Ingredients FAQ

Ingredient transparency makes life easier

What Goes into Handmade Soap?

In this ingredient FAQ Sheet, you'll find descriptions of the oils/butters/additives used in my handcrafted products. Many of these natural ingredients have an extensive set of characteristics and herbal history, but I'm a soap science nerd, so this page focuses on:

  • Key Ingredient Properties;
  • Fatty Acid profiles (butters & base oils only);
  • Purpose in my Formulations, and/or Why I like it

*This list is not complete, and is routinely updated as new products are launched or formulas are adjusted)
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Cosmetic Butters & Oils

A close-up of thick, fluffy white whipped body butter butter with a yellow silicone spatula visible on the right side.

Cosmetic Butters

Cocoa Butter
  • A natural source of palmitic, stearic, and oleic acid, cocoa butter is a luxurious butter widely used in soap and cosmetic formulations.
  • It's fatty acid blend is useful for forming a protective barrier on the skin and locking in moisture, which helps to hydrate and nourish skin.
  • Cocoa Butter is derived from the seeds of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao)

Products Featuring Cocoa Butter

  • Bath Bombs, Scrub Bars, Bar Soaps
Kokum Butter
  • Similar to cocoa butter, kokum butter is popular for supporting and preserving the skins moisture barrier.
  • It's natural scent is subtly sweet and significantly lighter than cocoa butter, and is a bit softer since it's mostly stearic and oleic acid. However, it still can play a big role in the hardness of a soap bar.

Products Featuring Kokum Butter

  • All Bar Soaps, Body Butters, Lotion Bars, Lip Balms, Bath Bombs, Scrub Bars, Beard Balm, & Beard Butter
Mango Butter
  • This is a luxurious butter popular in formulation, for its creamy texture, having a non-greasy finish (my personal favorite), and its very subtle aroma.
  • Mango butter is rich in stearic and oleic acid, along with vitamins A & E. Making it perfect for soaps, and body products that prioritize fortifying the skin's natural moisture barrier, while also being lightweight.
  • Mango butter is extracted from mango seeds.

Products Featuring Mango Butter

  • All Bar Soaps, Liquid Soaps, Whipped Soap, Body Butters, Lip Balm, Lotion Bar, Beard Balm & Beard Butter
Tucuma Butter
  • With a lightly sweet scent, this hard butter is a personal favorite to use in my unscented soaps since its rich in myristic acid, oleic acid, AND palmitic acid.
  • Making it perfect for coconut free soap that is gentle, long-lasting, and also has a bubbly lather.
  • It's a rich and nourishing butter with a firm texture that, similar to other cosmetic butters, forms a protective barrier on the skin's surface to lock in moisture.

Products Featuring Tucuma Butter

  • Unscented Bar Soaps, Unscented Whipped Soap

Carrier Oils

Babassu Oil
  • This lightweight and non-greasy oil, is a popular substitution for coconut oil in formulations, due to also being rich in lauric & myristic fatty acids, vitamin E, and its moisturizing, emollient, and conditioning properties.
  • In soap making, this oil is included for contributing to a soaps bubbly lather (Lauric & Myristic Acid) and hardness (Palmitic Acid) properties
  • Babassu oil is a nourishing botanical oil extracted from the seeds of the babassu palm tree (Attalea speciosa) that's native to the Amazon rainforest regions of South America.

*While botanically in the palm family, this is not a palm oil, and not considered a tree nut.

Products Featuring Babassu Oil:

  • Scented Bar Soaps, Scented Liquid Soaps, Whipped Soap, Shave Soap
Castor Oil
  • Rich in ricinoleic fatty acid, in soap making, castor oil is used to stabilize the lather, but in cosmetic formulation, it's highly regarded as an emulsifier that binds ingredients together smoothly,
  • This oil is slow absorbing, a bit thick and almost sticky in texture, but useful for its moisturizing, conditioning, and emollient effects.
  • Castor oil is obtained by pressing the seeds of the Castor plant (Ricinus communis).

Products Featuring Castor Oil

  • All Handmade soaps (scented & unscented), Lip Balm, Lotion Bar, and All Beard Care products
Jojoba Oil
  • Pronounced "hohoba", jojoba oil is not actually oil but a clear liquid wax, and is revered for its ability to mimic the skin's natural sebum (natural oil secretion), ensuring effortless absorption
  • Jojoba Oil acts as a natural emollient, creating a shielding barrier on the skin's surface that seals in moisture.

Products Featuring Jojoba Oil

  • Whipped Soap, Liquid Soap, Lip Balm, Lotion Bar, Beard Balm & Butter
Olive Oil
  • High in vitamin E and oleic acid, Olive oil has been used in soap making for contributing to a gentle, low-cleansing, and creamy rich lather, the doesn’t strip the skin of it’s natural oils

Products Featuring Olive Oil

  • All Handmade Soaps (Scented & Unscented ), Body Butters, Lip Balms, Lotion Bars, and Beard & Face products
Rice Bran Oil
  • Rich in omega 6, antioxidants, vitamins, and fatty acids, rice bran oil is known for its moisturizing properties, and not leaving a greasy residue.
  • In soap making it's often used because it's high in oleic acid (which is useful for cold process), and often results in a nice smooth soap bar.
  • Rice bran oil (Oryza Sativa) is extracted from the bran or outer layer of rice grains.

Products Featuring Rice Bran Oil

Handmade Soaps (Bar, Liquid, and Whipped), Beard Care Products, Bath Bombs, Shower Scrubs, Sugar Scrubs
Sunflower Oil (High Oleic)
  • It absorbs quickly into the skin without leaving a greasy residue, making it wonderful for most skin types, including sensitive skin
  • In soap making, High Oleic Sunflower Oil is often used because its fatty acid profile is similar to olive oil
  • Favored for its light texture, and for being rich in essential fatty acids such as oleic & linoleic acid, and its moisturizing &emollient properties that help to nourish and hydrate the skin.

Products Featuring Sunflower Oil

  • All Handmade Soaps (Scented & Unscented), Shower Bombs, Body Butters, Lip Balms, Lotion Bars, and Beard & Face products

Ingredient Quick FAQ
What do I mean by Fragrance Free or Unscented?

Any products labeled Fragrance Free or Unscented mean that:

  • No fragrance oil or essential oil has been added to the product;
  • No scent neutralizer has been added to the product;
  • If there's any scent from the raw materials used to make the product, I note it in the "Scent Description" section of the product page.
Do I use nuts or tree nut oils in any products?

Nope! I am also allergic to nuts & tree nuts, so I formulate without them, and work hard to stay up to date on potential cross-reactivity.
Why the emphasis on not using coconut oil?

Simply because I'm allergic!

  • Mostly because there's already enough products out there using coconut derived ingredients as the surfactant (the bubble maker) in products.
  • It can make formulating a bit more challenging, but I'm a soap chemistry nerd so the challenge is worth it for someone else to finally find products that work for them!
Why don't I use shea butter?
  • Although I'm not allergic to it (surprisingly lol), I'm aware of the high cross reactivity between Shea Butter and Latex.
  • Avocado Oil also has a high cross reactivity with latex, so I'd rather err on the side of caution for those with latex sensitivities!
Are any preservatives used?

Majority of my products do not have a preservative, simply because they're not water based (aka anhydrous), or they're true soap so no need for one.

In products that contain a lot of water OR come into frequent contact with water while being used (i.e. liquid soap, whipped soap, sugar scrubs), yes there is a preservative in the formula for safety reasons.

However, the preservatives used are gentle/mild while still providing broad spectrum protection. (Also I defer to preservatives that comply with COSMOs or Ecocert criteria for natural products!)