4 Mins Read
The artisanal movement is admittedly not a huge one in Asia’s World City but there are a few locally-grown treasures. Below are a list of Green Queen’s Favourite Made in Hong Kong items; great for indulging one’s green pampering passions and perfect for gift-giving. These brands/companies also get a special Green Queen shout-out for empowering a greener Hong Kong and generally promoting a sustainable way of life.
Gladys HandMade Soap: hand-milled functional soaps made by Gladys herself using non-toxic ingredients and essential oils. Gladys’s soaps offer different functions such as the Mugwort Peaceful Soap or the The Coffee Household Soaps. The products can be tailor-made to suit needs or events such as the Wedding Soap collection. Gladys also hand-makes lip balms, massage oil blends, insect repellent, itch relief balms, body butters and more. Gladys’s soaps are made in small quantities so the soap profiles change regularly. Gladys’s products are hand wrapped in beautiful recyclable packaging. Approx HKD 50 per soap bar.
Squeaky Clean: Based in Discovery Bay, Squeaky Clean hand-makes chemical- free powder detergent goodness, scented with essential oils, no less! Packaged in vintagey-brown-paper bags, here is what they promise: no phosphates, no chlorine, no optical brighteners or dyes- basically totally non-toxic. Great at removing stubborn stains and gentle enough for your baby’s bottom though strong enough for cloth diapers! The blends come in Everyday or Extra Gentle and are offered in the following scents: Lavender/Vanilla, Lemon/Orange and Unscented for the extra-sensitive among us. 16oz for HKD 70 will get you about 48 loads or go for the family-pack 24oz for HKD 110 which should get you 96 loads 
HK Honey: HK Honey is the real thing, a full-blown Hong Kong locavore eco-movement. The HK Honey team has revived the art of beekeeping in our city and given locally-made artisanal honey some serious street-cred. You can also hold them responsible for making it uber hip to be an urban beekeeper. HK Honey is extremely collaborative: anyone can contact them and join the movement to learn about Chinese honey bees and set up their own roof-top golden hive. If you just want to get a taste, contact them for a tour and meet the bee-keeeprs- a great family day out! The team also hosts bee-keeping and candle-making workshops. They produce and sell delectable jars of Hong Kong honey (HKD 240 for 250g jar), as well as clean-burning beeswax candles (HKD 120 per candle jar).
So…Soap! It’s hard not to root for So…Soap! Other than the charming name, this social venture was founded to offer marginalized women in Hong Kong an honest, sustainable and flexible livelihood. The women produce toxin-free, glycerin-based bio-degradable liquid soap from their Hong Kong homes, enabling them to promote a greener environment and care for their families. The bottles are recycled soy milk containers, the soap contains calming essential oils, the packaging is chic and modern and these women earn a decent wage. What is not to love? HKD 88-108 for a 500ml bottle, So…Soap offers Tea Tree Hand Soap and Body Soap in 3 different scents: Bergamot, Lavender and Orange Ginger.
Bella Sapone: Bella is a Hong Kong based homemaker dedicated to living an eco-friendly organic life. This passion led her to develop Bella Sapone, an extensive line of earth-friendly homemade cleansers which uses non-toxic ingredients such as virgin olive and coconut oils, organic cane sugar and essential oils. Bella Sapone offers liquid dish soap, body soap hand soap and laundry soap as well as shampoo and hand-made bar soaps. Bella products are stocked at various health stores around Hong Kong; check the website for stockiest and exact pricing. Starting from HKD 48 for 500ml bottles and HKD 48 her soap bar.
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