The luxury beauty industry has a tendency to be rigid and monotonous. From the products themselves to their branding and advertising, everything tends to look (and smell) the same. In creating our soap collection, we wanted to do something entirely out of the ordinary, from the shapes to the colours to the messaging. We wanted it to be Insoapropriate.

Our approach was tongue in cheek, with the tagline, “Please do not use as intended” as the focal point of the project. Each of the five soaps had its own shape, designed to cleanse the senses, that was visually brought to life with an unfolding poster inside each box. Bright colours were chosen for each soap to contrast with the industry’s generally pale—if not white—shades. The box was elegant yet minimalist, leaving room for the products to shine.

The five soaps we created are entirely natural, biodegradable and vegan. An organic glycerin base was chosen for its hydrating, transparent, odourless and malleable properties, and we used custom-made silicone molds to create five natural shapes—one for each of the five senses—that could snugly fit the orifices where no other soap had gone before. In collaboration with a local soapmaker, we developed a variety of methods to recreate the designs we had on paper, requiring the likes of syringes and other unusual soap-making tools. The scents, based entirely on essential oils and organic fragrances, ranged from lily of the valley to eucalyptus and vetiver.

We produced and distributed 600 boxes to existing and potential clients based mainly in North America and Europe. Sent on behalf of the agency’s senior partners, the gift sparked more than one conversation and helped break the ice with some of our least accessible contacts. With its form and messaging, this “inappropriate” soap collection brilliantly demonstrated the agency’s bold and playful spirit, while simultaneously attracting high-profile clients thanks to its design and product quality. Mission accomplished on two fronts: an esthetically pleasing collection that provoked a multitude of positive reactions.