Home Cosmetic Science Talk Formulating General Milk in bar soap: doesn’t it get denatured AND what’s the point of it?

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  • Milk in bar soap: doesn’t it get denatured AND what’s the point of it?

    Posted by Margaret on September 27, 2021 at 3:24 am

    Doesn’t the sodium hydroxide used to make bar soap denature the proteins in milk that some people use in their bar soap?

    What is the point of adding milk to soap, anyhow?  I assume it’s marketing, nothing functional.

    PhilGeis replied 2 years, 7 months ago 3 Members · 6 Replies
  • 6 Replies
  • OldPerry

    Member
    September 27, 2021 at 2:12 pm

    The point of adding milk to soap is so marketers can tell a story that there is milk in soap. That is compelling to some segment of consumers.

    The majority of ingredients that can be added to cosmetics have no real purpose beyond providing support for the story marketers want to tell.

  • Margaret

    Member
    September 27, 2021 at 2:34 pm

    Thanks for the response Perry. I figured milk in soap was marketing BUT I wanted to ensure that my assumption of the milk proteins being denatured by the sodium hydroxide was correct, so that I can counter the B.S. story with a FACT. 😁

  • OldPerry

    Member
    September 27, 2021 at 3:24 pm

    To be fair, the sodium hydroxide doesn’t automatically denature all the proteins in the milk. It will only do that if the pH of the system is high enough. Of course, in making soap that would be a high enough pH to do it.  And milk proteins are also denatured during the processing of milk.  http://milkfacts.info/Milk%20Composition/Protein.htm

    I think the important point is that milk proteins in soap, whether denatured or not, don’t really do anything.

  • PhilGeis

    Member
    September 27, 2021 at 4:11 pm

    Milk in bar soap will increase micro contamination risk

  • Margaret

    Member
    September 27, 2021 at 5:14 pm

    AHA!!! (not alpha hydroxy acid). So milk DOES do something. It makes it more likely to make the soap “go bad”! 🤣

  • PhilGeis

    Member
    September 27, 2021 at 8:29 pm

    Yes - colonies in monsavon soap - think Kurtia

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