EcoBeautyVivi asks…I know that some sufectants, even those that are touted “natural” are derived from coconut oil. However, I seem to have spotted many “natural” soaps that contain no other ingredient that could possibly make it bubble (as the other ingredients are usually just essential oils and milk) and top of the list is “coconut oil”. I’m highly suspicious that these companies are not declaring their ingredients properly. I’m no chemist and I know nuts about soap-making. Thus, my question: Can Unprocessed Coconut Oil Alone make a soap lather well?
The Right Brain responds:
Thanks for your question, Eco. Actually we should say “thank you” twice because you’re really asking two questions. Let’s break them down.
Do soaps have to list their ingredients?
The first question is something like “do soaps have to list all their ingredients?” The answer might surprise you: soaps do not have to list their ingredients. Why? Because soaps are not legally considered to be cosmetics under the US. It’s a long story but suffice it to say that back in the 1930s when these laws were being developed the soap makers were very influential in the lawmaking process. They cut a deal that exempted soaps from the regulation that says cosmetic products must list all their ingredients.
In case that isn’t confusing enough here’s a another wrinkle to the story: this exemption only applies to true soaps (those made by reacting fatty acids with alkali.) Synthetic detergent bars (or SynDet bars as they are known) must list their ingredients just like other cosmetics. That’s why you’ll see some “soap” bars with an ingredient list and others without.
Can coconut oil make a soap lather?
The answer to your second question lies in understanding how soap is made. Oil (in this case coconut oil) is reacted with lye to make soap. (Lye is just another name for sodium hydroxide.) That’s why it’s called “lye soap.” This process transforms the coconut oil into a fatty acid and then into the salt of that fatty acid. While the oil itself will not lather, the fatty acid salt is a very effective foaming agent. Ah, the magic of chemistry!
If you want to learn more about the chemistry of soap making (who doesn’t!) Here’s a link to a soap making resource that we found very informative.
The Beauty Brains bottom-line
While we applaud your healthy skepticism it is indeed possible that a soap can be made from coconut oil and not have to list its ingredients.
Image credit: www.flickr.com/photos/el_ramon
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I have another question regarding this. Assuming the ‘benefit claims’ of a certain oil is true. Does the benefit still hold true if the oil is already saponified? A lot of companies make claims about their soaps having the benefits of such oil yada, yada…
@Rae: Good question. It’s one thing to apply an oil directly to your skin or hair and leave it on. It’s another thing to chemically modify that oil and then use it in a rinse off product like a soap. The “benefit claims” of the oil will only hold true if 1) there is some unsaponified oil left in the soap and 2) the oil actually stays on the skin (or hair) after rinsing.
To follow up to Rae’s question, there are unsaponifiable chemicals in certain oils, like squalene and tocopherols (Vitamin E) in Olive Oil which are beneficial to the skin.
Most of the soap at this time contains chemical. Hard to find 100% natural product.
Realistically I don’t think that any coconut oil soap, even the ones that contain unsaponified oil, can give any real health benefits to the user, seeing as more often than not soap is washed off shortly after application. It just doesn’t seem like having it on your skin for such a short duration would really allow you to get the full (or any) effect that applying actual coconut oil and leaving it on would have.
Of course, this is just speculation and I don’t have any real evidence (scientific or anecdotal) to back it up. It just kinda seems that way when you think about it.
You are making a very good point. The science supporting the benefits of coconut oil soap on skin is weak.