathe to Basics is founded in Hong Kong with handmade cold-process soap.
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PMQ
Our flagship shop opens at PMQ in Central, where you can smell every product before you buy.
-
Today
Soaps, perfumes, deodorants, hair and face care, a refill station, and a brand that shows its work.
A natural brand that shows its work
Bathe to Basics is formulated by its founder. Edmund is a trained cosmetic formulator, and every formula in the range is his: the choice of each ingredient, the dose it is used at, and the reason it is there. Every scent is built from pure essential oils, every ingredient is listed in full on the label, and when we say "natural", we can tell you exactly what in the bottle earns the word.
We don't use fear to sell. You won't find "toxin" or "chemical-free" anywhere on our labels, because everything is a chemical, including water and olive oil. What you will find is a plain explanation of what each ingredient is doing and why we chose it.
"A perfume made with essential oils behaves differently from a synthetic one. The top notes lift off faster and the base settles closer to the skin, so it smells like you wearing it rather than a cloud around you. We think that's the point."
Edmund, founder & formulatorOur ingredient standards
Natural is our descriptor, not a marketing mood. Here is what it means in practice for every Bathe to Basics formula, whether it's a bar of soap or a perfume.
Always
- YESScented only with pure essential oils
- YESVegan: no animal-derived ingredients, and we do not test on animals
- YESAlways searching for better materials and higher natural standards
- YESFull ingredient list on every label and every product page
- YESMade by hand in Hong Kong, in small batches
Never
- NOParabens
- NOSulfates (SLS / SLES)
- NOAluminium salts in deodorants
- NOSynthetic fragrance
- NOSilicones
Why we're not certified (yet): we keep raising our own bar, always searching for better materials and higher green and natural standards, and we explain every ingredient we use. Third-party certification is on our roadmap for when it adds real value for you rather than a badge for us.
Small batches, fresh from a Hong Kong workshop
"Made in Hong Kong" on our label is a promise, not a slogan. Every product is made locally in small quantities, so what you take home was made recently, by people who use it themselves. Making here also lets us tune formulas for Hong Kong life: humid summers, air-conditioned offices, hard water and skin that swings between the two.
Our flagship shop sits inside PMQ, the former Police Married Quarters in Central. Come and smell every scent, refill your Basic Body Soap, Hand Soap or Shampoo at our Refill Station, or find us at our partner stockists across Hong Kong.
About Bathe to Basics
Where are Bathe to Basics products made?
All Bathe to Basics products are formulated and made by hand in Hong Kong, in small batches. Our flagship shop is at S404, Block A, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, and we also sell online and through partner stockists across Hong Kong.
Are Bathe to Basics products vegan and cruelty-free?
Yes. Bathe to Basics products are vegan, made without animal-derived ingredients, and we do not test on animals. Our fragrance comes only from pure essential oils.
What does "natural" mean at Bathe to Basics?
It means three concrete things: every scent comes from pure essential oils; every ingredient is listed in full and explained; and with every new formula we keep searching for better materials and higher natural standards. We never use "natural" to mean "chemical-free", because nothing is.
What ingredients does Bathe to Basics never use?
We never use parabens, sulfates (SLS/SLES), aluminium salts, synthetic fragrance or silicones. Full ingredient lists are printed on every product and shown on every product page.
Who formulates Bathe to Basics products?
Our founder, Edmund, a trained cosmetic formulator, formulates every product and writes the Formulator's Notes you'll find across the site explaining how each one works.
Is Bathe to Basics certified organic or natural?
Not yet. We keep working toward higher green and natural standards with every new formula, and we show every ingredient we use, which is the substance behind a certificate. Third-party certification is on our roadmap for when it adds real value for customers.
Visit us at PMQ
Bathe to BasicsS404, 4/F, Block A, PMQ
35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong
Tel / WhatsApp: +852 9355 1397
Email: info@bathetobasics.com