Comparing Soap

[CaraBou]

Awhile back, Saswede and I each made two batches of soap that were designed to test whether people (that is, their skin) can differentiate between soap made with pure distilled water versus one made with goat milk. The liquid in the lye solution was the only variable; the rest of the recipe, the technique, temperature control, cure, etc. were all exactly the same. I used rehydrated powdered GM and I suspect Saswede used the real deal, so we may not be able to pool our results. But it should be interesting none-the-less.

I am nearly ready to distribute my soap sets to local testers. In order to make sense of the results, I want to structure how the testers use and evaluate the soap. For example, I think I should ask them to shower with the soap instead of only washing their hands with it. I would also ask them to use only one soap per shower (or per day). I want them to fill out a written questionnaire with a small number of specific questions on it that will reveal how the soaps compared to each other. The questions should pry at the qualities we might expect to associate with a goat milk soap.

I don't want to get too carried away with this -- after all, this should be a pleasant experience for them, not a tedious or boring survey like surveys tend to be. Some of my testers may have never used a hand made soap before, so I also want to avoid any "soap lingo" that is familiar only to us addicts.

How would you structure this, and what questions would you ask?

If you are interested in what led up to this, see the original thread at
http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=39321

 

[roseb]

How exciting...they're ready for new homes. I've followed the thread and love the idea of the experiment. Here are some example questions that I came up this morning on only one cup of coffee.

What kind of soap do they normally use
Have they ever used handmade soap
How do they apply the soap to their skin (ie washcloth, rubbing it on with their hands)
What kind of water do they have (ie, hard, well, etc.)
Have a rating scale from 1 to 5 on things like bubbles, creaminess, hardness, feel

Hope that helps...I'll keep thinking.

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Ones to add could be "How likely would you be to use this soap again?" ".....buy this soap?" "...reccommend(?) to friends and family?"

 

[Ancel]

Okay, this is pre coffee:
Is there a difference in the feel of the soap bar itself? What's the difference? Texture, weight, scent, colour.
How long does the lather take to build? How long does the lather last?
How does the soap feel on the skin? Smooth, silky, slippy, soft? Is it easy to wash off?
How does the skin feel afterwards? Soft, dry, nourished, normal?
Is there a difference in the lasting quality of the bar?

Great experiment! I don't make GM soap yet, but hope to get my hands on some GM soon. Looking forward to hearing the results, and where did you find people who aren't addicted to soap?

 

[neeners]

great questionnaire questions!

what about "overall showering/bathing experience with the soap"

Ancel, i'm sure you can find room for two milk goats on that beautiful property of yours! they're a great way to keep the bush back (i'm assuming yours grows as fast as ours....)

 

[Lin]

Make sure you don't identify which bar is GM and which is water. Blind test so you don't end up with preconceived perceived differences.

 

[cmzaha]

How exciting...they're ready for new homes. I've followed the thread and love the idea of the experiment. Here are some example questions that I came up this morning on only one cup of coffee.

What kind of soap do they normally use
Have they ever used handmade soap

I would only give out to testers that use handmade soap. If you sell at a market you could give these to your regular customers.

 

[nebetmiw]

If it was me I would only ask two questions. If soap bubbled enough and how did skin feel after shower. They will give you more than enough information without overwhelming the testers.

 

[CaraBou]

Thanks guys, great food for thought. Clarification: I am planning to tell the testers that the soaps vary only by one ingredient. I will not tell them what the ingredient is, or which bar contains it.

cmzaha, why do you recommend using only testers that have previously used handmade soap? This had occurred to me too, but then I dismissed it. I decided that if I asked specific questions, people would probably pay enough attention to give accurate and honest answers. It would also save me shipping costs, as I don't sell and I doubt I can find enough people locally that have used handmade soap!

 

[eyeroll]

I agree wirh nebetmiw. For most people who are not soapers, I don't think they necessarily care as much about "the numbers" i.e. bubbly, hardness, etc. or perhaps I should say they don't notice the subtle differences that soapers may.

For instance, my DH and most people I've given soap to could care less about the bubbles, whereas I'm kind of obsessed about getting better lather. I think just a few v. basic Qs will give you more info about the GM effect than lots of Qs about bubbly, conditioning, "soap jargon," etc.

 

[CaraBou]

I settled on 6 main questions. They focus on conditioning and lather, the qualities I thought GM might bring. My intent was to make the testers directly compare the two soaps, not just tell me whether they liked them or not (what if they liked them both? What would that tell me?). I did not use a rating system as some had suggested, mainly because I didn't want to define the benchmarks that should accompany rating values. In my mind, it is too subjective otherwise.

I included one question to describe the pre-test state of their skin. I figured it might be important for me AND THEM to know if they are starting with dry skin.

I've attached the test sheet in PDF format. I am going to distribute some of the soaps on Monday (Jan 13th), so let me know soon if you have suggested improvements.

OK... That all sounds so serious! So I should say: After trying nearly a dozen new soaps in the last two weeks (soap swap!), I'm not too optimistic that anyone can tell much more from a couple of showers than whether a soap is drying or not! But it's still fun anyway 8)

View attachment questionnaire.pdf

 

[nframe]

I settled on 6 main questions. They focus on conditioning and lather, the qualities I thought GM might bring. My intent was to make the testers directly compare the two soaps, not just tell me whether they liked them or not (what if they liked them both? What would that tell me?). I did not use a rating system as some had suggested, mainly because I didn't want to define the benchmarks that should accompany rating values. In my mind, it is too subjective otherwise.

I think your questionnaire is very good. It is quite short (which is fine) and should tell you quite a lot. I am really looking forward to the results! Do you know what is happening with Saswede and her test in Europe?

 

[CaraBou]

Thank you. No I don't know. She was planning on a long cure, I know that much. She soaped a week or two ahead of me, and mine are at 10 weeks now. I just couldn't wait any longer, I gotta know!