6 Amazing Sustainably Sourced Oils and Fats Used in Our Soap Bars
Aug 24
4 min read
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The choice of oils and fats used in soap-making plays a crucial role. These natural ingredients provide essential nutrients, nourish the skin, and offer a variety of therapeutic benefits. In this post, we delve into the six sustainably sourced oils and fats that we've incorporated into our soap bars. Each of these ingredients brings unique properties to the table, ensuring that our soaps are not only gentle but also highly effective for various skin types and concerns.
CASTOR OIL
NAMES:
Botanical: Ricinus communis | INCI: Ricinus Communis Seed Oil
SOURCE:
India
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:
Ricinoleic acid, linoleic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid, palmitic acid, ricinoleic acid isomerII, α-linolenic acid, cis-vaccenic acid, punicic acid, gondoic acid.
Derived through expeller pressing the seeds of the plant and maintained in an unrefined state, this oil acts as a formidable protective barrier upon the skin, fortifying it against the deleterious effects of adverse environmental conditions. Renowned not only for its efficacy in hair-care formulations as a conditioning agent, but also for its extensive utilization in soap-making. Castor Oil stands out as one of the select oils capable of serving as an emulsifying agent.
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COCONUT OIL
NAMES:
Botanical: Cocos nucifera | INCI: Cocos Nucifera Oil
SOURCE:
Malaysia
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:
Lauric acid, myristic acid, and palmitic acid.
Coconut oil is derived using a rigrous refining process. The crude oil is first degummed with phosphoric acid, then bleached with activated carbon, filtered, and then steam deodorized. It is one of our most preferred oils in our soap making, as it highly soluble in both hard and salt water, resulting in a bubbly lather. It also retains moisture, thus creating a harder and longer lasting bar of soap.
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JOJOBA OIL
NAMES:
Botanical: Simmondsia chinensis | INCI: Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
SOURCE
Israel
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:
Gandoic acid, erucic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, nervonic acid.
Jojoba oil in actuality, is a liquid wax that is cold pressed and refined from seeds. It is known to closely resemble the sebum of the skin, and is rich in vitamin E. Moreover, it nourishes, regenerates and moisturizes, hence it is helps to soothe sensitive and inflamed skin, and is a good treatment for dry and mature skin. Its natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties are also benefcial for healing acne-prone skin along with other bacterial skin conditions.
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LAUREL BERRY OIL
NAMES:
Botanical: Laurus nobilis L. | INCI: Laurus Nobilis Fruit Oil
SOURCE:
Turkey
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:
Oleic acid, linoleic acid, lauric acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, myristic acid, alpha-linolenic acid.
Laurel berry oil is produced through a traditional process of boiling handpicked Laurel berries until the seeds and pulp separate. The extracted oil then floats to the top of the water and is carefully skimmed to maintain purity. As Laurel Berry Oil is abundant in beneficial unsaponifiable (non reactive) components, the oil is thicker, moree opaque, and more aromatic than most of our other base oils used in our soapmaking. It has has strong antibacterial properties, making it ideal acne control, fungal infections, dry skin, eczema, psoriasis and other problematic skin issues. As well, it sooths dry, irritated scalp conditions, moisturizes dry, brittle hair. Lastly, it is a cleansing, protective oil that is gentle on the skin.
OLIVE OIL
NAMES:
Botanical: Olea europaea | INCI: Olea Europaea Fruit Oil
SOURCE:
Various
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:
Oleic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid.
This cold pressed oil is the most significant ingredient in the creation of our hard, long lasting soap bars. It creates a healthy balance between our lather-rich oils and creamier butters. Thus making it suitable for all skin types including sensitive skin. As it is high in Oleic acid, it will aid in the reconditioning of our skin.
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SHEA BUTTER
NAMES:
Botanical: Vitellaria paradoxa | INCI: Butyrospermum Parkii Butter
SOURCE:
Ghana
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:
Oleic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, palmitic acid.
Producing this creamy butter is an extensive process: The nuts are washed and dried after being extracted from the fruit; crushed and toasted to form a paste; mixed and washed with water to purify; heated to separate the fat from the oil; the fat is skimmed, the oils settles and hardens; the hardened oil is our Shea Butter. We prize it for its moisturizing and emollient properties due to its abundance of fatty acids which creates soap bars with a creamy, conditioning lather.
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