Deep Dive Ahead

I have been wanting to do a deep dive into this topic for a while. I use both the cold processed method for soapmaking, and I also use gentle surfactants in my syndet shampoo bars and face cleansers. Could one really be better than the other? Let’s address it.

Ok, let me disclose that I absolutely adore a great bar of soap.  However, I’ve also ventured over to the dark side, and admittedly also love its arch enemy, the syndet bar. I am being slightly dramatic here, but you get the point.

Let’s make a side-by-side comparison and find out whether a syndet bar should get all the negative hype vs. the tried-and-true cold processed soap. Can both be excellent with different purposes?

(dramatic announcer voice) Starting at the sink: Coming in at 5.5 ounces, green mean germ fighting machine!

Let’s Start with True Soap

What is true soap? True handmade soap is composed of hard butters and oils that undergo a chemical reaction with an alkali (lye) resulting in saponification. Saponification is the chemical reaction that creates soap. It’s an age-old tradition that has been around for centuries! We won’t do a deep dive into the history of soap making today, but it’s difficult not to! The best part of a good cold processed handmade soap is the glycerin that is naturally produced as a by-product. That beautiful natural skin-loving humectant is super beneficial to the skin!

Glycerin in all its glory

Glycerin is a humectant that draws moisture into the skin. It is an excellent ingredient in face creams, body lotions and cold processed soaps where it naturally is made. Big soap companies will sometimes extract glycerin and sell it off to cosmetic companies to increase their profit margins. Shame shame. Another kicker to the dry skin that desperately needs to be moisturized.

Gosh, can you tell that I love cold processed soap? Ok, comes the comparison.

Synthetic Soaps aka Syndet Bars

Over the counter “soaps” sold at local stores can be widely different than your cold processed soaps. Syndet bars are not considered true soap because they typically do not contain rich butters and oils or undergo saponification the way cold processed soap does.  They also do not create glycerin as a natural byproduct, although some syndet bars have glycerin added to their final product.

Now the question is, are syndet bars worse for the skin than a traditional soap bar? Not exactly! There are different reasons to use both.  However, it’s important to be mindful of the type of synthetic detergents companies, both big and small, use. For instance, would you want the same strong laundry detergent to be used on the skin? No, I think not. It would be overly cleansing, dry, irritating and potentially too powerful for the skin barrier.

The counter here is that true soap can also be overly drying to the skin. The soap formulation is key to what type of soap bar it creates! For example, if a soap bar has 35 % coconut oil, which is one of the main cleansing oils, this can also dry out the skin! In addition, if there is not enough superfat to condition the skin, it can also cause dryness and irritation.

The art of soap making is in the balance of oils, butters, lye and superfat and ensures all the lye is used during the saponification process.  A responsible well-crafted nourishing bar of soap takes time and trial and error along the way. Not to mention a great soap calculator!

Bad vs Good?

While syndet bars are not inherently “bad” for the skin, it is important to look at the label and determine if they are in fact using gentle surfactants. Some gentle surfactants that I used in my products include the following:

• Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI)

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLSA)

• Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB)

• Decyl Glucoside

The properties that make a surfactant gentle vs. harsh depend on the molecular size, tail length and electrical charge.

The above ingredients are used in my shampoo bars as it creates a perfect pH for which hair thrives, typically between 4.5-5.5. They are gentle yet cleansing. Keeping the pH the same as the hair’s natural pH helps the hair cuticle stay healthy.   In comparison, a cold processed shampoo soap bar can be much harsher to the hair and it’s cuticle with its alkaline pH of 9-10. It can also leave build up and residue, weighing the hair down overtime. As you can see there are different purposes for different surfactants and which areas on the body they are being used. One size does not fit all!

Additional Mild Surfactants

• Coco Glucoside

• Lauryl Glucoside

• Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate

• Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate

Moderate to Harsh Surfactants

Below is a list of moderate to harsh detergents that are also used in bars of soap and skincare products, face cleansers, and shampoo bars.

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)

• Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS)

• Sodium Coco-Sulfate (SCS)

• Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)

• Ammonium Laureth Sulfate (ALES)

• Sodium Myreth Sulfate

This is just to name a few. These surfactants typically should not be used on the skin due to their high cleansing properties. However the harsh detergents listed above can still be easily found in many commercially made skin cleansers, soaps, body washes and facial products. For research purposes, I recently bought a shampoo bar which uses Sodium Coco-Sulfate this weekend. I can confirm that it was not my favorite.

My Own Conclusions

Syndet bars do have their advantages when a gentle surfactant is used at a responsible cleansing percentage. In fact, I use amazing synthetic detergents in my gentle face cleanser and shampoo bars! One of their main advantages are that it is most representative of the skin and hair’s natural pH while cold processed soap is alkaline.

As you can see there are many factors that weigh into the decision of whether a product will be beneficial or not for the skin. It’s not quite as simple as a good bar vs bad bar; there are pros and cons to both (see table below).

Determining what works best for your skin and hair is the bottom line.  Some skin types will react to synthetic detergents while others do not.  It is important to understand that one size does not fit all and knowing which synthetic detergents to steer clear from on the ingredient list is a great starting point! I hope you enjoyed this post.  In the future maybe we will venture through sulfates, additives and pH and how they play a role in skincare.  Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer

I am not a dermatologist.  I just enjoy the topic. It’s a passion and a hobby and now a small business of mine.  I am an Emergency Medicine Physician who receives almost zero training in dermatology and while I can spot dermatological emergencies, that’s all I’m good for in the derm realm.  I’m just a girl who loves creating and making her own skincare and soap.