Goat Milk Soap - Good for you or just good for the label?

[Steven]

Did my innocent soapy bubble just burst?!? (har har har)

One of the reasons I got into soap making is because I tried a bar called "Milky Rich" and LOVED it. I noticed on the ingredients list it had goat's milk. Ever since then, I attributed that luxurious rich and soft lather to the fact that the soap had goat milk. This is because I never used a soap with GM in it before.

So I got into soap making because I was curious to know if I could make something like it myself. After a few batches, some research, and planning I was ready to jump off into milky oblivion. I had my powdered goat milk, my recipe, my excitement, and then I stumbled across this thread...

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/coconut-milk-or-goat-milk.70978/

The impression I'm starting to get is that (most) milks make very little difference in the finished product and most folks use it mostly for label appeal. Perhaps there are some milk sugars that promote lather but other than that it's a bit of a wash (ooh, see what I did there?). There was a post that mentioned something about the milk proteins being beneficial but I couldn't find more on that.

I'm also realizing that I have another goat milk soap from the same vendor that I find a bit drying. This would tend to support things I've read from other users in the above post. GM while nice is not going to make a huge difference in the soap, the oil formula is most important.

What say you SMFers?

 

[Andrew]

hype

 

[shunt2011]

Pure label appeal in my opinion.

 

[Obsidian]

I agree, just label appeal. I honestly can't tell any difference between water and milk soaps. Coconut milk does seem to boost lather a bit but not enough for me to bother messing with it anymore.

 

[Steven]

After three innings, score is 3-0 in favor of trusty team Hype!

Appreciate you all humoring me with a read and response. I suppose for those who are in the soap business customer appeal can be everything - aloe, beer, milks, etc. The interesting thing for me is that both soaps I mention above have the same ingredients listed - just shows a newbie like me how important the oil ratio can be.

 

[jcandleattic]

I would also say it's hype, but I tend to make a lot of it. My aunt owns goats and gives me gallons of it at a time, so I have easy free access, and I sell mostly in a rural setting and it sells out so I make it.

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

I have used aloe vera juice and GM in a few different soaps and I think they are very nice soaps. I have had a couple friends who have told me my soap is very nice tell me that the aloe vera is extra nice.

 

[Obsidian]

Aloe vera is one liquid that I can see and feel a difference when used. I really like that you can mix lye directly into aloe juice with no overheating, burning or bad smells.

 

[penelopejane]

I can’t tell the difference between two soaps with exactly the same recipe except for the GM. Neither can my family or friends.

It does have label appeal for some people while others see it as a negative. So it think whether you use it or not would depend on your market.

 

[SoaperForLife]

I have long held this belief.... I think the hype may have started because people tried homemade soap for the first time and it happened to have goat's milk in it and thought it was wonderful (because of the goat's milk) when in fact it was because it was an artisanal product. If you look at the breakdown of goat's milk, a majority of it is water with a small percentage being fat which can easily be replicated using super fat.

 

[Steven]

@Marilyn Norgart @Obsidian - I'll have to give Aloe a try. The nice thing about that it probably has broader appeal. I'm guessing folks are using Pure Aloe Juice?

@penelopejane @SoaperForLife - I feel like my experience speaks to what you've both (and the others) have said. There was a bit of me that was hoping that some of the other lesser known fatty acids in GM maybe had some super powers that we didn't fully understand. This was after reading the pdf from post #5 here: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/goat-milk-on-calculator.3869/#post-32082. But as SoaperForLife said, the percentage of fat could easily replicated using superfat. Ultimately that was the conclusion that I reached with the milky rich bar I enjoyed. It probably has a higher superfat than the other goat milk bar from the same vendor.

 

[Obsidian]

@Steven yes, aloe juice. You can get a big bottle at walmart pharmacy for around $6

 

[KiwiMoose]

I agree, just label appeal. I honestly can't tell any difference between water and milk soaps. Coconut milk does seem to boost lather a bit but not enough for me to bother messing with it anymore.

I've used coconut milk three times and every time I'm sure it's accelerated the batter. I think I'm over it too!

 

[LilianNoir]

Where's the popcorn emoji??

 

[linne1gi]

Maybe it is hype - but I really love my coconut milk soaps. The lather is creamier it seems. I have used the exact same recipe both with and without coconut milk and the coconut milk lather is creamier, bubblier and just nicer. I use canned coconut milk which I freeze ahead of time in cubes. I measure out my cubes and measure out my lye and slowly pour the lye onto the frozen milk. If I get any color change I stop and put my container in another container with ice cubes and water to keep the temperature down. Usually I don't have to do that, it seems to change color only when I'm impatient, lol.

 

[DeeAnna]

Coconut milk adds fat and sugars which will alter the lather of the soap. But I'm not convinced it's the coconut milk itself that's all that necessary. Mimic the effect of coconut milk for less cost by adding a bit more coconut oil (2-8%) and a spoonful or two of sugar.

 

[linne1gi]

I already have 25% coconut oil in my recipe and do not want to add any more so I’ll stick with the coconut milk!

 

[DeeAnna]

Do you realize you're adding extra coconut oil when you add coconut milk to your soap? Coconut oil is the source of most of the calories in coconut milk.

Here is an article I wrote with photos of nutrition labels for 2 brands of coconut milk. Fat is 70% to almost 90% of the total calories in these two brands.

If you don't want to add any more coconut oil, then you'd want to use coconut water rather than coconut milk.

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

Do you realize you're adding extra coconut oil when you add coconut milk to your soap? Coconut oil is the source of most of the calories in coconut milk.

If you don't want to add any more coconut oil, then you'd want to use coconut water rather than coconut milk.

would you get the lather from coconut water? I would never thought of coconut water. what kind of benefits would you get from coconut water?

 

[earlene]

would you get the lather from coconut water? I would never thought of coconut water. what kind of benefits would you get from coconut water?

I venture to say only the added sugar for bubbles (and lather).

Depending on the brand one purchases, coconut water contains sugar, some vitamins & minerals (but they are altered by the lye) and some potassium that will probably interact with the lye. How much it will interact with the lye is dependent on the proportions, of course.