Soap-free, soap without soap, gentle, neutral or mild soap, ph neutral soap we have all heard these cosmetic claims before. But what does it actually mean and does it really matter?
We use the word 'soap' 🧼️ as a general term for a cleaning agent. But actually "soap" refers to saponification, a process in which plant or animal fat (triglycerides) reacts with a salt. This causes soap to have a high pH (more info on pH read here) of 9, making it strongly alkaline or basic. When washing with soap, the pH balance of the skin is disturbed. This affects the skin's hydrolipid barrier and thus makes the skin more prone to irritations, redness, infections, allergies, ...
However, a soap-free or soap-without-soap emulsion cleanses but does not use real soap, but rather softer ingredients that respect the skin's pH balance.
All Oh, Baby products are soap-free and use ingredients derived from the coconut 🥥. Moreover, they are highly biodegradable.
