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Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Soap Frequently Asked Questions

• What is "potassium solution"?

  Dr. Bronner used to list the ingredients as they exist before the saponification reaction turns the vegetable oils into soap. "Potassium solution" refers to the alkali in water, potassium hydroxide, that is used to saponify the whole coconut and olive oils to make the pure-castile soap base. We now list the ingredients as "Saponified Coconut-Hemp-Olive Oils (with retained glycerin)", which are the soaps (and naturally liberated glycerin) resulting from the reaction of these oils with the alkaline "potassium solution."

• What is the difference between a "fixed" and an "essential" oil?

  The oils used for saponification are "fixed", while oils used for fragrance are "essential." They are quite different in structure and function. Fixed oils are bland non-volatile triglycerides, with relatively faint odor and taste, like cooking oils. Essential oils by comparison are super aromatic, composed of highly volatile compounds of certain plants.

• Do your soaps contain any foaming agents/detergents like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate?

  Absolutely not. Our soap is a 100% true pure-castile soap. The high foaming lather of our soap is from the high coconut soap content, which makes a more luxurious and rich lather than any detergent can ever create. "Pure-Castile" is your guarantee that what you are using is a real ecological simple soap, not a complex blend of detergents with a higher ecological impact due to waste stream during manufacture and slower ultimate biodegradability. Unfortunately, many synthetic detergent blends are deceptively labeled as "Liquid Soap", when they contain absolutely no soap whatsoever.

• What is the difference between a soap and a detergent/surfactant?

  A soap is a very simple, low impact cleaning agent that improves water's ability to clean particulate and oily soils. It is made in a one-step process, with no waste products, and quickly and completely biodegrades.

  A surfacant is the same as a detergent. The word itself is a compression of "Surface Active Agent." Surfacants were developed in the first place because they clean and rinse better than soap in hard water. They usually are much more aggressive cleaners. Their virtue lies in all-purpose, industrial, and specialty cleaning applications. Unfortunately, they are often used in personal bodywashes, for which soap is superior.

  The synthetic manufacture of many surfacants, especially those built from petroleum, generates undesirable waste. Surfacants also do not biodegrade as rapidly as does soap. However, within detergents, there is a wide range in both effectiveness and ecological impact. Renewable resource plant-based detergents usually have less ecological impact than those that are petroleum-based.

  Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds is a blend of plant-based surfactants for all-purpose cleaning applications, and is a stronger cleaner than soap. It is not for bodywashing, although it uses ingredients found in detergent-based bodywashes.

QUESTIONS:

1. What does "Castile" mean? Is the bar soap also a castile soap like the liquid? What is the difference between the bar and liquid soaps?
2. Does the Rosemary Extract contribute any scent to the soap?
3. How should I dilute the liquid soap?
4. My liquid soap turned cloudy. What happened, and what should I do to clear it up again?
5. What is "potassium solution"?
6. What is the difference between a "fixed" and an "essential" oil?
7. Do your soaps contain any foaming agents/detergents like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate?
8. What is the difference between a soap and a detergent/surfactant?

Send questions, comments, and suggestions to: catherine@borntolove.com

Born to Love articles are written by Catherine McDiarmid-Watt

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Last updated - April 5, 2024