Regardless of your skin type, a good soap is an essential part of your daily routine and vital for the health of your skin, but not all soaps are created equal. Unfortunately, there are many popular soaps that leave your skin squeaky clean, but also wreak havoc on your skin’s lipid barrier. They can leave skin feeling dry and heavily stripped due to the synthetic surfactants they use to degrease your skin.
The good news is that there are effective herbal alternatives on the market that can cleanse your skin while nourishing and protecting it. We break down the differences and how they impact your skin.
The harsh reality behind chemical surfactants
When you walk down the soap aisle in a grocery store or drug store, most of the products you see are made with ingredients called surfactants (surfactants). Two of these most popular ingredients are sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth ether sulfate (SLES).
These ingredients create that ultra-lathering effect we see in advertisements, imprinting on our minds that big, frothy bubbles are what it takes for a soap to work. In reality, these synthetic ingredients are incredibly harsh on your skin. While all that lather certainly cleanses your skin, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for long-term skin health. In fact, notice how your dish soap lathers? It’s chemical surfactants at work – and you wouldn’t get dish soap on your face, would you?
Chemical surfactants work by drawing oil and water together. So when you wash your face with products that contain SLS or SLES, you’re effectively washing away essential lipids from your skin. It might sound innocent enough, but these synthetics also strip away healthy lipids that are good for your skin — essentially stripping away everything, the good and the bad.
Ultimately, harsh surfactants can dry out your skin and diminish its natural lipid barrier over time. As we all know, excessive dryness leads to irritation and contributes to skin aging, acne and fine lines when left unchecked. In the case of chemical surfactants, clean skin does not necessarily mean healthy skin.
Clean and gentle alternatives to surfactants
Luckily, there are amazing plant-based alternatives in natural soaps, which contain the cleansing and oil-fighting properties your skin needs – without depleting its natural oils or compromising your skin’s health.
#1: Saponified Coconut Oil
One of our favorite natural soap surfactants is Saponified Coconut Oil, which is created by breaking down fatty acid-rich coconut oil with alkaline salt. Saponified Coconut Oil gently removes dirt and excess oil, while providing your skin with a natural source of nourishing Vitamin E.
Although it does not foam to the extreme like chemical surfactants do, you cleanse your skin in a much gentler and longer lasting way without completely stripping it. In fact, saponified coconut oil is so gentle that it’s a key ingredient in most of our facial cleansers, like our Argan Oil Creamy Cleanser.
#2: Decyl Glucoside
It is a plant-based surfactant for gentle skin cleansing. Gentle and perfect for sensitive skin, you’ll find this ingredient in our Rose Water Cleansing Gel and Cocoa Cleansing Cream.
#3: Coco Betaine
Coco betaine is a fatty acid naturally derived from coconut oil. It gently cleanses while removing oil and dirt. You’ll find this ingredient in our Calendula Cleansing Milk, Cocoa Cleansing Cream and Rosewater Cleansing Gel.
#4: Lauryl Glucoside
This is another mild plant-based surfactant that is naturally derived from coconut or palm kernel oil. You will find this ingredient in our Calendula Cleansing Milk.
Cleansers containing mild surfactants
The light foam of our rose water gel cleanser is a gentle way to start your day. Rose hydrosol lightly hydrates, reduces redness and balances pH, soothing even the most sensitive skin. White tea and glycerin fight sun damage, lock in moisture and reduce the appearance of fine lines.
Our Calendula Cleansing Milk is a silky, lightly foaming cleansing milk. If you’ve been wearing sunscreen during the day (good for you!), this face wash will remove it, along with all traces of dirt and environmental pollutants. Calendula calms breakouts and promotes collagen production, while aloe juice, sea buckthorn oil and chamomile soothe, strengthen and hydrate the skin.
If you love chocolate, look no further than our Cocoa Cream Cleanser. This decadent cleanser nourishes skin and draws out impurities with a rich, chocolatey lather. Organic cocoa contains beneficial tannins, flavonoids and antioxidants. Plus, the natural caffeine content provides anti-inflammatory benefits to reduce redness and promote healthy circulation.
Natural soap bars
If you love traditional bar soaps, our sumptuous collection of triple-ground natural bar soaps contain saponified coconut oil. They’re infused with other beneficial ingredients like hydrating shea and avocado butters, plus anti-aging rosehip oil to make sure you cleanse your skin while boosting hydration. These healthy, plant-derived ingredients leave your skin feeling soft and clean, while supporting your skin’s natural lipid barrier and pH balance.
Even the most irritated and sensitive skin can benefit from our decadently pure buttery soap bars. And the incredible scents? We use natural essential oils and food-grade natural flavors to create a variety of fresh, fragrant infusions to start your day. No fake synthetic fragrances here – thank you, Mother Nature!
Shower gels
If you prefer a body wash, we’ve got you covered on that front too! Our shower gels are also made with saponified coconut oil which helps create a cleansing and skin-softening lather. As we mentioned before, our shower gels may not create the huge bubbles that synthetic ingredients and detergents generate, but that’s not a bad thing. This means you get gentle cleansing while protecting your delicate skin. Soothing aloe, vegetable glycerin and therapeutic herbs are bonus ingredients to help keep your skin healthy and hydrated.
PRO TIP: Start with our premium coconut shower gel for a double dose of hydrating coconut extract and saponified coconut oil.
Another of our favorite natural surfactants is soap bark, derived from a tree in the rose family native to Chile. Soap bark has been used for centuries for its medicinal properties and works similarly to saponified coconut oil in that it creates a light lather to gently remove dirt and excess oil. ‘oil. It’s a perfect ingredient for making your own soap or cleanser at home, along with other skin-loving ingredients like rosehip oil, aloe, and vegetable glycerin.
The next time you soap yourself, take a second to think about what’s in your soap. Ingredients are important and can make all the difference in how your skin looks and feels. Plus, you don’t want to absorb any of those harsh synthetic ingredients through your skin. Choosing plant-based ingredients helps ensure that you’re taking good care of your skin, while consciously protecting its long-term health. Try a store-bought or homemade natural soap yourself and feel the difference it makes!
