About Soap

Soap is the sodium (or potassium) salt of a fatty acid. Soap is prepared either by the direct reaction of fatty acids with an alkali or by the reaction of an alkali with fats and oils (producing soap together with glycerine).

Therefore soap is actually a salt.

Cold process soap retains the naturally formed glycerine needed to moisturise the skin, while commercial makers remove the glycerine and sell it as a by-product. One of the most significant differences betwen a synthetic soap and a traditional soap made from natural raw ingredients, is the factor of biodegradability. Traditional natural soaps are 100% biodegradable, synthetic soaps are not.

Synthetic manufacturers of cosmetics make their shampoo, facial cleansers and soap with synthetic detergents (syndets). Syndets are similar to soap in that they can dissolve in both oil and water, but they are not natural and do the same kind of harm to our environment that laundry and household detergents do.

Syndets are made from a variety of petrochemicals that are far less biodegereable than soap and far less gentle on the skin. Many cosmetic manufacturers claim sodium lauryl sulphate and other syndets come from coconuts. They do not - they are made by the Ziegler process with sulfur trioxide or chlorosulfuric acid.

Syndets are often combined with diethanolamine (DEA) or triethanolamine (TEA), either of which can form carcinogenic nitrosamines in hair care and skin care products.

True soap cannot be made without lye (Sodium Hydroxide) which goes through a chemical change called saponification, leaving no lye, but a product that won't dry like commerical products.