Here at Mèlisses, we are always on the hunt for conscious, yet beautiful products, with an eye to practicality. The combination of these elements, together with the passionate and life-changing story of Alkistis Venetopoulou, made us fall in love with Alchemia, Alkistis’ brand new artisan studio of modern, handmade, sculpture soaps and clay masks that are ethically sourced and handcrafted in Athens.

Soaps, an everyday necessity, offer so much more than just purity.

Alchemia was initially born out of a very personal struggle with sensitive skin which led to experimenting with available kitchen staples such as milk, oils and butter. Since then, Alkistis’ home turned into a small laboratory while the world outside was hit by the pandemic in early 2020.

The slow process of soap making very quickly became a sort of therapy with the lockdowns and socialising restrictions in place:

“It was something that I not only found healing for me because it kept me occupied, but my two daughters were suddenly there too. We were in the kitchen experimenting together and as soon as restrictions loosened up we went to the mountains to collect herbs and I thought it was a very good process for them to connect with nature too. The brand literally grew together with my daughters. As I started to understand the craft of soap making and how beautiful it is, I noticed my daughter’s skin was completely free of rashes. It made me love this craft even more.”

That was the time when the soap experiments advanced in their complexity and ingredients used. As Alkistis says, it was very important to her to source everything locally within a short driving distance from her home.

“Sourcing everything personally from small farmers or producers made me realise how commercial our lives were as we could just order anything online. It used to be a matter of few clicks, while for me there was genuine interest to browse and test the best that could be found locally. My greatest discovery is donkey milk that proved to be exceptionally healing with strong anti-ageing properties.”

With Alkistis’ background in arts, the brand sought to offer something much more than just a quality product. It was envisioned as a piece of art that would decorate homes and stimulate self-care rituals.

“I was collecting stones on the beach in Paxos, which is the most unbelievably stunning island, to decorate my bathroom. One day I thought ‘if only I could make soaps looking like stones’; that was the moment that I felt: that’s it.”

A part of Alchemia’s philosophy was to create a bathroom ritual that would recharge, soothe and de-stress like nothing else.

The Alchemia’s five Senses Rituals consist of five items that stimulate all our senses - a soap that satisfies your eyes, the feel of a clay mask on your skin, the scent of lit palo santo, a taste of Greek mountain tea, and a curated meditative playlist to flatter your hearing. Altogether to be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home.

“A completely holistic experience curated by Alchemia” intended to connect people who don’t have time for long meditations or yoga sessions.

Just like here at Mèlisses, slowing down, experiencing simple things, gestures, for no particular reason, but only to be kind to ourselves, our bodies and others.

Thank you to Alkistis Venetopoulou for sharing your beautiful story and philosophy with us!
For more information visit alchemiasoaps.com // @alchemia_soaps

Photos by Alchemia & Mèlisses archive
Interview by Veronika Krizova

HANDMADE SELF-CARE RITUALS