How Is Soap Made to Be Safe for Our Environment?

How is soap made to be safe for our environment? Unfortunately, not all soaps are made to be safe for our environment. Every day millions of people jump in the bathtub or shower and bathe themselves with standard commercial soaps. They lather up with these soaps under the assumption they make the bather smell nice and clean and then proceed to rinse them off their bodies, down the drain, and into the water systems. The soap users rarely stops to think what the soap they use is made out of and whether or not it will have harmful effects on the environment.

Recent studies behind the standard bars of soap offered commercially in the store suggest that what you bathe with on a daily basis may actually be doing more harm than good to both you and the environment. Fortunately, there are some safe alternatives.

Some. but not all, soaps are made to be safe for our environment by using natural ingredients. Some safer alternatives to the regular use of commercialized soaps are made with an eye towards using ingredients from nature and limiting the amount of artificial chemicals typically found in soup.

The most popular alternatives that exist are vegetable and castile soaps. These soaps are made from the oils of plants and vegetables and are much less harmful on the environment.

To make these types of soaps, manufacturers look for plants that are high in saponin levels. Some of these plants include:

• Philadelphus lewisii
• Yucca Root
• Soap Lily
• Horse Chestnut
• Bracken
• Saponaria Officinalis
• Christmas Rose
• Asparagus Fern
• Daisies
• Ivy

Those who want to find soap made to be safe for our environment should look for soaps that contain these types of ingredients.

Problems with Soap Fragrance and the Environment

Not all soaps, unfortunately, are made to be safe for our environment. Most commercially available bars of soap contain a number of ingredients which are harmful to the environment.

Fragrances are placed in soap as a way to make the soap more appealing to us. However, these fragrances are actually chemically made rather than being the extract of any flower on the face of the planet.

Some of the chemicals used to provide the appealing smell of soap have some not-so-appealing side effects. Studies have shown that the chemicals used to produce certain soap fragrances have been shown to cause birth defects and liver damage in animals.

Anti-Bacterial Soaps

In recent years, the kick for soaps to be anti-bacterial has been driven by the scare of superbug infections. However, the use of anti-bacterial soap can actually do more harm than good.

The residue from anti-bacterial soap must also make it to our waterways at some point and will meet bacteria along the way. The more bacteria are subjected to the anti-bacteria chemicals, the chances of mutating into resistant strains of illness for human beings.

Most anti-bacterial soaps have been shown to contain MIT, or methylisothiazolinone. This chemical is quite similar in composition as Agent Orange and studies have shown that it causes nerve damage in both animals and people.

Another common chemical used in anti-bacterial soaps is Triclosan. This chemical is actually registered with the EPA as pesticide and has been shown to destroy fragile aquatic systems. Tricloban is also used in anti-bacterial soaps with similar effects.

While these chemicals are necessary to use in some instances, such as in hospitals and health centers, the need to use these products on a daily basis will have negative impacts to the environment over time.

Fortunately, the Centers for Disease Control indicate that the use of anti-bacterial soap is not necessary to control the spread of bacteria. Simply washing your hands with every day soap is sufficient to loosen bacteria from the skin and, once loosened, the bacteria will simply wash away upon rinsing your hands. 

This means you can choose soaps that are made to be safe for the environment and still be healthy and safe.