A Guide to Decoding Soap Labels

I once sold a bar of soap to a lovely lady who was excited to buy it. When I next saw her I asked how she had found the soap on her skin? She told me she hadn't used it because it said "Do not use on mucous membranes". Her friend promptly told her lots of products say that, it's like saying don't put shampoo in your eyes. Labels can appear to be complicated when you first look at them so here's a little guidance on what some of the ingredients are.

Have you ever looked at a soap label and felt like you needed a science degree? That’s because many brands use INCI names, in fact it is a requirement in the UK to do so. These are standardised, Latin-based names used globally to ensure every ingredient is identified exactly the same way in every country.

1. The "Order of Magnitude" Rule

Like on food, ingredients are always listed in descending order of weight.

• The first 3–5 ingredients usually make up 80% or more of the product.

• If a "star" ingredient (like Argan Oil) is at the very bottom of the list, it’s likely just there for marketing — there's very little of it in the soap!

Soap Label

2. Saponified Oils (The "Sodium" Prefix)

In real handcrafted soap, oils are mixed with lye (Sodium Hydroxide) to create soap. During the saponification process the lye converts the oils and creates glycerine, no lye remains in the finished product hence it does not appear on the label.  On an INCI label, these oils change names. If you see an ingredient ending in -ate, it’s a saponified oil.³

If the label says...	It actually means...
Sodium Olivate	Saponified Olive Oil
Sodium Cocoate	Saponified Coconut Oil
Sodium Shea Butterate	Saponified Shea Butter
Sodium Palmate	Saponified Palm Oil

I do not use any palm oil in my products but you may see it in others.

3. Botanical (Latin) Names

Natural ingredients often use their Latin botanical names. They sound scary, but they are just the scientific names for the plants we love:

• Butyrospermum Parkii: Shea Butter

  
  

• Cocos Nucifera: Coconut Oil

  
  

• Olea Europaea: Olive Oil

  
  

• Lavandula Angustifolia: Lavender Oil

  
  

• Citrus Aurantium Dulcis: Orange Peel Oil

  
  

• Tocopherol: Vitamin E (often added to keep oils from going rancid)

4. The "1% Line"

Anything listed after Parfum (Fragrance) or Linalool (a natural scent component) is usually present at less than 1%. This is where you’ll find things like essential oils, colorants, and preservatives. I only use essential oils to scent my soaps but many brands use synthetic fragrances.

5. Naturally occurring allergens

At the very end of a label, you might see names like Limonene, Linalool, or Citral. These aren't added chemicals; they are naturally occurring components of essential oils (like Lavender and Orange) that must be listed by law for people with specific allergies. They will be in tiny concentrations of usually less than 0.25% but it is important to include them in case of an allergy.

Important to know - If a 'soap' label starts with Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate, it’s technically a 'syndet' (synthetic detergent) bar, not a traditional soap. Real soap starts with oils and fats!

Guide to understanding soap labels