Sodium ovilate in CP soap

[Shewearsfunnyhat]

I purchased some Nablus soap from the Nablus Soap Company. I was looking at the ingredients and I saw that the last ingredient on the list was sodium olivate. I am curious. What is the purpose of adding a surfactant to a cold process soap? Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Misschief]

Sodium Olivate is not a surfactant; it's saponified olive oil. That means it was made with olive oil and lye and whatever other ingredients.

 

[DeeAnna]

Speaking in a technical sense, soap -- the stuff we like to make from fat and lye -- is indeed a surfactant (SURFace ACTive agent). A surfactant is something that allows other chemicals to mix together that otherwise would not mix. Soap is good at convincing water and fats to mix.

More specifically soap is a detergent -- a surfactant that can be used as a cleaning agent. I see many sources make a distinction between soap as being something different than detergent, so this is a bit of a gray area. IMO, it's more accurate to distinguish soap from synthetic detergents (syndets).

Soap is not a synthetic detergent because it can be made in nature as well as by humans. A syndet is one that is cannot be created by processes found in the natural environment.

I know NaOH isn't a chemical found in the natural environment either, but soap can be created by natural processes using alkalis that are found in nature -- sodium carbonate, being one example.

Misschief is correct that sodium olivate is plain, nothing-special olive oil soap. Sodium olivate is the INCI term for this type of soap.

 

[Shewearsfunnyhat]

Speaking in a technical sense, soap -- the stuff we like to make from fat and lye -- is indeed a surfactant (SURFace ACTive agent). A surfactant is something that allows other chemicals to mix together that otherwise would not mix. Soap is good at convincing water and fats to mix.

More specifically soap is a detergent -- a surfactant that can be used as a cleaning agent. I see many sources make a distinction between soap as being something different than detergent, so this is a bit of a gray area. IMO, it's more accurate to distinguish soap from synthetic detergents (syndets).

Soap is not a synthetic detergent because it can be made in nature as well as by humans. A syndet is one that is cannot be created by processes found in the natural environment.

I know NaOH isn't a chemical found in the natural environment either, but soap can be created by natural processes using alkalis that are found in nature -- sodium carbonate, being one example.

Misschief is correct that sodium olivate is plain, nothing-special olive oil soap. Sodium olivate is the INCI term for this type of soap.

It seems like a strange thing to have at the bottom of the ingredient list. Nablus soap only uses olive oil. I am trying to figure out why it's there.

 

[DeeAnna]

It wouldn't be the first time an ingredients list was written out of order. You didn't provide the entire list, so that's just a guess.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Speaking in a technical sense, soap -- the stuff we like to make from fat and lye -- is indeed a surfactant (SURFace ACTive agent). A surfactant is something that allows other chemicals to mix together that otherwise would not mix. Soap is good at convincing water and fats to mix.

More specifically soap is a detergent -- a surfactant that can be used as a cleaning agent. I see many sources make a distinction between soap as being something different than detergent, so this is a bit of a gray area. IMO, it's more accurate to distinguish soap from synthetic detergents (syndets).

Soap is not a synthetic detergent because it can be made in nature as well as by humans. A syndet is one that is cannot be created by processes found in the natural environment.

I know NaOH isn't a chemical found in the natural environment either, but soap can be created by natural processes using alkalis that are found in nature -- sodium carbonate, being one example.

Misschief is correct that sodium olivate is plain, nothing-special olive oil soap. Sodium olivate is the INCI term for this type of soap.

So appreshate your knowledge & input.

 

[Misschief]

Looking at the ingredients (Virgin Olive Oil (Olea Europaea Fruit Oil), Aqua, Sodium Hydroxide, Glycerin, Sodium Olivate ), it looks like they're listing two ways on the label. The ingredients (into the pot) are Virgin Olive Oil, Water, Lye. Out of the pot, you end up with Glycerin and Sodium Olivate. Glycerin is a by-product of the saponification process and the olive and lye becomes Sodium Olivate.

 

[DeeAnna]

That's the oddest way of doing an ingredients list. Oh, well....

 

[Mobjack Bay]

Could it be that they’re adding soap (scraps, like we add confetti) and glycerin into back into a new batch of soap? That still wouldn’t explain the sodium olivate being last.

 

[Shewearsfunnyhat]

Thank you for posting it, I just got off work. I am still scratching my head at the ingredient list. Why add sodium olivate to an olive oil soap?
Are there different ingredient label requirements in Palatine? Was something lost or added in translation?

It is a nice soap with a big history. The factory was founded in the early 1600's.

 

[DeeAnna]

I can appreciate it might be something lost in the translation. There's a soap making video floating around that I understand has an English transcript of the foreign language script. (I haven't personally seen this video.) The transcript apparently says the soap is made with potassium BIcarbonate (baking soda), but the soap is in fact made with potassium carbonate (potash). Big difference.

 

[Misschief]

I can appreciate it might be something lost in the translation. There's a soap making video floating around that I understand has an English transcript of the foreign language script. (I haven't personally seen this video.) The transcript apparently says the soap is made with potassium BIcarbonate (baking soda), but the soap is in fact made with potassium carbonate (potash). Big difference.

I have seen it and my husband can affirm that I pretty much yelled at the monitor when I saw that.

 

[Shewearsfunnyhat]

They now use sodium hydroxide. It looks like the factory also got some technology upgrades. They now mill the soap to speed up curing time, and use an electric soap cutter. I was a little sad because I love the videos of them making soap and pouring it on the floor.

 

[violets2217]

They now use sodium hydroxide. It looks like the factory also got some technology upgrades. They now mill the soap to speed up curing time, and use an electric soap cutter. I was a little sad because I love the videos of them making soap and pouring it on the floor.

I love that video. I watch it all the time!

 

[Shewearsfunnyhat]

They might have gone away from some of the old manufacturing techniques, but they get an A++ in customer service. I contacted them asking where I could buy their soap. They connected me with a distributor in the US. They followed up to make sure I was able to order through the distributor. It was such a great experience.