Handmade soap is becoming an indispensable part of the green living trend of young people today. So how is this product different from traditional industrial soap? Let's find out with Sanh Nhien through this article.
1. Soap production process
Making handmade soap usually only uses simple machines and basic ingredients, so the quantity of finished products is often not much. Meanwhile, industrial soap is produced on modern machinery lines, fast production speed and ensures the quantity sold to the market.
2. Ingredients of soap
The ingredients of handmade soap include fats of vegetable origin such as olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, sunflower oil, rice bran oil, almond oil, etc. and extracts from herbs, fruits, and natural vegetables such as cucumber, carrot, bitter melon, pennywort, turmeric, etc. to create fragrance and color. These natural ingredients have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, acne-reducing, and skin-nourishing properties. The soap also does not contain preservatives, foaming agents, or fragrances that can irritate the skin. On the contrary, industrial soaps mostly contain chemicals and synthetic fragrances to stabilize product quality.
3. Physical properties
Handmade soaps are often soft and quickly dissolve in humid environments, while industrial soaps have a more stable hardness and longer shelf life.
4. Form
Handmade soaps have a very diverse appearance, completely depending on the preferences of the maker with the combination of oils, natural fragrances,... The color of handmade soaps also varies depending on the ingredients. Meanwhile, industrial soaps have uniform quality, color, scent and shape.
5. Scent
The scent of handmade soaps is often light, mainly using aromatic oils & essential oils extracted from natural flowers and herbs. In contrast, the scent of industrial soaps often uses synthetic fragrances, has a strong scent and has a longer lasting scent.
6. Foaming ability
Handmade soaps do not contain foaming agents, so they produce less foam than commercial soaps. However, this does not affect the cleaning ability of the product.
7. Cleaning ability
Handmade soaps have a moderate cleaning ability because the pH level is usually around 7-9 (most handmade soaps at Sanh Nhien are in this range). While industrial soaps are usually at 9-10. This is because handmade soaps do not contain strong detergents that can cause dry or irritated skin.
8. Moisturizing ability
Handmade soaps are highly valued for their moisturizing ability, due to the glycerin from natural oils and essential oils that help nourish the skin. Glycerin is a humectant, which has the effect of moisturizing the outer layer from the deepest layer of the skin, formed from the saponification reaction of fats in vegetable oils such as coconut oil, olive oil,...
Meanwhile, industrial soap products often focus on cleaning and foaming ability, which can cause dry skin after each use for sensitive skin. Industrial production processes often separate the active ingredient glycerin to optimize profits. Soap without glycerin has a shorter saponification time and a longer shelf life. The separated glycerin can be used for other cosmetic products.
9. Skin safety level
Handmade soaps are safe for all skin types, including those with skin problems such as eczema, sensitive skin or acne. The rich nutrients and less detergents in natural soaps help maintain a stable pH of the skin, less abrasion. Meanwhile, industrial soaps can cause dryness and irritation of the skin due to the lack of natural nutrients and high detergent.
10. Price
Due to the manual production process and the use of natural ingredients, the quantity of products in each production run is lower, resulting in the price of handmade soaps being often higher than that of industrial soaps.
Chemicals in industrial soaps often include: bleach, foaming agents, fragrances, hardeners, colorants, preservatives, etc. These substances can be harmful to the skin, health and the environment. Meanwhile, handmade soaps are made entirely from pure natural ingredients, can be easily decomposed, and do not pollute the air or water during the manufacturing and use process.