How Chester County’s Miche Scott Created Her Luxury Soap Empire

by Melissa Jacobs

It’s the soap so beautiful you almost don’t want to use it. Nestled into jewel box-like packaging, Miche Scott Handmade soaps look as gorgeous as they smell. Crafted with wild-harvested botanicals and herbs, the soaps are made by Miche Scott in her Honeybrook, PA studio.

Scott is both a soap artisan and an entrepreneur. After launching her soaps online and at Clover Market, Scott quickly branched into specialty and gift shops. Now, Miche Scott Handmade is sold in 37 stores around the US from California to Pennsylvania, including upscale locations like the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Winterthur in Delaware and Cheekwood in Nashville, Tennessee.

Scott launched the company in 2020, the same year she arrived in the US. A native of the Philippines, Scott left her home country to work for Dolce Gabbana, then moved to Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdales doing logistics and supply chain coordination. Since then, she has lived in India, Malaysia, and Quatar.

But Scott’s soap story started in Dubai. Back in 2013, Scott was strolling through a high-end pop-up shop inside a Dubai hotel. She saw a woman making soap and was instantly fascinated by it. Luxury goods were Scott’s career, but she didn’t know much about soap. “I bought it at a grocery store like everyone else,” she said.

Some combination of the scents, shapes and hand work struck a chord with Scott. “I was so moved by it,” she remembered. “I asked the woman if she taught a soap-making class. She did.”

Scott learned to make soap in three months. But it took Scott seven more years to launch her company. “That’s how long it took me to understand my own voice,” she said.

Over those seven years, she experimented … a lot. “At one point, I had 500 soaps in my studio,” she said. “Soap making is a way for me to quiet my mind and clear the cobwebs in my head. There is something magical about working with my hands.”

She narrowed down the scents – sort of – to 250 options. She also decided to use a bee as the symbol on each soap. “Bees are very giving and resilient,” she said. “They work hard and find purpose in their work, and the result is something sweet and beautiful.”

Eventually, Scott chose her key scents and organized them into collections. Miche Scott Handmade’s current collections are 1983, Flora, Wildflower Honey, and Love Notes. Each collection has different scents and the soaps come in different shapes, including round, oval, hexagon and bars. Prices are $8.50 – $10 for individual soaps and $35-$45 for boxes of three.

Meantime, Scott retains her connection to her soaps and the meditative aspects of the soap making process. “Soap teaches me patience because you can’t use it the moment you finish it,” she said. “It teaches me that it’s okay not to be perfect and to accept your imperfections. Sometimes, they are the most beautiful parts.”

Visit Miche Scott Handmade.

Love this story? Read about Chester County antique shops and great PA wines you’ll love.

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