Here is a roundup of current news stories about successful soap making entrepreneurs.

Mifflinburg woman launches sudsy venture: the story of the owner of Pompeii Street Soap Co. and how she left her job to set up a small shop selling her handmade soaps and cosmetics.

West Bend soapmaker honored by national magazine: The owner of Country Farmhouse, an artisan soapmaker, will be featured in the upcoming 2008 Women Entrepreneurs issue of Country Living Magazine.

El Pasoan’s soaps selling well around the globe: An article about an El Paso entrepreneur and the growth of her specialty soap business.

A Labor of Relaxation: This article is about the owner of Chesapeake Bay Bath and Body, how she got started, and her aspirations for the future.

An article published by the Journal of Pediatrics reports finding phthalates in baby cosmetics. Phthalates have come under scrutiny recently because they are usually not listed on ingredients labels. It has not be proven conclusively, but phthalates may affect reproductive health. The authors of the study in the Journal of Pediatrics reports finding phthalates in 81% of the infants tested (a total of 163 infants participated in this study). To read this article click here. To read an excerpt from the Cosmetic Safety Database about phthalates, click here.