Vanessa McCowan originally took up soap making as a hobby, but she now sells them as Vanasoap at the Durango Farmers Market.

“I started off giving them as gifts to friends and family,” she said. “And I ended up having a lot of soap, and I’d like to bring it out to the community.”

McCowan moved to Durango from Honolulu about three years ago and began making soap in her home kitchen about a year ago, she said. By day, she works as a geologist.

Vanasoap’s artisan soaps aren’t your typical cleanser, McCowan said.

“I’m very specifically palm-free,” she said. “I use absolutely no palm oil, which I think kind of sets me apart.”

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