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When smells of pumpkin, sweet orange, blueberry and butterscotch come out of Tracy Perkins’ kitchen, trust us, it’s nothing edible.
Perkins started Strawberry Hedgehog, a vegan beauty product company, after years of searching for soaps and products she could use, guilt-free, without having to empty her wallet.
It proved to be quite the difficult search, so the geology teacher at South Mountain Community College put her frustration and schooled knowledge to use.
After learning the soap-making process, she started to give her products as gifts and filling orders for friends and family.
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While Perkins’ soaps (and now body crémes, facial cleansers, body sprays, and sugar scrubs) are still made in her kitchen, you can find her products through her website and in local Whole Foods stores, and various boutique shops.
Her soaps come in a variety of scents, from gingerbread to candy cane and peach ginger and sweet mint. Just don’t get too attached to your favorite scent, Perkin’s says, because she’s always inspired by different foods for new and seasonal scents.
So what’s a strawberry hedgehog, after all? Perkins says the name comes from a cactus with a pink flower and fruit that tastes like strawberry … plus it makes for a pretty cute logo.