Sodium lactate; natural?

[Traumabrew]

Hello

I have tailored my business to be more "all natural"; using natural colorants and essential oils, etc. I always add sodium lactate to help my soap harden and make unmolding easier. I have had a couple people say that sodium lactate is a chemical and not natural but it is just a sodium salt. What is your opinion. Is there a more "natural" additive to do the same job?

 

[earlene]

Is vinegar more natural?

Actually plain table salt would probably seem more natural to those folks.

But all ingredients in soap are chemicals when broken down, so tell me, what do they think NaOH is?

 

[SaltedFig]

The way to appeal there is to include the base ingredient, so something like the liquid from natural yoghurt (whey) can be used to add the lactic acid (to be converted to sodium lactate by some sodium hydroxide as the soap saponifies)

If it's soaped cool, it makes a pale, creamy coloured soap which is rather nice.

One day I want to make a sauerkraut soap, to round out the lactic acid soaps (reduced wine also works, but it has to be the mellow sort)

(*Edited to trim )

Hello

I have tailored my business to be more "all natural"; using natural colorants and essential oils, etc. I always add sodium lactate to help my soap harden and make unmolding easier. I have had a couple people say that sodium lactate is a chemical and not natural but it is just a sodium salt. What is your opinion. Is there a more "natural" additive to do the same job?

 

[earlene]

SaltedFig, I forgot about yogurt. Good call.

 

[amd]

I use salt instead of sodium lactate. I tried SL, but in a comparison found that salt works better for my recipes. I happened to pick up a 5lb bag of dendritic salt for $1 a few years ago, so I use 1tsp PPO dissolved in my lye water in my soaps.

 

[penelopejane]

I always think that if it can’t be used in food under a “natural” label then it can’t be used in soap under a “natural” label.

I can’t find anything more recent than this:
https://www.pccmarkets.com/statements/org_sodium_lactate_120709/

Also if in doubt leave it out. You wouldn’t use naturally occurring clay in soap because of the possible minerals and metals.