We pronounce it - fy foam - and you can say it however you like. Black Soldier Flies are the champions behind this product and the name was originally - FIFO soap. A play on Fly In Fly Out - because although the flies are essential for the soap there are no flies in it. The name FIFO was a bit too clever and confusing - so it became fifoam - because that is what it does.

The short answer is yes. A longer answer is that it is actually soap that is made from landfill. Insects (Black Soldier Flies) are farmed for protein that is used in stockfeed for chickens and farmed fish. Insect oil is a by-product of the protein production because insects are about 30% oil. Importantly, the insects are farmed using organic waste that would often be destined for landfill. The insects convert organic waste into resources (protein and oil). So, yes the soap is made from insects but it is actually made from landfill because of the magic that the insects can work.

The insect oil used to make the soap is 100% Australian and was recovered from Australian organic waste. A few essential oils are imported but most of the essential oils are distilled in Australia.

Soap made from insect oil is a very new product and hardly anyone is making it. We have known about Black Soldier Flies and their superpowers for turning waste into resources for a long time (the Gardening Australia website has instructions on using them to turn waste into compost) but the development of value-added products beyond protein, oil and fertiliser is new territory. No-one knew that insect oil derived from organic waste would make beautiful soap.

The most important reason why fifoam is sustainable is because the resources used to make the product are sustainable. The oil used to manufacture fifoam is recovered from organic waste that would normally be discarded. It is a "circular economy" product. This is fundamentally different from conventional "linear economy" soaps (eg Palm oil) which depend on the ongoing extraction of natural resources.

Because we often use soap every day and it becomes a personal habit we generally don't think about the sustainability of soap. However, sustainability is very important because soap is a single use product. In the act of using soap we wash it down the drain - we use it once and waste it. What we are actually wasting are the resources used to make the soap. For example, if we use a soap made from Palm Oil we are washing the Palm Oil down the drain and wasting the resources used to produce the Palm Oil. If tropical rainforest was cleared to produce the Palm Oil then we are washing tropical rainforest down the drain. It is just not sustainable.

The sustainability of the packaging for fifoam is as good as we can make it and is an area that we are constantly trying to improve. For example, we are changing all the refill packaging to aluminium cans instead of PET bottles Both are recyclable but the rate and efficiency of recycling of aluminium is much higher than PET. We recommend that you refill and reuse the foaming pumps. Refill stations like Skipping Stones Refillery in Perth, which supplies refills for fifoam, are a model for a future with less packaging.

fifoam soaps use only pure essential oils to add aroma. No synthetic fragrances or extracts. The essential oils are the most expensive ingredient in the soap and there are three Ranges of soap - Everyday, Premium and Specialty that are based on the price of the essential oils. The Everyday Range uses the lowest cost oils that are tried and tested favourites. Lavender, Lemongrass, Spearmint and Tea Tree. The Premium Range uses mid-tier oils that are mostly grown and distilled in Australia. Australian Lavender, Honey Myrtle, Indian Sandalwood and Rose Geranium. The Specialty Range uses pure Australian Sandalwood oil distilled in Western Australia. The strength of the aroma in any of the soaps can be adjusted by varying the dilution of the concentrate.

This needs to be a bit technical. Natural soap is unique molecule that is produced by a chemical reaction between an oil or fat and an alkaline substance like caustic soda (Sodium hydroxide) for bar soap or Potassium hydroxide for liquid soap. The reactions converts the oil into new molecules called "soap" molecules. For hundreds and probably thousands of years different oils and fats have been used to make soap. Plant oils like olive oil and coconut oil and animal fats like lard and tallow. The oil from insects is essentially the same as oil or fat from other sources but with its own unique twist. It is a unique mix of fatty acids, waxes and other compounds. This means that insect oil can be use to make bar or liquid soaps that foam and clean like any other natural soap but with new and unique properties.

Yes - Insect oil makes a vey good soap. The experience of our customers during four years of product development and testing has been that soap made from insect oil is very gentle on sensitive skin, very effective for cleaning and a powerful anti-bacterial. You don't have to compromise on quality to be a part of the circular economy.

Bar soaps are made by reacting oil with sodium hydroxide. The soap molecule that is created IS NOT soluble in water and has to be in a solid form i.e. a bar. A bar of soap is roughly 90% soap molecules and is very dense. It is physically difficult to access and use the soap efficiently when the molecules are packed so tightly together. In the process of washing with bar soap a lot of "lather" will be washed down the drain and wasted. In addition, if a molecule of bar soap sticks to a surface in the bath or shower it is likely to stay there. Water can't wash it away. After a short time a "soap scum" will start to build up and will need to be scrubbed away. Liquid soaps are made by reacting oil with potassium hydroxide instead of sodium hydroxide. The soap molecule that is created lathers and cleans exactly the same way but IS soluble in water. This enables the soap molecules to be diluted in water to go further and last longer. Liquid soap that is diluted will be cheaper to use than bar soap and easier to clean.