Bee Pollen in soap?

[PatrickH]

I have a little bag of Bee Pollen and had a few questions.

If you have seasonal allergies, would using bee pollen cause itchy skin or others allergy related issues from the bee pollen in the soap?

Does it do anything noticably beneficial or is it more of a mind thing knowing it's a bee thing. Lol

How much should be added? I'm thinking about 1 Tbsp per pound of oils?

I noticed only a little info is given online, but not much you can really lean towards as being facts.

 

[shunt2011]

I've not tried it myself but here's a short post on the subject.

http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=63116

If you scroll to the bottom of your post you will usually see other posts relating to your question. Sometimes, I find the answer I'm looking for but not always!

 

[artemis]

If you scroll to the bottom of your post you will usually see other posts relating to your question. Sometimes, I find the answer I'm looking for but not always!

Unless you're using the app on your phone.

 

[PatrickH]

If you scroll to the bottom of your post you will usually see other posts relating to your question. Sometimes, I find the answer I'm looking for but not always!

Oh cool, I never noticed that before. Thanks for pointing that out.

From other posts, seems to not make much difference in feel of the soap. Probably best just to use as cooloring and labeling.

 

[lmosca]

It would add a considerable label appeal, and probably some boost to the lather to a small extent.

Pollen composition depends on many factors, including the species/variety of plant it is produced from, time of the day, time of the year, and for bee-pollens, also from the apiary that produces it.
On average you might expect to find between 20-60% sugars (simple monosaccharides), 30-60% proteins, fats usually below 15-20%, and then other compounds to balance, including unsaponifiable waxes.

Proteins will be mostly hydrolyzed by the lye in CP, down to random peptides and single amino acids, especially if you soap at high-temperatures. However you will be bound to consider that not all the proteins might be destroyed by the lye/temperature, and so you might carry over the allergens contained in the pollen/bee-pollen.

Though pollen allergy seems to be mostly targeting nose and mouth, you can also expect aerosolization during lathering and rinsing and, inevitably, you might have a response even if you do not inhale snort directly!
As for the rest of the good qualities of pollen/bee-pollen, the same applies to everything else that we put into soap and goes down the drain after 15 seconds ;-)

L.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

What does your safety assessor say about pollen as an additive?

 

[penelopejane]

What does your safety assessor say about pollen as an additive?

PatrickH is in the US so I don’t think they have to have safety assessors to make soap.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Ah yes! I saw the pollen and thought it was the Irish bee chap

 

[jennibean]

If you decide to add the bee pollen to your soap you should also be aware that if someone has a bee venom allergy they may have a reaction to it. I’m allergic to bee venom and I have reactions to anything with bee pollen, royal jelly and propolis.

 

[earlene]

If you decide to add the bee pollen to your soap you should also be aware that if someone has a bee venom allergy they may have a reaction to it. I’m allergic to bee venom and I have reactions to anything with bee pollen, royal jelly and propolis.

This is where labeling becomes SO important!

 

[SunRiseArts]

I love bee pollen, is so good for the skin. I used to put it in my yogurt.

One time I gave my oldest son some to try, and OMG the poor thing, he had a horrible allergic reaction. I almost took him to the hospital. His face was so swollen.

So I would just say be very careful to whom you give it too. A person not allergic to honey, can be allergic to bee pollen.

 

[Lin19687]

Better to eat then soap. Can't help with the allergy thing.

I had some a long time ago. Tried soaping (HP) for color but was not overly impressed with what turned out.

 

[Firefly24]

Yes I know this is an old thread! Researching bee pollen brought me here..... Great to know that those with a bee venom allergy Can NOT use a soap with this safely. I always label my products anyway, but knowledge is key!