Citric acid on labels?

Soapmaking Forum

Help Support Soapmaking Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

oconnorkm

Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2016
Messages
19
Reaction score
11
I've started experimenting with adding citric acid to my soap recipe. I use the Soapee Calc to figure out the amounts of CA and Lye.
I've always labeled my soaps simply: Saponified Coconut OIl, Olive Oil, etc...
Then putting for additives like this: "Also: Peppermint Essential Oil (or fragrance, or clay, whatever...)
How does citric acid fit into this? Do I just add it to the list like my other additives?

Thanks!
 
You don't mention where you live, so it would be difficult for anyone to advise you on your country's rules/laws/regulations/requirements.
 
Since you are listing ingredients by what comes out of the pot, rather than what goes in, to be accurate, you should be listing not only all of the saponified oils, but also:

~ glycerin (a natural by-product of saponification)
~ sodium citrate (the by-product of NaOH and citric acid)
~ all other ingredients and additives (sugar, salt, clay, silk, FO, EO, etc.)

Best practice is to list all of these in descending order of amount. That means estimating how much glycerin ends up in your batch. There may be some home-user method to determine that, but I am not aware of it. It's one reason many soapmakers list ingredients by what goes into the pot. However, I understand the preference for using the "out-of-the-pot" method so that sodium hydroxide is not listed on the label.

Of course, labeling soap in the US is generally not a requirement at all, unless you are:

1. Selling the soap in certain states with labeling requirements;
2. You are making cosmetic claims; or
3. You are making more than a certain amount of sales (something like $500k IIRC).

This means that you are probably free to label as you wish, keeping in mind that doing so could trigger some liability for allergic reactions if all ingredients are not listed. My opinion is that if you are going to label your soaps voluntarily, it is best to follow labeling standards as closely as possible so that buyers and users will take you seriously as a soapmaker with good manufacturing practices. But again, this isn't legally required for most small soapmakers as long as they aren't making cosmetic claims that trigger the strict labeling laws.

HTH :)
 
Last edited:
Sorry, I live in Michigan, in the U.S.

Thanks!
As long as you are selling 'true' soap, there is no legal requirement to list your ingredients. But if you are going to list them, you need the follow the rules either for what goes in the pot, or what comes out of the pot...in descending order. The problem with the latter is that you need to know what of what is in your soap after saponification.

I've never had any problems labeling by what goes IN the pot. A few folks have brought up "Sodium Hydroxide", but once I explain that you can't make soap without NaOH and there is none left after the saponification, not an issue. And if it were...I'd tell them to go find a 'beauty bar' which is all chemicals.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top