A soap I bought and just unwrapped...

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So I am assuming if you list sodium hydroxide as an ingredient you would then list the names without The seedate endings. I guess it’s another way to avoid putting the dreaded lye on the label? Lol
The way I understand it is you either list by oils name + sodium hydroxide OR by saponified names... I think?
 
Pretty sure that's not the case in the uk. I have assessments by two different companies and they both use xxxATE and do not include sodium hydroxide in the list of ingredients.

It's different in the States etc but we are governed by what the assessor says. That doesn't mean people don't flout the rules!
 
@Misschief...I’ve seen some labels list as “saponified oils of xxx”. I guess to avoid listing lye?

Yeah, that's the usual reason given -- to avoid any hint that nasty sodium hydroxide is used to make the soap if you use "what goes into the pot" method. The "what comes out of the pot method" is also troubling, since the names of the fats must be converted into the names of the soap that comes from the fats -- in other words, sodium cocoate rather than coconut oil. So makers who use the "saponified oils of...." method want to have their cake and eat it too.

I'm with Misschief. I think it's important to either do the ingredients list using an established, correct way or omit the list entirely, if that's legal in the country in which you live. In the US, we do not have to have an ingredients list for soap, but I don't think this lack of governmental oversight gives anyone license to invent new ways of doing their ingredients lists. I'm sure soapmakers who love the "saponified oils of..." method don't give a rap about what I think, however. ;)

US FDA rules for cosmetics ingredients lists make a lot of sense to follow, since this is an established, familiar standard for many consumer products. This format does not permit the "saponified oils of..." method and it also requires all ingredients to be listed from most to least by weight (two more points that some soap makers also don't follow).

Marie Gale has some really useful information about creating a proper cosmetic ingredients list on her website.

The way I understand it is you either list by oils name + sodium hydroxide OR by saponified names... I think?

Yes, you got it right.
 
@DeeAnna
“In the US, we do not have to have an ingredients list for soap, but I don't think this lack of governmental oversight gives anyone license to invent new ways of doing their ingredients lists. I'm sure soapmakers who love the "saponified oils of..." method don't give a rap about what I think, however. ;)

so In the US you can just call it soap with no ingredients listed? :eek: The label I was referring to was a soap bought by my son in Amish Country in PA. They probably follow their own rules and don’t give a rap as you mentioned. Lol
Good info! Thank you.
 
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Yep, you've got it right @Jersey Girl -- you can sell soap without an ingredients list in the US. To qualify, the product has to be pure soap and only pure soap (meaning fats saponified with alkali) with no synthetic detergents added. It can't be sold as anything other than soap for getting you clean (no cosmetic or drug claims, in other words.)
 
Yep, you've got it right @Jersey Girl -- you can sell soap without an ingredients list in the US. To qualify, the product has to be pure soap and only pure soap (meaning fats saponified with alkali) with no synthetic detergents added. It can't be sold as anything other than soap for getting you clean (no cosmetic or drug claims, in other words.)
That just makes way too much sense. 🤗
 
I would not use it. I would send photos and request your money back. Explain to the owner that curing her soaps on metal racks is a VERY bad idea because aluminum and lye don't mix. Whether it is Hot Process or Cold Process, it takes a little bit for the lye to be fully used it up.

The soap itself is high in Coconut Oil, my guess is somewhere around 40%.....WAAAAAAY too much unless you are making a specialty soap.

The expiration date could have to do with UK requirements for bath products, though I have never heard of soap having that requirement.
Are you sure their racks are aluminm? I do not cure mind on my bare racks but could as it is stainless steel. I would first check before assuming they are aluminum.
 
I don't think anyone knows what metal they're using, nor does it really matter, to be honest.

I don't recommend curing soap on metal racks, even ones you absolutely know are high quality stainless steel. While I will use a stainless steel stick blender for a few seconds to make my soap because it's that or nothing, all my other soap making equipment is as non-metallic as I can manage.

I really want to minimize the amount of time my soap is exposed to any metal, because all the research I've found says metals you'd normally use for soap making or food prep definitely do increase the rate of oxidation of fats. Some metals are far worse (copper, iron) than others, but none are innocent. The stainless alloys we normally get in regular consumer products can vary somewhat in their quality and composition, so stainless equipment may not be as fully inert as you might assume it should be.

If you think about the weeks or months a soap spends curing, that's a LOT of time the soap is exposed to metal if you cure on metal racks. Preventing this kind of rancidity is really pretty easy, once you know about the problem and why it happens.
 
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To @DeeAnna's point, I bought stainless cooling racks (used for baking) to use for curing soap. The soap developed DOS very quickly in a grid pattern, so I know the racks were to blame. This is one of the few times something has gone from the soap room to the kitchen rather than vice versa 🤭
 
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