I get this question all the time from friends and clients: “Is SOAP bad for my skin?” My answer usually sits on the fence: there are a lot of bad soaps on the market, in fact, most of them are, but there are also some fantastic ones that are great for different skin types and conditions. There are countless articles and blog posts trashing that little bar. They mainly concentrate on the two key problems: the high pH level and the drying effect of mass-produced cleansing bars.
What they never talk about however, are the artisan, non-mass-produced soap bars and how they differ. In this post, I will demystify the great soap debate and show you that there are excellent soap bars on the market that can be your daily go-to, even for sensitive and acne-prone skin.
Very brief history of Soap
Humans have been using soap to clean items for nearly 5000 years. Archaeologists digging in ancient Babylon discovered evidence of soap-making dating back to 2800 B.C. Babylonians were the first to master the craft of soap-making, creating soap from animal fats and wood ashes. Today, it’s made from vegetable or animal fats and an alkali base (lye).
Throughout the ages soap was used for cleaning wool and cotton, in textile manufacture and for medical treatment of skin diseases. In the mid-nineteenth century, milder soaps for bathing became a separate commodity from the harsh laundry and commercial soaps. And that liquid hand soap you have by your sink? That’s a relatively recent invention from the 1970s.
So, Why Does Soap Have a Bad Name?
Soap has a high pH value (8 to 10), thus making it alkaline. Your skin is naturally slightly acidic with a pH between 4.5 to 5.5, known as the “acid mantle”. The acid mantle helps protect the skin against environmental aggressors like bacteria. Because skin has an acidic level, you need an alkaline substance to effectively clean it of excess oils, dirt and germs. Being alkaline, soap attracts the impurities and lifts them off the skin so they can be then flushed away with water.
It’s true that using an alkaline product temporarily disrupts your skin's pH, but studies have proven that the skin immediately begins rebalancing to its natural pH level after the soap is rinsed off. The re-balance normally takes a couple of hours if you don't use other products like toners or moisturisers. Using a moisturiser helps speed up the process of re-balancing the skin acid mantle.
The Problem is the Quality of the Soap
The real problem isn't the temporary pH shift; it's the quality of the soap itself. There are two simple reasons why soap gets a bad rap and both have to do with the low quality of mass-produced soap:
- The first is Excess Alkali: Poorly made, mass-manufactured bar soaps often have free alkali remaining in them. This means there weren't enough fats or oils added to convert all the lye into soap. Leftover alkali is what makes these bars harsh and drying. Manufacturers allow this to happen to save costs and increase the soap's shelf life.
- The second reason is that large manufacturers harvest the glycerine from the soap to sell it separately as a cosmetic ingredient in more profitable products like creams and lotions. Glycerine is a humectant, which means it attracts moisture to your skin. By removing it from the soap, the bar becomes significantly more drying on the skin than using a normal cleanser or a non-soap synthetic detergent bar like Dove. This is why many commercial bars, even the so-called "glycerine" soaps, can leave your skin feeling tight and stripped.
Most mass-produced soaps are made from synthetic detergents, and it is good to understand that clear soaps sold as 'glycerine' soaps are also made from a syndet base. The most moisturising soaps are cold processed where the natural glycerin has occurred as part of the saponification process.
If you feel that your skin can't tolerate soap, it's a red flag that your skin's acid mantle is struggling to rebalance. The issue might not be soap itself, but the quality of the soap you’re using. Mass produced soap is high alkali low-glycerine soap, hence drying and stripping.
So, is there such a thing as a good soap?
Yes. Cold-process handmade soap.
Traditional hand-crafted soap is a world away from the mass-produced bars. It is technically a ‘glycerine soap’ because it is extremely high in glycerine formed during saponification, which remains in the soap. During the cold process method, the oils are used at the right high quantity to consume all the alkali, and the precious glycerine stays right where it belongs – in the soap. Glycerine improves hydration and supports barrier recovery post-cleansing.
Some master soap-makers also add extra oil so that there are excess unsaponified fat molecules in the product creating what is known as a ‘superfatted’ soap. Superfatted soap is a milder, more moisturising, more skin-friendly bar as the skin absorbs directly the excess oils.
Handmade soaps are also cured for 4 to 8 weeks. This maturation period allows the chemical transformation from oil and lye into Soap, Glycerine and Oil to complete fully. This patient process ensures that no harmful, drying alkali is left in the bar to damage and dry out the skin.
Don’t take my word for it. Let’s compare two mass-produced soap formulas to one of YOGHSOAP demonstrating the dramatic difference in long list of unrecognizable synthetic chemicals.
Dove’s standard syndet bar:
Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Palmate, Aqua, Sodium Isethionate, Lauric Acid, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Parfum, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Chloride, Glycerin, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Zinc Oxide, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Citronellol, Coumarin, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool, CI 77891
Pear’s 98% Glycerine bar, one of the oldest soap brands still in production since 1807:
Water (Eau/Agua), Sorbitol, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Rosinate, Glycerin, Sodium Palmitate, Sodium Stearate, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, PEG-4, Sodium Laurate, Alcohol Denat., Sodium Chloride, Sodium Metabisulfite, Sodium Sulfate, Fragrance (Parfum/Fragancia), Tetrasodium Etidronate, Lauryl Alcohol, Tetrasodium EDTA, BHT, Carum Carvi (Caraway) Fruit Oil, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Oil, Cinnamal, Linalool, Eugenol, Eugenia Caryophyllus Oil, Linalyl Acetate, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Red 33 (CI 17200), Yellow 10 (CI 47005).
YOGHSOAP Relax Lavender simple, natural blend of oils only:
Sodium Cocoate, Sodium Olivate, Sodium Sunflowerate, Aqua/Yoghurt, Glycerin, Lavandula hybrida oil, Lavandula angustofolia oil, Cedrus deodara wood oil, Montmorillonite clay, Linalool, Limonene, Alkanna tinctoria L. extract
What to Look for in a Good Quality Soap
When you're shopping for soap, look for products from small local artisan businesses who know all about their ingredients and their superfat percentage.
Here are YOGH’s moisturising options:
- YOGHSOAP Baby Calendula:
This is a fantastic scent-free choice for all skin types but is especially wonderful for people with very dry or sensitive skin, or conditions like eczema and psoriasis. It’s made with 20% Calendula oil and enriched with fresh full-fat Bulgarian yoghurt and 5% superfat. - YOGHSOAP Relax Lavender, Invigorate Rosemary or any of the scents for those who love naturally perfumed soap with the real scents of nature i.e. pure essential oils in a combination of olive and coconut oil, enriched with fresh full-fat Bulgarian yoghurt and 5% superfat for a beautifully gentle, creamy soap.
Remember, you're washing this product off your skin, so be wary of soaps that make extravagant claims about anti-aging or other amazing benefits that are better suited for leave-on products like serums and moisturisers.
What If Your Skin Still Reacts?
If you try a new soap and your skin becomes dry or irritated, stop using it. Dry skin is a complex issue. It's not just about one product; it's about your skin's acid mantle, which is affected by everything from your DNA and diet to your stress levels and the climate you live in.
Next time you hear someone say they can’t use soap, you’ll know the real story. It’s not that all soap is bad; it’s that you’ve been settling for the wrong kind.
Give a good, old-fashioned handmade soap a try—your skin might just thank you for it.
