Updating Soap Bar Formulas ~ What Is Sodium Lactate?

Hello Sweeties!

The ones of you who follow what’s going on in the savonnerie will know that I have had to change the formula of the soaps because cocoa butter has had a very bad yield lately. It has shot up in price and is becoming adulterated by the middle men. Unfortunately, being a manufacturer who relies heavily on natural raw ingredients, this can happen quite a bit.

I have tried using an alternative to cocoa butter in the form of shea butter. I have never worked with shea in the past because of questionable purity issues and it’s a very heavy and greasy butter to work with. Shea also as a high latex content which can be irritating to anyone who has an intolerance to it. I think that pure shea is much better but the end product we receive from overseas, from it’s natural origin is over processed and adulterated. 

Luckily, the farming of olive oil has now had regulations enforced in Europe that prevent night harvesting which was destroying wild life at an alarming rate. The night harvesting process is why I stopped using it a few years back. I’m glad to report that I will be creating soap bars with this wonderful oil again! The price of olive oil has increased over this time but that’s ok, it still falls in line with my manufacturing budgets.

I’m going to tell you a little bit about my new formula! I am bringing back my original formula with pure olive oil, coconut oil and brassica oil. This original formula of mine was a little bit too squidgy and took ages to cure for my liking so I have added of a tiny smidge of 'sodium lactate' which is a super humectant derived from plant sugar such as corn and beets. The name 'lactate' may get you thinking of milk but please be reassured that sodium lactate is competely vegan and cruelty free. It is a brilliant additive because not only does it give more moisturising benefits to your skin but it makes the soap bars a little bit longer lasting.

I care very much that I deliver a top quality soap to you that is non drying and has as much skin loving properties as I can possibly squeeze in there. So rest assured, the new labels on the new batches of soaps coming out will have 'sodium lactate' in the ingredients list which is completely safe and improves the soap bar even more!

If you have any questions please get in touch with me.

Your chief savonnière ~ Michelle x