How It Began

Bogue Milk Soap began in Ojai, California, in 1973, when Grandma Helen Bogue opened Dos Manos, an all-handmade shop rooted in the creative spirit of the Ojai Valley. The goat milk soap first made for that shop became the foundation of a family craft that has continued across three generations.

Real ingredients. Small batch. Noticeably better.

Over the years, that original bar grew into a broader world of botanical bath, body, shaving, hair care, and wellness products—still shaped by the same hands-on approach. Fresh goat milk, plant-based oils and butters, mineral clays, botanicals, and pure essential oils remain at the heart of our Farm to Bath philosophy, while Ojai's mountains, citrus groves, herbal traditions, and maker culture continue to inspire the blends we create.

In 2009, Susan's handcrafted goat milk shaving soap kits were picked up by Whole Foods Market in Northern California — the first time a Bogue product reached shelves beyond Ojai.

Today, Bogue Milk Soap remains a small, independent family business. Our story is not simply about making soap for more than five decades; it's about carrying a craft forward, allowing each generation to learn from the last while adding new ideas of its own.

Valley of the Moon
Adam Newton-Bogue at Dos Manos, age four — growing up inside the family's tradition of handmade craft.

Three Generations, One Craft

Meet the Founders

Two generations, two very different paths, one continuous story of craft, care, and Ojai roots.

Valley of the Moon

The Bogue Family

Today, Susan and Adam Bogue carry the family tradition forward, combining decades of hands-on experience in botanical formulation, ingredient sourcing, product development, and small-batch craftsmanship. Together, they continue to evolve Bogue Milk Soap while staying connected to the Ojai roots and family philosophy that started it all.

From the original cold process goat milk soap to today's BESPOKE, WELLNESS, and Valley of the Moon blends, each generation has helped shape what Bogue has become—a living family craft, made in Ojai and passed from one generation to the next.

Susan Bogue making Natural soap at shop

Meet Susan Bogue

Susan Bogue is the founder, original soapmaker, and creative force behind Bogue Milk Soap.

Her journey began in Upper Ojai in the early 1970s, when she and her mother, Helen Bogue, opened Dos Manos ("Two Hands"), an artisan shop rooted in the Ojai Valley's handmade traditions. It was there that Susan first started making soap — and never stopped.

Surrounded by native botanicals, working gardens, and the valley's agricultural character, she became fascinated by the intersection of chemistry, craft, and creativity that soapmaking demands. What began as experimentation became a lifelong pursuit.

While building a career in sales, marketing, and business development, Susan kept refining her recipes on the side. By 2009, that persistence paid off: her handcrafted goat milk shaving soap kits landed on shelves at Whole Foods Market in Northern California — the first time Bogue reached beyond Ojai.

For Susan, soap has never just been about getting clean. It's botanical knowledge, artisan craft, and daily ritual, all in one bar. Today, she and Adam carry that work forward together — a second generation grown into a third.

Adam Newton-Bogue in soap hop with cut soap

Meet Adam Newton-Bogue

Adam Newton-Bogue is the third generation of the Bogue family's tradition of craft and entrepreneurship — though his path to Ojai ran through the restaurant kitchens of New York.

Raised between Ojai and the East Coast, Adam grew up around farmers, bakers, restaurateurs, and makers — an appreciation for thoughtfully made things instilled early by his grandmother Helen and mother Susan at their Ojai shop, Dos Manos. By four years old, he was already spending time at the shop, surrounded by handmade goods, botanical ingredients, and the everyday rhythm of a family workshop.

In New York, Adam helped build some of the city's most talked-about restaurants: Cafeteria (with Tyler Florence in the kitchen) and The Carriage House, both covered by The New York Times, New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker at the time. He later brought that sensibility west, reviving the storied Dukes coffee shop on the Sunset Strip and opening Kitchen 24, an L.A. take on Cafeteria.

It was at Dukes, sourcing ingredients for a menu built around the farmers' market, that the throughline to Ojai became obvious. As Adam puts it: "I went from farm to table, to farm to bath."

Today his philosophy is simple: start with exceptional ingredients, respect the process, and make things that are refined, mindful, and effective — the same standard he once held a kitchen to, now applied to every bar of soap.

Fresh raw goat milk into organic plant oils in soap shop

A Craft Carried Forward

From Helen's first bars at Dos Manos in 1973 to the batches Susan andAdam mix today, Bogue Milk Soap has never been made anywhere but Ojai, and neverby anyone outside the family.

Three generations. One philosophy: real ingredients, small batches,nothing rushed.

Bogue Milk Soap Philosophy

Press & Recognition

Bogue Milk Soap has been featured in Edible Ojai & Ventura County's Shop Local Gift Guide (2023–24 and 2024–25 editions), their Editor's Pick wellness roundup, and the Lassens blog (Nov. 2017).

Before Ojai, Adam Newton-Bogue's restaurants drew coverage from The New York Times, WWD, New York Magazine, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Us Weekly, Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, Travel + Leisure, and Interior Design (Cafeteria, 1998–99; The Carriage House, 2003), and later Grub Street LA and The Feast covered his 2011 revival of Dukes on the Sunset Strip.

FAQ

When was Bogue Milk Soap founded?

Bogue Milk Soap traces its beginnings to Ojai, California, in 1973, when Grandma Helen Bogue opened Dos Manos, an all-handmade shop inspired by the creative and independent spirit of the Ojai Valley. Goat milk soap was first created for the shop and became the foundation of a family soapmaking tradition that continues today.

Is Bogue Milk Soap still a family-owned business?

Yes. Bogue Milk Soap remains a small, independent family business with three generations connected to its history and craft. Today, Susan and Adam Bogue carry the tradition forward, combining hands-on soapmaking with decades of experience in botanical formulation, ingredient sourcing, product development, and small-batch production.

Is Bogue Milk Soap still made in Ojai, California?

Yes. Bogue Milk Soap continues to make its handcrafted goat milk soap and botanical personal care products in Ojai, California. The valley's mountains, citrus groves, native botanicals, wellness traditions, and community of artists and makers have influenced both the character of the company and many of the blends developed over the years.

How did Bogue Milk Soap get started?

The story began with handmade goods and a bar of soap. When Grandma Helen Bogue opened Dos Manos in Ojai in 1973, goat milk soap became one of the products created for the shop. What started as a local handmade craft gradually grew into a wider collection of goat milk soaps and, eventually, botanical bath, body, shaving, hair care, and aromatherapy products.

What does three generations of soapmaking mean at Bogue Milk Soap?

For Bogue, three generations represents a craft passed forward rather than a formula frozen in time. Each generation has learned from the one before it while contributing new botanical ingredients, essential oil blends, product ideas, and ways of working. The original goat milk soap remains at the center, while decades of hands-on development have led to the BESPOKE, WELLNESS, and Valley of the Moon collections found throughout Bogue today.

What is the connection between Bogue Milk Soap and Ojai?

Ojai is more than the location of the Bogue workshop—it is part of the company's identity. The valley's agricultural history, citrus groves, surrounding mountains, herbal traditions, creative community, and long association with wellness have provided inspiration for many Bogue products and botanical blends. Names and stories throughout the collection reflect places, landscapes, and rituals connected to life in the Ojai Valley.

What was the first Bogue Milk Soap product?

Handcrafted goat milk soap is where the Bogue story began and remains the foundation of the company. Over time, the original soapmaking tradition expanded into moisturizing, exfoliating, BESPOKE, and WELLNESS soaps, along with signature shaving soaps and a broader range of botanical bath, body, hair care, and aromatherapy products.

How has Bogue Milk Soap changed since 1973?

Bogue has grown from its roots in an Ojai handmade shop into a broader botanical bath, body, and wellness company, but the approach remains intentionally small-scale. New products and signature essential oil blends have been developed over the decades, while small-batch craftsmanship, botanical ingredients, and the family's connection to Ojai continue to guide the brand.

When did Bogue Milk Soap begin selling beyond Ojai?

While Bogue's roots are local to Ojai, the company's handcrafted products gradually reached a wider audience. A significant chapter came in 2009, when Bogue's signature goat milk shaving soap kits were first carried by Whole Foods Market, introducing the family's approach to traditional wet shaving and botanical soapmaking to customers beyond the Ojai Valley.

What does Farm to Bath mean in the Bogue story?

Farm to Bath describes the philosophy that has grown alongside the Bogue family craft: staying connected to the origins of ingredients and thoughtfully transforming goat milk, plant-based oils and butters, botanicals, mineral clays, and pure essential oils into products for everyday rituals. It connects the company's soapmaking roots with the broader botanical personal care products Bogue creates today.

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