Some home-made liquid soaps have made their way into the Nigerian market to compete with branded liquid soaps, such as Morning fresh, and Mama Lemon, among others.
A market survey by The Point revealed that the locally made liquid soaps have considerably added more value, such as fragrances, to attract and retain consumers’ interest.
According to a manufacturer of a local liquid soap, called Lemongreese, Mr. Mathew Nduka, locally made liquid soaps are richer in quality and attract more patronage, compared to the branded ones.
He said many people producing liquid soaps learnt the art through skills acquisition and entrepreneurship programmes.
“That is why they produce the best of qualities, and as a result of this, people patronise them more than the branded ones,” he
said.
Nduka added, “I made my findings by looking at what made them different such as their strength and weakness. So, I worked towards the two and tried to do my own. I would say that the quality is the same and the only thing that makes the branded ones different from mine is that they are already in the market and already have a name.”
The soap manufacturer said the quality of the soap had brought a lot of patronage, from hospitals, churches and also from stores.
Nduka, however, added that plans were underway to expand the brand, both within the country and abroad.
“The plan I have is big because I want to expand my liquid product in Ogun State, Nigeria generally, and also outside the country, and before one can do that, you need to have a factory, register the brand name and get NAFDAC approval. Immediately you have that, you are good to go,”
he said.
A customer, Mrs. Olajumoke Moses, said, “Though I patronise both the branded and the locally made liquid soaps, I prefer the locally made ones because I see no difference in them. They are economical, they foam well and they also clean without grease stains.”
Another customer, Mrs. Bushirat Akande, said, “I prefer the local soap because it is cheaper and you can easily get it anywhere, compared to the branded ones that you have to get to the supermarket before buying. They are also sold at a higher
cost.”
