St Austell Brewery’s Proper Job is moving from the bar to the bathroom with the launch of a new Cornish soap made from the beer.

Proper Job soapBeer has been a favourite tipple for centuries, but what people may not know is that it has also been used for just as long as a skin conditioner, and was even used by ancient Egyptians as a face freshener.

To harness those skin-nourishing properties, Cornish soap maker Sapooni has been working in collaboration with St Austell Brewery to formulate a gentle, nourishing and natural beer soap.

The star ingredient is Proper Job IPA, which is brewed with Cornish spring water and a single malt made from Cornish grown Maris Otter Pale barley. Sapooni’s luxurious soap recipe combines Proper Job with hops and essential oils of sweet orange and grapefruit, and has been created to complement and harness the hoppy, citrussy aroma of the beer.

Joanne Baskott, founder of Sapooni, said: “We believe that a good soap should work with the skin, so our Proper Job Soap starts with a base of olive oil and coconut oil (deeply moisturising) and beeswax (to seal all the lovely ingredients into the skin).

“The finished soap has a rich, creamy lather, and the addition of a generous dollop of wild-harvested Shea butter — a wonderful, intense moisturiser for hungry skin — make this soap a joy to use. It’s great for both sexes, as it has a fresh, citrussy scent from the blend of natural essential oils we use. What more could you want from a humble bar of soap?”

Jeremy Mitchell, marketing and communications director for St Austell Brewery, said: “We’re very excited to see another local Cornish company putting one of our beers to good use in such an unusual way. The soap is on sale in the St Austell Visitor Centre and has been attracting a lot of attention. The way Proper Job has been combined with the other ingredients has resulted in a soap which smells very appealing.”

Proper Job Soap is available from the Visitor Centre or from Sapooni online at www.sapooni.com, for £3.75 for a 90g bar.