Improving Your Bar Soap Formula

To make your bar soap result in skin that feels whiter, smoother, and less dry or tight, you can consider adding certain ingredients. Your current formula already includes glycerin, which is excellent for moisturizing and contributing to a smoother feel.

For Smoother and Less Dry/Tight Skin

• Sorbitol Solution 70%: Adding Sorbitol, a humectant, can significantly improve the moisturizing properties of your soap. It helps draw moisture to the skin, reducing the dry and tight feeling often associated with bar soaps. It can also contribute to a smoother feel.
• Superfatting: A common technique in soap making is superfatting, which means including a small percentage of oils that do not get saponified by the lye. This excess oil remains in the soap, providing extra moisture and a conditioning feel, making the skin feel smoother and less dry. You can achieve this by slightly reducing the amount of lye relative to your oils.
• Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate: This is a gentle, amino acid-derived surfactant known for its moisturizing properties and creamy lather. While typically used in liquid cleansers, it might be possible to incorporate it into a bar soap formulation to enhance the mildness and feel, contributing to a smoother skin feel after washing. Careful formulation is needed.
• LipidSoft™ B: This emollient ester can provide a smooth and soft touch. Like superfatting oils, incorporating emollients can leave a conditioning feel on the skin. However, adding esters to bar soap requires careful consideration regarding compatibility and the final soap's properties.

For Skin Whitening

Achieving noticeable skin whitening from a wash-off product like bar soap is challenging. The contact time with the skin is very short, and the high pH environment of traditional soap can degrade many common whitening agents, making them ineffective. While some ingredients are marketed for whitening in wash-off products, their efficacy compared to leave-on treatments is generally limited. Many effective whitening ingredients are not stable in the high pH of bar soap.