It started in a small, white room.

White Room Soapworks was founded in the Philippines in April 2019 by the Ramos family. The inspiration of the business came after the mother and father of the founder were diagnosed with cancer.

The family, in their time of grief, sought possible causes of cancer and found in academic research that some of the ingredients in commercial household products were carcinogens - can cause cancer development over prolonged exposure. They made a decision to replace all chemical-based household cleaning products with natural alternatives in their effort to create a safe healing space during their cancer journey.

Using a little white room 4 by 5 square meter room at the back of the house, the family developed a controlled and clean environment. They then started experimenting and developing different formulas until they produced soap that didn't react to sensitive skin caused by different cancer treatments. One of their most successful formulas is the Coco Castile bar soap and Coco Castile liquid soap which took 6 months (April to October 2019) of trial and error to reach its current form.

Initially, White Room soaps as it is known today was made for home use only. Later, as the family engaged in cancer support groups, the family realized that the want or need to lessen exposure to chemicals was not limited to them. It was in fact a general experience of families, who at times in their lives looked for products which didn't cause them any discomfort. It was these encounters that encouraged the family to make it their mission to create products that are natural, free from chemicals, pure as much as humanly possible, and make it available to the general public.

Along the way, the White Room Soapworks team partnered up with local suppliers to ensure sustainable practices and support local producers or businesses. It was the family's way of giving back to the community, especially those who supported them with good deals while they were starting out.

*Most of these suppliers/businesses did not survive the financial backlash from the COVID-19 pandemic, but we, at White Room are eternally grateful to them for giving us their trust and support.

The customers they served became a community in the early days especially during bazaars. Interacting with their customers gave the family motivation to fight against cancer while undergoing treatment even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. This same community even gave valuable feedback for additional uses of their developed products which helped grow and improve the case use of the products beyond what the family envisioned it to be.

Today, White Room Soapworks and its line of products continue serving its customers with quality products. It's product line has expanded from soaps to shampoos, and other products. The family is currently exploring how to scale up services to serve even more people, of course, without sacrificing any of our product's qualities - a very tough road and years in the making so far!

The mother and father of the founder are doing well. To this day, the family continues to produce the soap which gave hope, endured through the COVID-19 pandemic, and helped with the recovery of others who were in need of safe and gentle household products.