Limitations of Glycerin Soap Base for Low pH and Adding Extracts
Asked by: pk.aumarin
On: September 04, 2015
Product Type:
Cosmetics
Question
I want to make a makeup remover soap using a cloudy glycerin base. I would like to reduce the pH to around 5 using ingredients like citric acid or AHA, and add natural extracts. Is this possible? How do commercial soaps that advertise having extracts achieve this?
Answer
Subject: Regarding making makeup remover soap
Hello,
Thank you for your question about making makeup remover soap from a cloudy glycerin base.
Based on the information provided, there are some limitations when using a standard glycerin soap base:
- Reducing pH: It is not possible to significantly reduce the pH of a standard glycerin soap base to around 5 using ingredients like citric acid or AHA. Doing so would prevent the soap from solidifying properly.
- Adding Extracts: Natural extracts are generally not stable in the high pH environment of typical soap bases. They would degrade and lose their beneficial properties.
Regarding soaps that are advertised with extracts, there are usually two possibilities:
- They are formulated using a different process or base that allows for a lower pH (around 5.5), which is not typical for standard glycerin soap made with Sodium Hydroxide.
- They contain only a very small, often ineffective, amount of extract primarily for marketing purposes.
Therefore, achieving a low pH and effectively incorporating beneficial natural extracts is not feasible with a standard glycerin soap base.