Man, truly is an insensitive being, but could one be heartless enough to kill many animals just for the sake of attaining some external cleanliness? This question leaves many of us in awe of astonishment and here we are going to tell you about the usage of animal parts (fats) in the making of refreshing soaps.
We would not like to disappoint you but the fact is that animal fat, commonly known as tallow is the main ingredient in the formation process of our daily soaps. Around 75 to 85% constitution of soap is based on the Sodium tallowate or a product of animal fat.
This might have left you blaming yourself for the unintentional crime you had been committing. We would like to lessen that sense of guilt by making you realize that not all products practice this trend, however greater majority does. Also, these vegan soaps could help you to further a bit more to your animal friendliness goal. Below, we have provided you the answers to all those questions that might be popping around your mind now.
Ingredients of a Soap
The soap bars produced on a commercial basis have nearly the same composition except for the flavors and fragrances that may differ accordingly. But you will never find the correct composition mentioned over it. However, mainly the constituents include the following list:
- Sodium tallowate
- Sodium cocoate
- Sodium palmate and similar ingredients
- Tallow
- Coconut oil
- Palm kernel oil
- Lye
What is Sodium Tallowate
Fatty tissues of sheep and cattle yield tallow, which is basically a fat product. Sodium tallowate is a salt of tallow, similar products are magnesium and potassium tallowate. Sodium tallowate functions as a surfactant or cleansing agent, viscosity increasing agent, emulsifying agent and for foam boosting purposes. All these compounds are an important part of the soap or its derivatives’ preparation process.
How is a Soap made
Soap is manufactured basically by the process of Saponification, in which glycerol along with the salts of sodium are produced with the help of caustic soda or commonly known as lye. The process of saponification involves basic environment for the hydrolysis of esters, the resulting products are alcohol and carboxylates (or salts of carboxylic acid).
It is a two-step process, which involves either vegetable fat or animal fat. Then the manufactured product is properly processed and packaged under specific conditions.
Is Animal Fat necessary for Soapmaking
Tallow or animal fat is totally not a necessary ingredient for the preparation of soap. The fat for greasing purpose can be obtained from any source just like vegetables. But utilizing animal fat is an easy and cheap option. For which the industries provide a reason that tallow has higher boiling point making the soap hard and long-lasting, however, this is purely for the purpose of advertisements while the reality is opposite in its all senses.
Types of Soap based on the Chemicals
Commercially, the world has succeeded by leaps and bound in every field and industry, same is the case with the market of Soap production. You can find a variety of soapy products in the market differentiated on the basis of composition and utilization as per your need and requirement. Here, described are some of the common types:
- Beauty Soap
As the name suggests, beauty soaps are used for the purpose of beatification. Natural oils and glycerin are special ingredients used to give a glow to the skin. Moisture content is high and thus recommended for dry skin. Alcohol and synthetic ingredients are also a part of composition with animal fat.
- Glycerin Soap
Such soaps are mostly translucent due to their specific content, they consist of glycerin, alcohol and sugar. They provide instant moisturization affect due to the presence of glycerin which is also present in scents and for general use.
- Organic Soap
These soaps are prepared with natural or organic products which are recommended for people having sensitive skin. Such common ingredients are goat milk, honey, flower essence and citrus. Almond is also a part of the organic soap They keep the skin hydrated and the flower essences provide fragrance to your body.
- Triple Milled Soap
This one is called triple milled because the process is repeated three times. This one will not be soggy, rather be harder, denser and long-lasting. These ones contain natural oils in more than animal fat and have a better effect on the skin.
Soaps containing Animal fat
Below, we have piled up some of the common brands of soaps that contain animal fat or tallow. You can have an idea of the product by going through it:
- Basis
- Camay
- Cetaphil
- Dial
- Dove
- Irish Spring
- Ivory
- Jergens
- Lever
- Neutrogena
- pHisoderm
- Purpose
- Tone
Some common Answers to this Question
As you enter this question on the Google bar, you get flooded with answers of every forum. But, all those different words are conveying the same message that almost all the variety of Soaps are made up of animal’s fattening products. The brands try to justify the ingredient by treating it as a necessity, which it is not.
Although, at some places, it is also mentioned that the presence of animal fat is not necessary as the fat can be obtained from other sources as well. But it is commonly found as tallow in the best-selling articles of soap.
Conclusion
This world is actually a deceiving place, you never know what you are using/consuming even at the cost of other living things. Many of the things are not like they appear to be. Using animal fat while there is a replacement is an act of horror while hiding the real content of soap manufacturing is another crime which could not be expected from renowned brands earning billions of dollars every year.
However, there are some organic products which do not include tallow in their ingredients. And in this article, we have provided you abundant knowledge so you may decide carefully about which Soap to use now!