Expired Neosporin ointment, lots of cocoa butter, etc.?

[desiredcreations]

Just noticed this curious thing about the main inactive ingredients in this very expired Neosporin ointment tube: cocoa butter, cottonseed oil, olive oil,...
I bet I could add that ointment to a soap batch!

I may make a test batch, just to see what happens. And just learned Vit E and petrolatum don't saponify. Interesting.

 

[AliOop]

Interesting idea! Those are only the inactive ingredients; do you know how the active ingredients (shown on the front) might affect your soap? Some ingredients are not compatible with NaOH.

 

[desiredcreations]

Interesting idea! Those are only the inactive ingredients; do you know how the active ingredients (shown on the front) might affect your soap? Some ingredients are not compatible with NaOH.

The active ingredients were bacitracin zinc, neomycin, and polymyxin B sulfate. Currently researching those substances now. So far, the only one that raises a small red flag is the zinc. By itself, zinc interacts with sodium hydroxide like aluminum reacts with sodium hydroxide. The other two antibiotics... so far I've not found anything to suggest they'd react at all. However, given that Neosporin is an OTC, the amounts of the active ingredients are typically so low, doctors tend to consider Neosporin and most other OTCs to be near placebos.

I make very small batches (100 gms - 150 gms total weight) when experimenting. If anything goes blooey, it won't be a great loss and I will have satisfied my crazy mad scientist curiosity.

However, this experiment has no longevity. My expired Neosporin ointment lists cocoa butter, cotton seed and olive oils, Vit E as inactives. The most recent version of the product lists only petrolatum as the sole inactive ingredient. Apparently, those nice consumables are considered too valuable to be used in a mere ointment. Sad. I liked the idea that Neosporin used cocoa butter and olive oil as skin healing aides.

 

[AliOop]

The zinc was specifically my concern, as I'd also heard it was similar to aluminum in how it would react. Since the interaction of NaOH and aluminum creates a toxic gas, and corrodes pretty much anything it touches, I personally wouldn't be inclined to use that in any product that touches my skin.

 

[desiredcreations]

The zinc was specifically my concern, as I'd also heard it was similar to aluminum in how it would react. Since the interaction of NaOH and aluminum creates a toxic gas, and corrodes pretty much anything it touches, I personally wouldn't be inclined to use that in any product that touches my skin.

I'm inclined to agree with you. Thanks.