So, soap…I know that I use a true soap but do you? Some people may not even care if they are using soap or not. That’s cool. It’s their choice. But what about the people who want a more educated choice? We need to arm ourselves with facts and information. I believe that it’s the consumer’s responsibility to read about the ingredients in the products we buy instead of placing the burden upon the government to regulate harmful ingredients used. We cannot expect that the government will always make the best choices for us. We have the ability to protect ourselves and have the power to make a difference with companies that use harsh ingredients by not buying their products. It’s all about choice and knowledge. Did you know that a lot of the stuff we see on shelves of stores are actually made of detergents? Look at the labels. Do you see “beauty bar”? Is there a long list of ingredients that sound like a lot of mumbo jumbo? Are there claims that say this bar will moisturize or beautify your skin?
Let’s clear some stuff up. Common soap ingredients as listed on labels are:
Sodium Palmitate-Palm Oil
Sodium Tallowate-Tallow (Beef, usually)
Sodium Cocoate-Coconut Oil
Sodium Palm Kernelate-Palm Kernel Oil
Glycerin-natural humectant, a vegetable byproduct of soap making process
Water-used as the catalyst for sodium hydroxide
Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate-used as a detergent ingredient and emulsifyer
Stearic Acid-used as a hardening agent
Sodium Isethionate-detergent used to make dense lather
Sodium Stearate-salt of Stearic acid
Cocamidopropyl Betaine-synthetic surfactant derived from coconut oil
Sodium Chloride-salt
Tedtradsodium EDTA-chelating ingredient
Citric Acid-natural preservative used in food and cosmetics
Propylene Glycol-derived from natural gas, used as a humectant
The sodium part of the ingredient listing has to do with the chemical transformation of the oils reacting with the lye making this a salt (sodium) process and the –ate suffix indicates the transformed ingredient. We know what ingredients are, right? Ingredients are defined as substances that make up part of a mixture. Soap doesn’t need to list ingredients if the sole purpose is to clean. Products that claim more than cleaning or say they will cure something are regulated as a cosmetic or a drug.
Common list of ingredients in our soap:
Palm oil, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Water, Sodium Hydroxide, Essential Oils
And what if it's "soap"?
Soap is a category that needs special explanation. That's because the regulatory definition of "soap" is different from the way in which people commonly use the word. Products that meet the definition of "soap" are exempt from the provisions of the FD&C Act because -- even though Section 201(i)(1) of the act includes "articles...for cleansing" in the definition of a cosmetic -- Section 201(i)(2) excludes soap from the definition of a cosmetic.
How FDA defines "soap"
Not every product marketed as soap meets FDA's definition of the term. FDA interprets the term "soap" to apply only when --
• The bulk of the nonvolatile matter in the product consists of an alkali salt of fatty acids and the product's detergent properties are due to the alkali-fatty acid compounds, and
• The product is labeled, sold, and represented solely as soap [21 CFR 701.20].
If a cleanser does not meet all of these criteria...
If a product intended to cleanse the human body does not meet all the criteria for soap, as listed above, it is either a cosmetic or a drug. For example:
If a product --
• consists of detergents or
• primarily of alkali salts of fatty acids and
• is intended not only for cleansing but also for other cosmetic uses, such as beautifying or moisturizing,
it is regulated as a cosmetic.
If a product --
• consists of detergents or
• primarily of alkali salts of fatty acids and
• is intended not only for cleansing but also to cure, treat, or prevent disease or to affect the structure or any function of the human body,
it is regulated as a drug.
If a product --
• is intended solely for cleansing the human body and
• has the characteristics consumers generally associate with soap,
• does not consist primarily of alkali salts of fatty acids,
it may be identified in labeling as soap, but it is regulated as a cosmetic.
From Natural Ingredient Resource Center- "True Soap" Exception...Natural Soap
The NIRC has made an exception for "True Soap" that fits the following criteria;
• "True Soap" may be labeled as "natural soap" ONLY if the ingredients that go into the soap are lye plus 100% natural ingredients, according to the NIRC Criteria for natural ingredients.
• "True Soap" may be labeled as "natural soap" ONLY if all of the ingredients are listed. We require that "True Soap", labeled as "natural soap", have ingredient labeling in order to help prevent the misuse of the "natural soap" label.
• Soap labeled as "natural soap" may not contain the addition of any synthetic or artificial ingredients including but not limited to artificial colors, synthetic fragrances, man-made vitamins, solvent extracted oils or additional glycerin.
• Please see the answer to the question: "Is there such a thing as "Natural Soap"?"
For more information about “True Soaps” or “Natural Soaps” please visit: http://www.naturalingredient.org/
For more information on FDA information about soap, cosmetics, and drugs, please visit:
www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/ucm074201.htm