Our Story
Find out how Uasau Soaps came to be, a story from the coast of the Arctic Ocean in Nunavut. Bringing the healing properties of bowhead whale everywhere.
Located on the coast of the Arctic Ocean in Nunavut, Uasau Soap (pronounced ooh-ah-sow) draws its inspiration from prehistoric Inuit tradition and the Nuna. In Inuktitut, Nuna means everything found on the land and in the sea: water, ice, animals, plants, rocks – even the spirits and memories of our ancestors. By capturing the magic and wisdom of the Nuna, each of our hand-made small-batch products replenishes and nourishes your skin.
Sustainably Sourced Indigenous Soaps made with Traditional Inuit Practices
We craft each product from local ingredients, harvested through sustainable and traditional practices. Bowhead whale oil, for example, comes from local community hunts in Nunavut. Each and every bowhead whale hunt has its own story.
The entire community comes together to cooperate in a life-sustaining effort passed down for countless generations. Inuit are known for their resourcefulness and not wasting any part of an animal. And Uasau Soap follows suit, only using bowhead whale oil from community hunts. Click here to see last year’s whale hunt in Iqaluit.
"I Lichen You" | $12.00 | Moisturizing Goats Milk an Olivea soap base. Filled with hand picked Lichen from Kuujjuak, Nunavik for a natural exfoliant.
Where Does Uasau Soap Come From?
Uasau Soap takes an active and responsible role in its local and global community. But our story is also an ancient one. Our logo shows an Inuk mother, with a baby in her amauti, lighting her qulliq – a traditional lamp usually made out of stone that burned whale blubber for light and warmth in the igloo. Our name – Uasau – comes from the English word “wash,” as pronounced by Baffin Island Inuit who met whalers hundreds of years ago. Fire and water – tools of cleaning and healing that balance each other.
As Inuit, we are emerging from a dark chapter in our history. We are washing off the shadows and pain of the colonial legacy, reclaiming our traditional wisdom and strength and reconnecting with our ancestors in the modern world. Healing ourselves includes sharing our story and ways of life with you.
Our name – Uasau – comes from the English word “wash,” as pronounced by Baffin Island Inuit who met whalers hundreds of years ago. Fire and water – tools of cleaning and healing that balance each other.
We hope you will pamper yourself with our luxurious products and their rich, varied fragrances. We hope you learn about and gain an appreciation for Inuit culture. And by feeling whale blubber, seal oil or arctic seaweed on your skin, we hope you will let yourself be transported to the Nuna.