Soap Ingredients

[KiwiMoose]

I have been looking at an ingredient list for a soap company here in NZ who state: "Soap Base contains Sustainable Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Water, Glycerine, and Salt"

I would assume that they would need more than just those ingredients to make soap? Or will Palm Oil and PKO be enough to give a good fatty acid profile?

My sister bought some of their soap last year and has just used it this week - she said it's creamier and latherier ( is that a word? ) than mine . That's ok though - it's not pretty soap, it's just plain, compressed soap with no swirls or artistry involved.

 

[TheGecko]

Well...they would need lye. It would be interesting to find out what they added during the milling process.

 

[Primrose]

Lots of commercial soap is just palm and PKO

 

[doonvalleygreens]

so i think since the lye does not stay in the final product so they have not mentioned it ... there is a loop hole right there .... but what about the glycerin .... i am curious to know that

 

[Ladka]

so i think since the lye does not stay in the final product so they have not mentioned it ... there is a loop hole right there .... but what about the glycerin .... i am curious to know that

But - soap is always on the alkaline side: doesn't this imply there is some NaOH left in it?

 

[Kari Howie]

so i think since the lye does not stay in the final product so they have not mentioned it ... there is a loop hole right there .... but what about the glycerin .... i am curious to know that

I think, since glycerin is a byproduct of saponification and inherent to non-detergent soap, the company may just be capitalizing on the label value of that word.

 

[Obsidian]

I also see a lot of soaps that are just palm oil and pko. I'm sure at some point I've even used them myself.
I'm not surprised its creamier and latherier. Creamy from palm, lather from pko but I have to wonder how harsh it is if there is enough pko to produce a lot of lather.

 

[jcandleattic]

so i think since the lye does not stay in the final product so they have not mentioned it ... there is a loop hole right there .... but what about the glycerin .... i am curious to know that

It would depend on the labeling laws. Here in the US, if you label, you have to label in order of either what goes INTO the pot, (ie, Sodium Hydroxide) or what comes out of the pot (ie, sodium palmate, sodium palm kernelate)

But - soap is always on the alkaline side: doesn't this imply there is some NaOH left in it?

- no, a properly made soap will no longer have any active NaOH left in the soap. It will have saponified to become something else (see right above what comes out of the pot)

Honestly it almost looks like a simplified ingredient list for an M&P base. However, IDK...

 

[Ladka]

I still don't understand what the alkalinity of soap comes from - can someone explain, please?

 

[Nona'sFarm]

I have been looking at an ingredient list for a soap company here in NZ who state: "Soap Base contains Sustainable Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil, Water, Glycerine, and Salt"

Looks strange to me as I list what ingredients i use to make the soap and so mine would include lye but not glycerine. If this is supposed to represent what is left at the end of the process, it still seems hard to believe. But, I am not a chemist, so don't really know what is left at the end of the process other than soap. Also, don't know NZ labeling laws; so they may have left out some ingredients.

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

They could be adding additional glycerin to the soap.

 

[lenarenee]

Sounds like typical mass produced soap noodle soap. I bought a pretty little bar at a grocery store and was surprised how much I liked it....it made a slick, fairly thick and creamy lather. Not drying at all, and I'd buy it again.

 

[KiwiMoose]

Sounds like typical mass produced soap noodle soap. I bought a pretty little bar at a grocery store and was surprised how much I liked it....it made a slick, fairly thick and creamy lather. Not drying at all, and I'd buy it again.

Yes - they state that they 'have it made' and that it's french style 'triple milled'. It's not artsy-fartsy like my soap, just poured and sliced up into bars by machines no doubt. The glycerine is most likely added to the batching process during the 'triple milling'. Unfortunately they on-sell to market stall holders so the appearance to the local consumer is that it's 'locally made' which it's not. So you have my bar of soap selling for $6 compared to theirs for just $3.50.

 

[TheGecko]

so i think since the lye does not stay in the final product so they have not mentioned it ... there is a loop hole right there .... but what about the glycerin .... i am curious to know that

You need lye to make soap, but a lot of folks fear the word, so you use phrases like “soap base’ and ‘saponified oils’. Many (if not most) commercial soap manufacturers removed the glycerin and then add ‘some’ back in.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

80% lard and 20% CO make a darn good soap on their own. I have not tried it, but would not be surprised at all if palm and pko also make a good soap.

I still don't understand what the alkalinity of soap comes from - can someone explain, please?

@Ladka - try this post by DeeAnna in a thread called “why is soap alkaline?”

 

[Ladka]

Thank you! DeeAnna's explanation is exhaustive, it helped me to remember the colloids.

 

[Kiti Williams]

@Ladka - try this post by DeeAnna in a thread called “why is soap alkaline?”

DeeAnna is a great source of information. I think of her as the "Soaping Wikipedia"!

 

[LBV]

If you google 'selling homemade soap regulations nz' you will see a link to a PDF Cosmetics EPA NZ. Basically it states that you need to provide the ingredients - largest amount first and then the rest in decending order. I have also rung up and checked and if you have over 1% of essential oils they need to be stated. I am just not sure of the policing.

 

[KiwiMoose]

If you google 'selling homemade soap regulations nz' you will see a link to a PDF Cosmetics EPA NZ. Basically it states that you need to provide the ingredients - largest amount first and then the rest in decending order. I have also rung up and checked and if you have over 1% of essential oils they need to be stated. I am just not sure of the policing.

They are not made in NZ but in Aussie

 

[LBV]

They are not made in NZ but in Aussie

If a product is sold here it needs to follow NZ regulations. I just contacted EPA NZ and they stated that all ingredients need to be listed; however most do not do this. I will be selling my soaps at a market for the first time. I will be taking FAQs for people to read, so they understand the importance of knowing ingredients. Technically you should also have safety data sheets for every ingredient you use.