What’s In Your Soap?

Soap is the key ingredient when it comes to washing your hands, whether you’re using liquid or a bar we all have something next to our bathroom sink to clean our hands with. It’s something for most of us that we don’t think twice about, and more often than not we don’t think about what our soap is made of.

Have your hands ever felt dry and your skin irritated after washing your hands? Then your soap probably contains one or more chemical ingredients that are found in many different cosmetics but can be linked to skin irritation and other problems. It can sometimes be difficult to believe that ingredients that can be so bad for us are widely used in the products we use on our skin every day, and therefore are absorbed into our body. While it is usually in small amounts, I think it’s important to be informed of the potential risks of these ingredients.

So what should you steer clear of when it comes to buying your soap? The main ingredients to watch out for would be parabens such as methylparaben, butylparaben and propylparaben etc. which have hormone-disrupting effects and can cause diminished muscle mass and extra fat storing. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate are mostly found in foaming personal care products –including soaps. SLS is the active ingredient in industrial engine degreasers, floor cleaners and car wash soaps, is it really something we should be putting on our skin? Synthetic fragrances and colours are also regularly used in soaps and can irritate your skin, instead look for fragrances that are derived from essential oils or a phthalate-free label on the packaging.

Luckily there are brands that produce natural and organic soaps that do not contain harmful skin irritants like parabens and SLS, you’ll find a few here on our site!

Dr. Bronner soaps are made with pure, natural and certified organic ingredients, free from parabens and SLS.

Earth Friendly Liquid Hand Soap is a blend of coconut-based soap and grapefruit seed extract. It is fragrance free and certified cruelty free as well as being paraben and SLS free.

If you prefer foaming soap but want to avoid SLS, try our Liquid Soap Foam Pump!

Faith in Nature produce such a wide range of organic soap bars with different fragrances sourced from essential oils. The soaps are paraben free, cruelty free and ethically made in the UK.

Oliva Olive Oil Soap is made with just natural, pure olive oil, water and mineral salts and completely free from artificial colours, perfumes and preservatives.

Beautiful Nablus Soaps are made from moisturising olive oil by a descendent of 400 years of soap makers! They are all handmade, biodegradable, and come in lovely boxes that make a great gift or stocking filler.

What’s your favourite?