Food in CP?

[Lynusann]

So the more I've been expanding my repertoire to include more than 1- 90 yr old recipe, the more I've seen CP (and even M&P) soaps that have kind of surprised me.

Is it actually ok to put food "on" or embedded into soap? Are there not any regulations against that? Or even issues that this would cause.

I'm not talking about pureeing or melting foods and mixing them in with your oils, but I saw a soap the other day that had ACTUAL teddy grahams placed on top, and another that used whole gummy bears on top (not soap look-a-likes). Another person had topped their soap with actual royal icing that is used for cakes. Real chunks of candy cane, or pearls that were made for cakes as well.

I know there are plenty of soaps out there made to look like food, but I was just surprised to see whole foods (mostly crazy sugary candy) actually put in soap. Wouldn't a lot of those cause problems with causing the user of the soap to end up sticky? And I guess I'm most interested in any type of health regulation? If a child got a hold of the soap and did in fact eat the portion of food and was confused enough to think that the rest of it should be food as well, that could be disastrous for a soap maker couldn't it?

 

[shunt2011]

The only food items I've put on my soap are oatmeal and little candy pearls on some cupcake soaps. Otherwise all my imbeds etc are eith CP or MP. I wouldn't want to risk things going bad. I do know many use a royal icing type frosting on cupcake soaps. I've also seen other cake decorating type things used. Not me though.

 

[IrishLass]

I've seen the same kinds of things, too, and I'm just as flummoxed. I'll use very finely pureed solid foods like avocado or carrots, or baby oatmeal, etc. in very small amounts mixed into my batter, but solid food that has not been pureed so that the lye can saturate it inside, outside and everywhere in between? No way. It's an invitation to mold or other kind of problems that I don't want to have to deal with.

For those that like the look of such things on their soap, though, here's a company called Vanulay that makes quality silicone soap molds for any kind of food or candy you can think of to make soapy embeds for one's soap. I have some of their fruit molds, and I also have their most awesome BB mold that makes little round pearls or BB's (because I like the look of those sugar pearls on soap, but I don't want to use real candy). You can also make your own embed silicone mold very easily. It might not be of the same quality of Vanulay, but it'll work just as well.

Here's a pic of my Vanulay BB mold with some soapy BB/pearls that I made from it resting on top of the actual mold (with a string of costume jewelry pearls and some coins for perspective). By the way, I use the jagged bases of the 'pearls' as anchors, sinking them into the surface of my soap to hide them, which at the same time renders the pearls immovable on my soap (it makes a lot of BB's!:

And here is one of my soap batches decorated with the 'pearls' (the sea shells are soap embeds from a silicone mold that I happened to have made myself out of sea shells I had collected at the beach):

YouTube has some tutorials on how to make your own silicone embed molds out of different fruits and things. I'd much rather do that than use the real foods on my soap.


IrishLass

 

[Lynusann]

I actually have several VanYulay molds, including the BB mold, bakery goods, and fruits. Another local soaper here in town decided after a year of making soap that she was bored with it and gave them all to me (I count myself super lucky because she gave me about $700 worth of those molds), I just haven't used many of them yet.

I hadn't thought about the mold factor, but you're right that would be another major concern by using whole foods. I would just hate to think of a kid getting ahold of a bar of soap that had a REAL gummy bear on it and taking a huge bite out of the bar only to get more than they bargained for. AND, as I'm learning how to label my products correctly and know what is and isn't allowed under the FDA, would have assumed that there might have been some sorts of restrictions.

 

[Obsidian]

I think that some of the decorations on top are meant to be removed before using the soap or the soap is for decoration only. Using food that will get sticky or fall apart when wet is really stupid IMO. I've used tapioca pearls as a topping before but thats as far as I'll go.

I don't think there are regulations on what you can decorate soap with in the US. You can make and sell soap that looks like candy and cakes, I don't see why there would be a issue with a gummy bear topper. Soap is no toxic, even if a kid ate some at the worse it will only cause a tummy ache unless there is something in the soap the kid is allergic to. Just to be safe though, this is why its recommended sellers carry insurance.

 

[robosqu1d]

In the UK, it's illegal to sell soap that looks like food. The Food Imitations (Safety) Regulations 1989 prohibit everything that might be mistaken for food, with the notable exception of doll's house items. So officially, soap cup cakes and cake slices are out, although I've seen plenty for sale, so Trading Standards either don't know or think it's a daft regulation. I've even come across whole businesses that specialise in this type of soap.

 

[IrishLass]

I actually have several VanYulay molds, including the BB mold, bakery goods, and fruits. Another local soaper here in town decided after a year of making soap that she was bored with it and gave them all to me (I count myself super lucky because she gave me about $700 worth of those molds), I just haven't used many of them yet.

Super awesome gift! Those molds are top-notch quality and do not come cheap. I also have 3 of their food-grade watermelon seed molds that I bought to make white and dark chocolate 'seeds' for my watermelon ice cream. They are a dream to work with!

I hadn't thought about the mold factor, but you're right that would be another major concern by using whole foods.

Over on another forum there have been several threads over the years about the soap company L*SH, that sells certain soaps and other B&B items with whole foods in them. Many have reported that they go moldy.


IrishLass

 

[Lynusann]

Super awesome gift! Those molds are top-notch quality and do not come cheap. I also have 3 of their food-grade watermelon seed molds that I bought to make white and dark chocolate 'seeds' for my watermelon ice cream. They are a dream to work with!



Over on another forum there have been several threads over the years about the soap company L*SH, that sells certain soaps and other B&B items with whole foods in them. Many have reported that they go moldy.


IrishLass

I suppose a good reason to just not do it. I mean it looks cool but I would hate to give someone something that had a crazy short shelf life as a result of whiles foods used as embellishments