Soaps and detergents are not your ordinary chemicals – even though we use them everyday.
They come fitted with bits and pieces, additives that make them attractive, and spice up our senses.
I’m talking about fragrances, dyes, and anti bacterial agents, to name but a few.
And we’ve not even mentioned preservatives, surfactants and humectants like glycerine.
So soap is not as ordinary as we want to imagine.
But if in doubt, just have a look at the table of ingredients the next time you do a purchase.
Even though all these ingredients help sway our preferences, some of them come with strings attached.
What do I mean?
Well, every thing that benefits us may also have some side effects over time.
For example, drugs we use to treat diseases could trigger other side effects that we cannot escape from.
However, the benefits we reap far outweigh the discomfort we’ll face when exposed to these side effects.
And that’s the reason why we use them.
But what if we had an alternative drug that helps us without these side effects?
We will queue for ages to get it. Wouldn’t we?
Same case with soap ingredients.
A number of these additives have been proven to be potent against dirt and germs.
But at the same time their usage still carries with it some side effects.
Infact, some of these side effects might be too serious to ignore.
But what if we had a better option?
What if we use ingredients that are:
…less harsh on our skins…
…active against germs but still gentle on us…
…offer good soap preservation without harming us or the environment…
This is the gist of this write up.
We explore formidable nature-derived alternatives to common synthetic soap ingredients.
But why soap?
Well, we use it everyday.
So if an ingredient or two poses a risk to us, we ought to take note and take action.
But which ingredients are we taking about here?
SURFACTANTS
Surfactants are the agents that do the actual dirt-lifting in soaps.
They come in different shapes and sizes but among many, there’s one that features regularly especially in handwash liquid soap – SLS.
SLS is an abbreviation of a chemical called sodium lauryl sulfate.
This is a chemical that’s derived from lauric acid, a component of coconut oil – a good thing.
The thing with coconut oil is it produces some of the most cleansing soaps.
But soaps need to have a balance between being cleansing and conditioning.
Conditioning has to do with retention of oils so as not to irritate the skin.
This is one of the areas SLS struggles with.
It is highly cleansing therfore making it very drying to the skin.
The dryness could be tolerated by the majority of us but not those of us who have skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis.
But it doesn’t stop at that.
Manufacture of SLS and SLES (Sodium laureth sulfate – also a related surfactant) leaves behind a “bitter” aftertaste – for lack of a better term.
Like many chemical processes, by-products are crucial to consider.
These are substances that are produced besides the desired products which in this case is SLS or SLES.
And among these by-products, one features prominently.
DIOXANE
Because dioxanes are by-products in these processes, they more often than not occur mixed within the product.
For this reason, a number of western nations have limited the use of SLS in soaps so as to control exposure to it.
But what’s all the fuss about dioxane?
Well, the Food and Drug Administration of the United States has categorised dioxane as a likely carcinogen.
In other words, exposure to it over time carries a risk of cancer development – and this is based on studies.
So what recourse do we have in this regard?
NON-IONIC SURFACTANTS
An increasing number of sustainable cleaning products manufacturers are turning away from SLS and SLES.
A couple are choosing natural or naturally derived surfactants which undergo minimal chemical processing, leaving a lower carbon footprint.
These surfactants are also gentle to the skin and have no traces of harmful by-products.
Perhaps the next time you take a pick into the ingredients list, please pay attention to these friendly ones:
Coco glucoside – this is a natural agent derived purely from coconut oil using minimal chemical processing. It’s known to be gentle on the skin and forms massive suds.
Cocamidopropyl betaine – also known as CAPB, this is a semi-processed surfactant that’s also derived from coconut oil. Besides being mild to the skin, it bears no harmful by-products, and it boosts foaming when used with coco glucoside.
A growing number of sustainable innovators are also turning towards saponins – natural soapy substances – that could be extracted from plant material like soap nuts, yucca root, rice water, and even starch.
The goal is to get to soap that works for us without exposing us to untold risks.
Besides, minimal processing means less carbon emissions.
Infact a new kind of chemistry is being nurtured in this regard – green chemistry.
Green chemistry is about reduction in the use of harsh chemicals, energy, and numerous processes to produce what we need.
So the bottom line is that next time you walk into the store or supermarket in search of soap, have your overall health in mind.
Let this dictate what you choose to buy.
