What makes a soap natural? According to Chagrin Valley Soaps, natural soaps contain ingredients such as essential oils, fats and other ingredients that come from the earth. These cleansing agents will help you to create a plant-powered body care routine without the use of harsh chemicals, which can potentially strip the skin. The most popular and accessible soaps on the market are considered synthetic detergents, while the harsher ingredients found in synthetic detergents can irritate sensitive, dry and eczema-prone skin.
According to the FDA, “Ordinary soap is made by combining fats or oils and an alkali, such as lye. The fats and oils, which may be from animal, vegetable, or mineral sources, are degraded into free fatty acids, which then combine with the alkali to form crude soap. Today there are very few true soaps on the market. Most body cleansers, both liquid and solid, are actually synthetic detergent products. Detergent cleansers are popular because they make suds easily in water and don’t form gummy deposits. Some of these detergent products are actually marketed as ‘soap’ but are not true soap according to the regulatory definition of the word.”
One of our favorite vegan and cruelty-free handmade soap brands is Purple Swan, as their organic products offer a perfect start to the natural soap journey. The cleansing bar not only protects the skin’s natural oils but contains a loofah inside to exfoliate while you wash. Their products are a natural skincare must-have and will help your skin to thrive.
As shocking as it is to learn that many of our beloved body care items don’t meet the definition of soap, finding the real thing is now easier with the help of GRAZIA USA.
All products featured on GRAZIA are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, GRAZIA may earn an affiliate commission.
