FAQ – Natural Soaps & Jewelry

Placing an order with Alam Ara is simple! Browse our collections, add your desired organic soaps, natural bath accessories, or handcrafted jewelry to your cart, and proceed to checkout. Select “Standard Shipping COD” for Cash on Delivery across Pakistan. You’ll receive an email confirmation with your order details.

Yes, absolutely! You can add multiple Alam Ara products (soaps, jewelry, accessories) to a single order. This is a great way to save on shipping costs, as you pay one flat rate per order.

All Alam Ara purchases are carefully shipped from our warehouse in Pakistan via reputed courier agencies. You can find detailed information on delivery times and tracking on our dedicated Shipping Policy page.

We strive to keep our products in stock, but if an item is currently unavailable, it will show as ‘Out of Stock’ on the product page. You can often sign up for email notifications to be alerted when it’s back.

Payment rejections can occur for several reasons, including incorrect card details, insufficient funds, or security flags from your bank. Please double-check your information or try an alternative payment method. If issues persist, contact your bank or our customer support.

Once an order is submitted, changes are often difficult to make as we process orders quickly. Please contact our customer service immediately if you need to modify your order, and we will do our best to assist you before it ships.

You may be able to cancel your order if it hasn’t been processed for shipping yet. Please contact Alam Ara support as soon as possible with your order details to inquire about cancellation.

You can easily reach Alam Ara support through our Contact Us page on the website, or by emailing us directly at alamaraofficials@gmail.com . We aim to respond within 24-48 business hours.

Detailed information regarding our returns, cancellations, and exchange policies can be found on our dedicated Returns & Exchanges Policy page on the Alam Ara website. Please review it for comprehensive guidelines.

The Alam Ara Promise is our commitment to your skin’s natural beauty. We craft pure organic and handmade soaps using only clean, natural ingredients, ensuring they are free from harmful chemicals, parabens, and sulfates. Our soaps are ethically sourced and designed to nourish your skin gently, leaving it healthy and radiant.

At Alam Ara, quality is our promise. Our Organic Coconut Milk Soap is proudly certified as Grade 1 by the PCSIR (Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research). This is the highest national standard for quality, meaning the soap has undergone rigorous independent testing for purity and effectiveness. When you see the PCSIR Grade 1 seal, you can have complete peace of mind that you are using a premium, trustworthy product for your skin.

For Dry or Sensitive Skin: We recommend our Coconut Milk & Honey Soap or Pink Clay & Jojoba Soap. They are packed with moisturizing ingredients to hydrate and soothe without stripping natural oils. For Oily or Acne-Prone Skin: Our Charcoal & Honey Soap and Aloe Vera & Neem Soap are the perfect solution. They work to detoxify, purify pores, and reduce acne-causing bacteria. For Normal or Combination Skin: Most of our soaps will work beautifully for you! Our Multani Mitti & Honey Soap is an excellent choice for maintaining a balanced, natural glow.

Absolutely! Alam Ara offers targeted natural soap solutions for various skin concerns. Our Neem & Aloe Vera Soap and Charcoal Soap are excellent for acne-prone and oily skin, helping to purify and clarify. For dullness and uneven skin tone, our Rice Milk & Jasmine Soap is designed to promote natural brightening and radiance. Each soap helps you achieve a healthier, naturally beautiful complexion.

Alam Ara handmade organic soaps are crafted from a luxurious blend of natural oils including Palm Oil, Sunflower Oil, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Castor Oil, Neem Oil, Jojoba Oil, Rosehip Oil, and Rapeseed Oil. We also infuse them with beneficial natural ingredients like Shea Butter, Aloe Vera Gel, Honey, various natural clays (Green Clay, Red Clay, Pink Clay, Multani Mitti), and pure essential oils (Peppermint, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Lavender, Rose, Patchouli).

An Alam Ara organic soap bar is typically designed to last 2-3 weeks with regular daily use. To maximize its lifespan, we highly recommend storing your soap on a soap rack or a draining soap dish between uses. This allows it to dry completely, preventing it from softening too quickly.

Yes, lye is essential for making all true, real soap. But it’s important to understand the science, which is called saponification. This is the magical process where oils and fats are completely transformed by lye into two new, skin-loving things: soap and natural glycerin. Our process is so precise that zero lye remains in the final, cured bar. What you are left with is a pure, gentle, and moisturizing soap, not a harsh chemical.

Alam Ara natural soaps are typically crafted to have a skin-friendly pH, generally ranging between 8-10. This makes them much gentler than many synthetic detergents and commercial cleansers, which can be overly alkaline and strip your skin’s natural protective barrier. Our focus is on maintaining your skin’s natural balance.

The vast majority of our soaps are proudly vegan, made with only plant-based oils and butters. However, a few of our formulations, such as our Charcoal & Honey Soap, include natural honey for its amazing skin benefits. Each product page clearly lists all ingredients so you can make an informed choice. If you are looking for a strictly vegan option, our [Example of a vegan soap, e.g., Aloe Vera & Neem] soap is a wonderful choice!

Our artisanal jewelry is crafted from high-quality materials such as [e.g., sterling silver, brass with gold plating, natural stones]. Please see the individual product description for specific details.

To keep your jewelry beautiful, avoid direct contact with water, perfumes, and lotions. Store it in a dry place, preferably in a soft pouch or box. Gently polish with a soft cloth to clean.

The Government of Pakistan has implemented a Withholding Tax (WHT) regime targeting e-commerce transactions conducted within the country. This is enforced by making payment intermediaries and courier services responsible for collecting the tax at the source. This is a key part of the effort to bring online sellers into the formal tax net.

All e-commerce sellers, including non-residents selling goods online within or from Pakistan through online marketplaces or websites, are legally required to register for Income Tax and Sales Tax. Online marketplaces (OMPs) and courier services are generally prohibited from dealing with unregistered sellers.

For sellers of digitally ordered goods or services within Pakistan, the payment method dictates the advance Income Tax Withholding (WHT) rate. When payments are made through digital means or banking channels, the payment intermediary is required to withhold tax at a rate of 1.00% of the gross amount payable if the seller is an Active Taxpayer (ATL). This rate is doubled to 2.00% if the seller is not on the ATL. In cases where payment is collected via Cash on Delivery (CoD) by a courier service, the withholding tax rate is higher, standing at 2.00% of the gross amount payable for sellers on the ATL. This rate also doubles to 4.00% for non-ATL sellers, a difference meant to incentivize the adoption of digital payments.

Yes, the income tax collected under this scheme (Section 6A) is treated as a final tax on the income derived by the seller from local e-commerce transactions and export transactions (subject to conditions).

Tax on the realization of export proceeds (under Section 154) for goods is generally 1.00% for Active Taxpayers (ATL) and 2.00% for Non-ATL.
For the export of services (Section 154A):
Computer software or IT services/IT-enabled services (if registered with the Pakistan Software Export Board) is 0.25% for ATL.
Any other case is 1.00% for ATL.

Yes. The Finance Act, 2025, introduced a specific 2% Sales Tax (GST) on the gross value of supplies of digitally ordered taxable goods from within Pakistan.

The responsibility for collecting this 2% Sales Tax falls on:
The payment intermediary (bank, payment gateway) when the payment is made digitally.
The courier service when the goods are supplied via Cash on Delivery (CoD).