Clearly Natural Soap Ingredients

Clearly Natural is a line of soaps and other body products that are biodegradable and cruelty free. Many consumers prefer to use products that avoid animal products and harsh chemicals, but even when a product claims to be safe and simple, it's always a good idea to review the ingredients for your own peace of mind.

Glycerine

Glycerine is a natural chemical compound that is found in both animal and vegetable fats. According to Kaila Westerman, a cold process soap maker and author of several soap-making books, most commercial soap-making processes actually separate the glycerine from the soaps because it is more valuable in other products, such as lotions. Glycerine-based soaps such as Clearly Natural are very gentle and emollient because of glycerine's moisture-rich properties. The glycerine base is also what gives the Clearly Natural soaps their translucent quality.

Saponified Coconut, Palm and/or Palm Kernel

Saponification is a soap-making process that creates soap by a chemical reaction between a fatty acid and a base. The traditional and most effective saponification base is lye, and the fatty acid in the Clearly Natural is either coconut and/or palm based oils. Which ones are used in your particular bar of Clearly Natural soap will depend on the variety you have chosen.

Vegetable-Derived Surfactants

A surfactant is an element added to almost all soaps and detergents that lowers the surface tension of whatever liquid is being used, which in this case would be water. Ultimately, lowering the surface tension will allow dirt to be lifted and carried away. Obtaining the surfactants from vegetable sources ensures that Clearly Natural soaps are not using any animal products, which are a common source of surfactants.

Vegetable and Botanical Additives

Vegetable and botanical additives will vary depending on which one of the six Clearly Natural soap varieties you are using. The specific additive, such as vitamin E or aloe vera, will be stated in the name of the Clearly Natural soap.

Fragrance

Soap companies use a variety of essential oils and scents in their soaps to create signature scents that are unique to their specific brand. Clearly Natural also uses a variety, but also produces an unscented bar for those who may be sensitive to fragrances.