Every bar costed, from oils to wrap
Keepsel is inventory and production software for soap makers. Weigh base oils, lye and fragrance into real recipes and know the honest cost of every bar before it hits the shelf, whatever your batch size or scent lineup.
Try free for 30 days, with 25 Suli messages once you confirm your email (all of Suli from Maker). No card.
Track everything that goes into a bar of soap
From raw materials to the finished piece, Keepsel keeps soap makers on top of:
- base oils and lye
- butters
- fragrance and essential oils
- molds
- colorants
- boxes and wrap
A bar of soap in Keepsel
Product
Lavender Oatmeal Soap Bar
SKU LAV-OAT-BAR
Material
Olive Oil
tracked in oz · Base Oils
Supplier
Soap Crafters Supply
Variations, from Maker
Scent, Size
Built around how soap makers actually work
Oils bought in gallons, saponified in ounces
Olive, coconut and palm arrive in bulk but every recipe calls for precise weights. Track each oil in ounces or grams; from the Maker plan, a work order for a 40-bar batch draws the right amounts down for you (work orders up to 10 a month on Maker as a trial and 100 on Team, unlimited on Business and Enterprise).
Cure time hides your real inventory
Bars on the curing rack aren't sellable yet, but they aren't raw materials either. A simple rule keeps your numbers honest: add bars to finished stock when the cure is done (finished stock is on the Maker plan), and keep the rack on your own calendar.
A recipe is more than the oils
Fragrance, colorant, botanicals, wrap, label: the extras quietly double a bar's cost. Put the whole bill of materials in the recipe and price from the true number, not the oil math alone.
Batch records you can stand behind
Give every batch a lot number in your batch log and you'll always know which oils went into which bars. From the Maker plan, Keepsel keeps the lot numbers and expiry dates of the oils and fragrance you receive, for the day a supplier changes their base.
A day in Keepsel, for soap makers
Weigh in your materials
Oils, lye, fragrance, colorants and packaging, each tracked in the unit your scale reads, at the price you actually paid.
Log a batch
From the Maker plan, a work order for a 40-bar pour deducts the oils, lye and fragrance it used.
Move cured bars to stock
When the cure is done, add the finished bars to sellable stock (from the Maker plan), each costed from its recipe.
Restock ahead of the rack
From the Maker plan, low-stock alerts on oils and best-selling fragrance mean the next batch is never waiting on a delivery.
Lavender Oatmeal Soap Bar, costed line by line
This is the math Keepsel does for every product you make: every line from its recipe, updated whenever a material's price changes.
Cut from a typical 40-bar loaf batch. The per-bar cost updates whenever an oil price moves.
Lavender Oatmeal Soap Bar
- Base oils (olive, coconut, shea: 4.5 oz)
- $1.35
- Lye (0.6 oz)
- $0.18
- Lavender fragrance (0.4 oz)
- $0.55
- Oats + colorant
- $0.12
- Wrap + label
- $0.42
- True cost
- $2.62
- Suggested price
- $8.00
- Margin
- 67%
Questions soap makers ask
How do I track soap making supplies and inventory?
Treat every input as a material with a unit and a cost: oils by the ounce, lye by the ounce, fragrance by the ounce, wrap by the piece. Recipes then cost each bar exactly, and your supply counts stay honest without a spreadsheet.
How do I calculate the cost of a bar of soap?
Total a batch's oils, lye, fragrance, additives and packaging, then divide by the bars it yields. A typical handmade bar lands between $2 and $4 in materials. Keepsel does this from your real recipe and keeps it current as supplier prices change.
How do I handle cure time in my inventory?
Don't count bars as sellable until they're cured. Note the pour date and the cure-ready date in your batch log, and add the bars to finished stock the day they come off the rack, so your shop numbers stay true and you can plan launches around when the rack actually frees up.
Do I need lot tracking for handmade soap?
It's one of the cheapest insurances in soap making. A lot number per batch, written in your batch log with the oil and fragrance lots it used, lets a scent that behaves oddly or a supplier reformulation be tracked down in minutes. From the Maker plan, Keepsel keeps the lot numbers and expiry dates of the materials you receive.
Can Keepsel handle multiple soap scents and sizes?
Yes. From the Maker plan, scent and size can be variations, so your lavender, oatmeal and charcoal bars in full and guest sizes each carry their own cost, price and stock without turning into a wall of separate products.
Is Keepsel worth it for a small soap business?
Starter is free for 30 days, enough to answer the first question every soap maker has: what a bar truly costs. From the Maker plan, batch work orders, lot numbers and low-stock alerts are there when the loaf pans multiply.
Keepsel for other crafts
Guides for soap makers
All guidesHow to Price Handmade Soap (Cure Time Included)
Build a real cost per bar (oils, lye, fragrance, wrap), then price for the weeks your cash spends on the curing rack.
Lot Tracking for Makers: What It Is and When You Need It
Lot tracking sounds like factory paperwork. For makers of anything perishable or regulated, it's a simple habit that protects your customers, and you.
What's the Right Batch Size for Your Products?
Batch too small and you're always setting up; batch too big and you're sitting on stock. Here's how to find the size that's actually efficient for you.
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) for Handmade Sellers, Explained
COGS sounds like accountant jargon, but it's just what your sold products cost to make, and it shapes your taxable profit. Here's the plain-English version.
Run your soap business like a business
Know your true cost and margin and keep every material counted. Or try the free pricing calculator first.
Try free for 30 days, with 25 Suli messages once you confirm your email (all of Suli from Maker). No card.