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From: dms@fluke.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.veg
Subject: Re: Sodium Tallowate in Soap
Message-ID: <1631@vax3.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Apr-86 16:06:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: vax3.1631
Posted: Fri Apr 18 16:06:13 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 28-Apr-86 04:42:30 EDT
References: <992@umn-cs.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
Lines: 32

>Someone a while back on the net said that most major
>soap manufacturers use sodium tallowate as one of
>their ingredients. Well, I checked around and sure
>enough that turned out to be true much to my
>surprise.

>But other brands such as Ivory and Jergens who 
>say their soap is "Pure and Natural" or "Naturally 
>Mild" do not bother to list their ingredients. So, 
>what does that mean? Should I assume there is no 
>sodium tallowate in it?

In broadest terms, a soap is simply a salt of a fatty acid.
Traditionally, soap is made by adding sodium hydroxide (lye) to 
tallow (rendered fat).  Frequently a can of lye will have the recipe
printed on the side of it.  In the old days, pioneer type folks made it
with potasium hydroxide obtained by extracting the soluble material from
wood ashes if lye was not available.  Then the soap would be potassium
tallowate, I suppose.  Glycerine soap simply uses glycerine as the fat.
I suppose one could make soap using vegetable fat, but I've never heard
of it.  I'd be willing to bet Ivory is made from tallow.  The main thing
that makes commercial soap more mild than homemade (granny's lye soap) 
is that they do a better job of getting the lye to completely react
with the fat.  The more free alkalai is the better the soap cleans and
the more of your skin it dissolves in the process.


	David Sherman		decvax\
	John Fluke Mfg Co.	ihnp4  >!uw-beaver\
	PO Box C9090    MS 275G		   allegra >!fluke!dms
	Everett, WA 98206 USA	ucbvax >!lbl-csam /
	(206) 356-6373		hplabs/