What is so bad using palm-oil in melt and pour soaps?
But what if it’s already in the soap base?Do you want to dissolve palm oil as-is to M&P base, or do you want to make M&P base from scratch by saponifying palm oil? Can you refer us to a source that clarifies what you mean by “bad”?
In the former case, keep in mind that M&P base can only carry a small amount of added oils (regardless which), and becomes cloudy/murky, soft, and less cleansing, or the oil settles at the top and doesn't mix into the molten base at all.
In the latter case, palm oil doesn't make a decent M&P base all by itself. It has a high percentage of unsaturated oils (high relative to high-performance M&P recipes made from mostly saturated FAs), it will sweat, dissolve quickly, and won't be very hard. It doesn't lather well, and on top of this it has a yellowish colour.
A label-appeal factor is the bad reputation of palm oil as a major driver of the deforestation in Southeast Asia. But this doesn't change the fact that, no matter how you turn it, high-palm M&P soaps do have a favourable ecological footprint, compared to the alternatives. I totally don't want to play down the ruthless devastation that the oil palm industry leaves behind, but the hate tourism that palm oil is suffering from is embarrassing to watch.
LOL.Like said, if it is a decent M&P base, then nothing speaks against palm oil from a technical point of view. Only “soft” label appeal reasons: the hypocritical pomposity of those who have chosen palm oil as the anti-christ.
I think we will only know once @Annem explains the actual background of the question and doesn't let us guess.I "think" the original question was a bit more generic,
@Annem, I think your question is unclear to some of us.
Please help be understand. Do you mean to ask something like, 'Why do some people think palm oil is a bad thing to use in soap?' Or do you mean something else?
If you do wonder why some people are anti-palm oil usage, then it would be about the environmental impact of palm oil production and rain forest de-forestation. There are a number of people who view this topic differently, of course.
If that is not your intended question, please clarify.
Thank you for helping me understand what you meant.I was just wondering. I went to a number of sites that included Palm-free in their ingredient list and since a number of soap makers were against using that particular oil. Hence, my comment "is it bad"? Does Palm oil really make a difference and if so, what is that? Would it be better to avoid soap bases with Palm Oil?
What is so bad using palm-oil in melt and pour soaps?
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