Ingredients for Exfoliation and Brightening in CP Soap

When making cold process (CP) soap, the high alkaline pH environment affects the stability and effectiveness of many cosmetic ingredients.

Exfoliation in CP Soap

Adding AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) directly to CP soap is generally not recommended. The high pH of the soap will neutralize and degrade the AHA, rendering it ineffective for exfoliation. As mentioned in the previous reply, soap's primary function is cleansing, and contact time with the skin is brief, further limiting the efficacy of active ingredients like AHA.

For exfoliation in CP soap, physical exfoliants (scrubs) are a more suitable option. These ingredients provide mechanical exfoliation as the soap is used. You can choose different particle sizes depending on the desired level of exfoliation (finer for face, coarser for body).

Some examples of scrub ingredients you can add include:

• Walnut Scrub
• Sugarcane Scrub
• Luffa Scrub
• Coffee Scrub

These scrubs should typically be added during the trace phase of soap making.

Brightening in CP Soap

Similar to AHA, many skin brightening ingredients are not stable in the high pH environment of CP soap and are quickly washed off, providing minimal benefit.

For effective skin brightening and chemical exfoliation, leave-on products such as lotions, serums, or creams are generally more effective. These products have controlled pH levels suitable for active ingredients and remain on the skin longer, allowing the ingredients to work.

Effective Brightening Ingredients for Leave-On Products

Several ingredients can be used in leave-on formulations to help brighten the skin and reduce dark spots:

• Phenylethyl Resorcinol: Known for its potent tyrosinase inhibition, helping to reduce melanin production.
• Tranexamic Acid: Works to reduce melanin formation, particularly effective for sun-induced pigmentation.
• Yeast Radiance: A yeast extract that promotes skin radiance and a brighter complexion.
• GlyciWhite: Helps counteract the melanin production process gently.
• MelaninTerminate: An oligopeptide from pearls that inhibits melanin production through a different mechanism (endothelin antagonist).
• AEPWhite: Stabilizes DOPAchrome, preventing melanin formation downstream of tyrosinase inhibition.
• Hexylresorcinol AF: Inhibits tyrosinase and affects other enzymes in the melanin synthesis pathway.

Gentle Exfoliation for Leave-On Products

For chemical exfoliation in leave-on products, instead of traditional AHAs which can sometimes be irritating, you can consider gentler options:

• FruitPeel: Extracts from fruit peels that provide gentle exfoliation.
• Bio-S Protease: A natural enzyme that helps remove dead skin cells.

In summary, while you can add physical scrubs to CP soap for exfoliation, achieving significant skin brightening or chemical exfoliation benefits is best done through leave-on cosmetic formulations designed for ingredient stability and skin contact time.