Evaluation of Your MP Soap Formula for Brightening and Anti-Aging

Thank you for sharing your proposed Melt and Pour (MP) soap formula aimed at skin brightening and anti-aging. Let's evaluate the suitability of the ingredients you've listed for use in an MP soap base.

Your proposed ingredients are:

• Glycerin soap base
• Coenzyme Q10 Extra
• Tranexamic Acid
• Panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5)
• Glycolic Acid (AHA) 100% Powder
• Safe-B3™ (Vitamin B3, Niacinamide)
• Snail Resin
• Alpha Arbutin
• Aloe Vera Gel

While these ingredients are excellent for skin care in general, most of the active ingredients you've chosen are not suitable for the alkaline environment of Melt and Pour soap.

Impact of pH on Ingredients

You asked about the effect of soap pH on the ingredients. This is a very important question, and the answer is yes, the pH significantly affects the stability and effectiveness of many cosmetic ingredients.

Melt and Pour soap typically has a high pH, usually in the range of 9 to 10. Many active ingredients, especially those targeting brightening and anti-aging, require a more acidic or neutral pH range to remain stable and effective. When these ingredients are added to a high-pH soap base, they can degrade, lose their efficacy, or even change into different compounds.

Based on the properties of the ingredients you listed:

• Tranexamic Acid, Glycolic Acid (AHA), Safe-B3™ (Niacinamide), Panthenol (Pro Vitamin B5), and Alpha Arbutin are all sensitive to high pH. Their efficacy is significantly reduced or they can break down in alkaline conditions like those found in soap. For example, Alpha Arbutin can break down into hydroquinone at high pH, which is undesirable.
• Coenzyme Q10's stability can also be affected by formulation conditions, including pH and temperature.
• Snail Resin is primarily used for texture modification and is generally compatible with a wide pH range, including alkaline conditions, but it does not provide skin benefits like brightening or anti-aging.
• Aloe Vera Gel bases are typically formulated at a specific pH and contain ingredients like Panthenol and Allantoin. Adding a pre-made gel base into a hot, alkaline soap base is not the intended use and will likely compromise the stability and effectiveness of the ingredients within the gel, as well as potentially affecting the soap itself.

Conclusion

Therefore, while your intention to create a brightening and anti-aging soap is good, the specific combination of active ingredients you've chosen is not suitable for a Melt and Pour soap base due to the high pH of soap. The active ingredients would likely be ineffective or unstable.

For skin brightening and anti-aging benefits, it is generally more effective to use these pH-sensitive active ingredients in leave-on products such as serums, creams, or lotions, where the pH can be controlled to match the optimal range for the ingredients.