INCI, oils and lye or saponified?

[bat755]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum.
I've been examining the labels of various soaps to gain a better grasp of their compositions. I'm curious about why, in some cases, I observe oils, water and sodium hydroxide listed as ingredients, whereas in others, I notice saponified oils without sodium hydroxide being listed. In the latter scenario, glycerin consistently appears among the ingredients.

I'm unsure if this discrepancy is solely related to how the ingredients are presented (in-the-pot approach versus out-of-the-pot approach), or if there's another explanation.

Could it be possible that soaps listing saponified oils and glycerin are crafted from pre-made bases, similar to those who employ the melt and pour technique?

Moreover, I'm interested in understanding how to quantify the glycerin generated during saponification when following the out-of-the-pot approach.

I hope you can help me understand.

 

[AliOop]

Hi there, and welcome to SMF and to soaping!

You are correct that the difference in the manner of listing ingredients is based on into-the-pot vs. out-of-the-pot. If it were a premade melt-and-pour base, you would see at least one additional ingredient that would be a solvent, such as propylene glycol.

Here is an article by @DeeAnna on how to estimate the amount of glycerin created by your soap recipe.

 

[bat755]

Hi there, and welcome to SMF and to soaping!

You are correct that the difference in the manner of listing ingredients is based on into-the-pot vs. out-of-the-pot. If it were a premade melt-and-pour base, you would see at least one additional ingredient that would be a solvent, such as propylene glycol.

Here is an article by @DeeAnna on how to estimate the amount of glycerin created by your soap recipe.

Thank you for your quick reply.
I wonder why a soap maker would prefer an out-of-the-pot approach rather than an in-the-pot one. It seems more complex to me and doesn't appear to provide more useful information to the soap user.

Is it possible that a soap maker prefers the out-of-the-pot approach to avoid mentioning sodium hydroxide? In fact, seeing glycerin among the ingredients makes this list more appealing.

 

[AliOop]

Yes, I believe the primary motivation is to avoid listing sodium hydroxide. Then they don’t have to explain that none is actually left in the soap when it is finished.

I hadn’t thought about the appeal of listing glycerin, but that could well be another plus for them.

 

[TheGecko]

Is it possible that a soap maker prefers the out-of-the-pot approach to avoid mentioning sodium hydroxide?

Give that man a SEEEEE-gar! Sodium Hydroxide is a terrible, caustic, nasty CHEMICAL...how can you claim your soap is 'natural', 'vegan', 'organic' if you are using CHEMICALS to make soap?!?

I label what goes in the pot...haven't had all that many folks take offense over the word; some are willing to gain knowledge, others prefer to live under rocks.

 

[bat755]

Hey TheGecko, I’m reading a few of your post these days. I’m fighting with silicone rash, bubbles on my single cavities molds experiments.
I’m trying to reverse engineering a few labels/recipe. When the approach is out-of-the-pot is harder to find out quantities.
Anyway I‘m wondering if a chemical lab could do a cheap analysis to find out the amount of glycerine in my soap.

 

[AliOop]

Anyway I‘m wondering if a chemical lab could do a cheap analysis to find out the amount of glycerine in my soap.

Did you read the link I shared above? I'll post again here in case you missed it:

Here is an article by @DeeAnna on how to calculate the amount of glycerin created by your soap recipe.

 

[bat755]

Did you read the link I shared above? I'll post again here in case you missed it:

Here is an article by @DeeAnna on how to calculate the amount of glycerin created by your soap recipe.

Thank you, I didn’t see it.