Will plastic chemicals leach into my soaps?

[StephanieLeong]

Hi y'all, I just came across this article that says that most plastic will leach chemical into food when microwaved. A pp5 food grade plastic only means it won't warp in heat but it may still leach chemical. I was intending to buy a food grade pp5 pitcher to prepare my lye and make my soap in. Any thoughts? TIA!

http://time.com/4229503/plastic-in-microwave-is-it-safe/

 

[SaltedFig]

That article was specifically warning against plastics numbered 3 and 7 being used to microwave food, with cautionary notes on the use of other plastics in food containers being re-used and food microwaved in them. The links they provided in the article didn't link directly to studies, but to other articles. In one of THOSE other articles, there was one document, that that was on phthalates in plastics (http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/66/2/301.full?sid=be69c579-505c-4e04-a84f-5a4b187da7a6).

Polypropylene (PP #5) is a stiff, reasonably unreactive plastic that was not included in the article (in the same way you could talk about metals, and the toxicity of using aluminium metal in cookware, and not refer to iron at all, as an analogy). Polypropylene is used to make chemical laboratory jugs for it's ability to withstand chemicals. You can read about containers for chemicals here: https://sciencing.com/types-used-storing-acids-bases-8456845.html

PP (plastic #5) is not the plastic they were referring to in the article.

And ... we will not, I hope, be eating the soap.

 

[StephanieLeong]

Thanks so much for the reassurance

 

[penelopejane]

Use stainless steel if you are worried but google that as well!

 

[Orchidgirl]

To piggyback off of this post in what I hope is a relevant way, does anyone know if PP (#5 plastic) will leach anything into fragrance oils over time? I have a couple fragrances from Nurture that were packaged in this, and I swear they seemed to have a somewhat plasticky aroma when I got them. I've been avoiding using them in my soap for this reason.

 

[SaltedFig]

I don't have any synthetic fragrances, so I am writing this from the perspective of essential oil storage.

Dark glass (which also keeps the uv light out) is best for eo's.

Maybe ask Nurture about these fragrances - they would more than likely want to know about the smell you are getting.

 

[Millie]

To piggyback off of this post in what I hope is a relevant way, does anyone know if PP (#5 plastic) will leach anything into fragrance oils over time? I have a couple fragrances from Nurture that were packaged in this, and I swear they seemed to have a somewhat plasticky aroma when I got them. I've been avoiding using them in my soap for this reason.

I have some FOs with plastic and play doh notes in them, packaged in both plastic and glass bottles. I don't know what any of these were stored in before my tiny sample bottles, but I think it is just a normal afterscent (nosy version of aftertaste) of some aroma chemicals. All three vendors I have tried have some FOs with and some without this scent.