In Anchorage, Alaska, Denali Dreams is hard at work producing soap. It all began more than two decades ago, when co-founder Janie Taylor went to New Zealand in 1995 and learned to make soap from a friend. After coming home to Alaska and making soap as Christmas presents, Taylor shared what she had learned with fellow stay-at-home mom Barbara Marsh. Together, they brought six soaps to their first Christmas bazaar before deciding to launch their business in 1997. By 2003, the soap-making operation outgrew Marsh’s duplex and moved to its current location in the neighborhood of Spenard. “We’re so grateful to be in Spenard. This place is so full of stories, style, and soulful humans. There’s no place we’d rather be,” the company shared on social media.
In 2005, Taylor and Marsh hired the current owner, then a high school student, Caitlin Sombatratanakul, to label lip balms and make gift baskets. “Over the years, I worked my way up learning to wrap, cut, and make soap,” she remembered. In 2015, when the co-founders decided to move on to the next adventure, they sold the company to Caitlin. Since its origins in the 1990s, the company has expanded to offer a variety of soaps, salves and balms, bath bombs and oils, and accessories, sold in stores all over the state.
Photo Courtesy Denali Dreams Soap Company
“We’re not just inspired by Alaska—we’re made here,” Denali Dreams explained of its operation that was “built by and for Alaskans.” The company elaborated, “Every bar of soap we craft is rooted in this place: in its wildness, its resilience, its beauty. From the backcountry to the workshop, from muddy hands to mountain streams—this is where our products begin.” While creating Alaska-inspired products was baked into the mission from the start, it was easy for Sombatratanakul, who was born and raised in the state, to take it to heart. “I grew up exploring the amazing backyard that Alaska has to offer – kayaking, hiking, climbing, and skiing are some of my favorites. Over the years, my love for this magical place has grown, and I’m always in search of new peaks to conquer,” she reminisced.
The company sources local ingredients whenever it can. For example, the new Klondike Kate Facial Oil is infused with handpicked Alaskan rosehips. “From the fresh scents inspired by the outdoors to the way we care for the environment around us, we are proud to carry that unmistakable Alaskan flair in every bar we create,” Sombatratanakul described in a blog post.
Photo Courtesy Denali Dreams Soap Company
In 2012, the state’s Made in Alaska program even declared Denali Dreams its manufacturer of the year. “Denali Dreams Soap Company has held a Made in Alaska permit since its inception in 1997. We have watched them grow and expand their product line, move to larger facilities, and hire Alaskans. They truly represent Made in Alaska with their ‘can-do’ attitude,” noted Lorene Palmer, then-Director of the Alaska Department of Commerce. For example, the company’s rapid growth led Taylor and Marsh to buy a manual machine from England to wrap the soaps, as hand wrapping had become unsustainable, and continued success forced Sombatratanakul to buy a second wrapping machine in 2016 from a local company to keep up with demand.
To this day, Denali Dreams makes all products by hand using a ‘cold process method.’ “Just like bread-making, soap starts off with raw materials and goes through a chemical reaction and becomes something completely different,” Sombatratanakul described to Forests, Tides & Treasures. Essentially, the company melts oils on the stove and mixes in lye and water in a bucket using a paint mixer. As a chemical reaction takes place, they thicken and shift away from the consistency of olive oil, and employees add scents and colorants such as coffee, paprika, or ground nutmeg. The soap sits in molds for two days before the company cuts it into bars, stamps it with a rubber mallet, and sets it on shelves to cure for 30 days.
The process is always the result of trial and error. “Every new formula starts with an idea and a spark of creativity. From there, it’s all research and trial and error. Once it works? The team tries it next. And then, only then, does it go out to you guys,” the company described.
Photo Courtesy Denali Dreams Soap Company
Denali Dreams also aims to make a regenerative impact, or “giving back more than we take.” To reduce its environmental footprint, the business chooses ethically sourced, environmentally friendly ingredients and eco-friendly packaging that is both compostable and recyclable. “We carefully vet every ingredient we use, so you don’t have to wonder what’s in your bar, balm, or bottle,” Denali Dreams wrote.
The business is also continuously striving to operate more sustainably. Sombatratanakul even wants the production process to generate zero waste. The Bear Naked Soaps in particular are zero-waste, with scraps shredded, mixed, and re-poured into new bars, and shipped with zero packaging.
In addition, Denali Dreams works to keep its community clean and preserve local ecosystems. Employees have volunteered their time to participate in citywide cleanups, and the business regularly supports the Alaska SeaLife Center by donating soap-making classes for online auctions to benefit marine life in Alaska. “By choosing Denali Dreams, you’re not just buying a bar of soap; you’re supporting a business that’s working to make the world a little better, one small step at a time,” Sombatratanakul wrote.
Photo Courtesy Denali Dreams Soap Company
