Teach Soap

Have started to label a couple of my soaps and am listing what I made the soap with but what do about listing the sodium hydroxide? Since with the chemical process it is no longer lye does it need to be stated on the label? I want to be sure that the family and friends that use my soap are not allergic to any of the ingredients I used. Thanks.

_________________
Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

I use the phrase "saponified (name) oil," and list all the oils and other additives.

_________________
Diana
Butter Babies Soap
bbsoap.com

Same here but I save my hand by saying "Saponified oils of olive, coconut..." etc... Plus any other additives.

_________________
Haven

I always use "sodium hydroxide" when giving soap to family or friends because sodium hydroxide was used in making the soap and if labeling is necessary, then it's done with ingredients that were used from the greatest to the least in descending order. The water has evaporated, too. I don't leave that off the label, either.

Re: Selling
An email exchange between the FDA and the President of the AHPA from the group's archives on
the web here: ( This has some great info about FDA regulations and labeling. It's interesting to note, among other things, that "saponified oil" is not in the INCI dictionary. )

http://www.ahpa.org/portals/0/pdfs/09_0 ... beling.pdf

Quick excerpt: "Soaps making cosmetic claims (e.g., beautifying, moisturizing) which include products such as deodorant soaps, bath soaps, hand and toilet soaps, and detergent bars are regulated as cosmetics (and must follow the cosmetic labeling requirements). Medicated and antimicrobial soaps are regulated as drugs. Soap products that are both cosmetics and drugs (those making both cosmetic and drug claims e.g., moisturizing and antibacterial
claims) must meet the requirements of both cosmetics and drugs (including labeling)."
--------------
FDA regulations here: http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/default.htm
And here: http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/GuidanceCo ... 074201.htm

If it's just for family and friends it doesn't matter quite as much to follow all the rules... but full disclosure is best.

I shy away from the "saponified oils of..." thing and prefer to just list everything that went in... including sodium hydroxide. For the gifts I gave my family last year I also wrote up a quick little pamphlet "What's in your soap" to explain what went in... why... what is still there... what changed etc... just so they know that lye is not a bad thing in soap.

_________________
- Mickey!

Thanks everyone for all of the advice. Kate - I did read the links for labeling rules and found them very interesting and contained good advice. I also did some checking on the web as to how others presented their soaps and there is alot of variation. I will adjust my labels to include the Na Hydroxide and the water, although this time they may be out of order. But at least these are just for the peoples dearest to me! Happy Holidays everyone!

_________________
Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!