The Truth About Vegan Soap and Why You Should Use It

Soap is a necessity, but it’s often forgotten in our shopping carts. Consumers often don’t think twice about the type of soap they buy, usually opting for the cheapest and most common brand. However, as this article aims to highlight, your choice of simple, everyday products like soap is important not only for your own hygiene and health, but also for animal welfare and environmental sustainability.

When you embrace an ethical, cruelty-free, and eco-friendly lifestyle, you realize how the small, seemingly insignificant actions and choices in your daily life can impact the world on a much larger scale. Choosing natural and vegan soaps is a sure way to reduce your negative impact on the world at large.

To understand the difference between the impact of conventional soap and cruelty-free soap, we must first look at the history of soap.

A Brief History of Soap

The earliest evidence of soap dates back to around 2800 BC, inancient Babylon . It was all plant-based products, with a mixture of water, alkali (which is a type of salt), and Cassia oil. This important invention in human history made it possible to clean clothes and ourselves and improved human hygiene, preventing us from getting sick and dying from diseases.

The first animal-based soaps are thought to have been made in ancient Egypt, from a mixture of vegetable oils and animal fats, combined with alkaline salts and water. The word sopa, which means soap in Latin, first appeared in Pliny the Elder's Historia Naturalis, which discusses the manufacture of soap from tallow (animal fat) and ashes. The ancient scholar states that he found soap feminine and that the Romans preferred to clean themselves with fresh oil.

It was not until the Middle Ages in Europe that soap making became semi-industrialized in small pockets in Italy and Spain and was soon practiced as a craft. However, the use of soap was still considered a feminine quality, just as perfume and other methods of cleanliness were used by the majority of individuals.

In the 18th century, however, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution, the connection between hygiene and health became clear, and the use of soap and its production became more universal. This prompted companies to produce soaps that were cheap to produce and sell and that were composed of harsh chemicals and animal fats. Today, conventional soap making has not changed much. It was not until the very end of the 19th century that liquid soaps were produced, which were mainly composed of vegetable oils, palm oils and artificial fragrances.

What's in conventional soaps?

When you adopt a cruelty-free lifestyle, you not only realize the importance of abstaining from consuming animal products, but also the impact of reducing your exposure to the dangerous chemicals and hazardous materials that are often found alongside these animal additives. Conventional soaps and traditional soaps are no different. You wouldn’t want to digest these harmful toxins, so why put them on your skin?

Human skin is a living protective barrier that prevents organs and muscles from being damaged by external forces. It regulates the body by excreting salts and water through its pores. It also has the ability to absorb beneficial substances such as vitamin D from the sun, medicinal herbs, and essential oils. However, this also means that it can absorb harmful substances and what you apply directly to your skin every day can leak into your system. That is why it is always important to make sure that the products you use are natural and do not contain harmful toxins.

There are a myriad of common harmful chemicals and toxins found in regular soaps. Benzaldehyde numbs the nervous system and can cause dizziness, vomiting, and even affect a person's blood pressure. Benzyl acetate is an eye and lung irritant and a known carcinogen associated with pancreatic cancer. Sodium Laureth Sulfate breaks down fats and inhibits the skin's ability to retain moisture. It is classified as a mutagen and can therefore degrade or alter genetic material. Ethanol can irritate the respiratory tract and motor system and can cause vision loss. And finally, Linalool which is a narcotic substance that impairs motor skills.

Parabens are also present in conventional soaps. Scientific studies have shown that exposure to parabens increases the risk of breast cancer in women. They are also proven to cause neurological damage through nervous system toxicity.

Almost all bars of soap contain fragrances that make them pleasant to the user. However, most soaps only list the term "fragrance" on the back of their product and can be misleading because fragrance can be made up of a whole host of different chemicals and carcinogens. Fragrance chemicals can cause side effects such as chronic dizziness, rashes, nausea, depression, respiratory distress, and severe headaches.

These substances are often found all together in a bar of soap and bear little resemblance to the composition of a soap made from natural sources. It is always best to stick to natural and vegan soaps, and always read labels if you are unsure.

What's in vegan soap?

Vegan soaps refrain from using any animal product source that includes milk, lanolin, emu oil, fish oil, mink oil, honey, beeswax, tallow, or urea. Vegan soaps contain natural, healthy ingredients such as dried organic herbs, essential oils, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and olive oil. A good rule of thumb is that if you can't eat it, why put it on your skin?

You can find natural, organic, and inexpensive vegan soaps, usually at your local supermarket or health food store. You can also buy them online. Plus, a nice set of vegan soaps makes a great gift idea.

Remember, just because something is free of animal products doesn’t mean it’s always good for your skin. Always read the label and check the ingredient list. If the list of chemical-sounding names is long, chances are your skin is going to be damaged. Palm oil is another ingredient that many plant-based soaps use that you should avoid.

Why avoid palm oil?

Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil derived from the fruit of the palm tree. It is grown throughout Africa, Asia, North America, and South America, with 85% of palm oil exported from Indonesia and Malaysia. Palm oil is found in many food and beauty products, but the palm oil industry is unsustainable, as it impacts the environment, animals, and humanity.

The expansion of palm oil is a threat to biodiversity and natural ecosystems in countries where the crop is grown. Large areas of land are being cleared to produce palm oil. Currently, one third of all mammal species in Indonesia are considered critically endangered due to this unsustainable production.

The massive deforestation needed for palm oil production is also a contributing factor to climate change, as the smoke and carbon used to burn forests are released into the atmosphere, making Indonesia the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases.

In addition, palm oil production provides wildlife poachers and smugglers with access to endangered animals, which they sell as pets, for medicinal purposes, or sell their body parts as trophies. Palm oil is not only an environmental issue, but also an animal welfare issue.

While these palm oil industries generate jobs for the local communities in which they operate, governments often allow greedy companies to exploit indigenous peoples’ lands for their own profit. The palm oil industry is also linked to significant human rights issues, known to use child labor in its manufacturing.

As you can see, if you choose a product that contains palm oil, you are not making an animal-free, cruelty-free or ethical choice! There are companies that guarantee that the palm oil they source comes from sustainable industries, but it is always best to avoid palm oil to ensure you are not having a negative impact on the environment.

Is antibacterial soap better?

In a society where fear of bacteria and viruses is increasingly prevalent, it may seem reasonable to use antibacterial soap. Just take a look at the soaps on the shelves and you’ll see that more and more companies are using the term “antibacterial” to attract consumers and make a tidy profit in germ scare tactics. However, using antibacterial soap is actually not a good way to stay healthy for a few reasons.

Many people try to kill viruses by using antibacterial soaps, but as the name suggests, antibacterial soaps only kill bacteria, not viruses. Additionally, the antibacterial agents used are a form of antibiotic, so even though they claim to kill 99.9% of germs, the 0.1% that survive are potentially the most dangerous because they can resist the antibacterial agent. The tiny number of adapted viruses that survive reproduce and pass on antibiotic resistance to their offspring, creating strains of what we have called “superbugs.” Antibiotic resistance is a threat to human health.

Additionally, triclosan, which is a chemical found in most antibacterial soaps, has been shown to interact with chlorine in water to form chloroform gas, which is toxic and even deadly. Triclosan has also been shown to be a hormone disruptor and is particularly harmful to children.

There are many good bacteria, as well as bad ones. There is evidence and studies showing the benefits of dirt and exposure to certain bacteria; this can be just as beneficial as probiotics. When we lather ourselves in antibacterial soap, we are destroying both good and bad bacteria. Additionally, it has also been shown that children who grow up in an overly sterile environment face higher rates of allergies and asthma. Exposure to different types of bacteria, especially early in life, helps children's immune systems develop more strongly.

Vegan Soap: Better for You, and Everyone You Love

In conclusion, give your skin a healthy glow by using natural vegan soaps that are palm oil free. In addition to keeping your skin fresh, this will reduce your impact on the environment and animal welfare and ensure that your soap choice has not had a negative impact on the world at large.

If you’re struggling to figure out what to buy for your vegan spouse, why not treat them to a beautiful set of vegan soaps? This intimate and timeless gift shows a personal touch and can be more handmade than the usual generic Christmas beauty gifts. While soap may seem like a small gift, handmade products that someone uses in their daily life are a small gesture to show how much they mean to you!

If you want to give a more personal touch, why not make your own soap? Most homemade soaps are made from olive or coconut oils mixed with organic herbs, spices and essential oils, you will find several recipes on our blog Blog&Soap.

So instead of giving them generic soap that will have them washing in bug vomit, cow lard or sheep glands, why not give them the gift of life and buy them fresh vegan soaps!