Moon Haven

Three years went into the recipe before it was settled. Moon Haven says that is how long its signature soap formula took to develop. It is a useful thing to know about a bar of soap. Somebody kept making it, and kept changing it, until it was right.

The business began around the turn of the millennium in the family's own kitchen, started by Leonie. It has since grown into a family concern in the fullest sense. Moon Haven describes itself as a four-generation family business, and the site names Leonie's son Chris and his wife Laura among the family at work in it today.

Growing has not changed the method much. The soaps, balms and essential oil blends are described as handmade in small batches, poured, cut and packaged by hand. Every batch of soap is left to dry and harden before it leaves. That is the slow part of soap making, and a step that asks for patience.

What makes the range particular to this corner of the country is where the scents come from. Moon Haven names many of its soaps for local places. Scent of Margaret River, its most popular soap, is a blend of lemon myrtle and eucalyptus inspired by the Boranup Forest. Seagrass is based on Geographe Bay, the water Busselton looks out on, and was developed to capture the colours and feel of that coastline. For anyone who has spent a holiday between those two places, a bar of soap is a small and practical way to take some of it home.

Beyond soap, the range takes in essential oils, body moisturisers, perfumes and scents for the home.

Moon Haven is based in Busselton and sells online only, so there is no shop to visit. It posts orders within Australia from its own site.