Recently I have unusual glycerin problem with my soaps. In past few weeks I’ve send out some samples of my soaps to bloggers around my country. They all been very happy about it and I got excellent opinions, BUT… But I can see in commentaries under the articles about my little bars, that some peoples are not happy about glycerin in INCI list. I could not believe it! Glycerin is why the soap is so good and moisturizing for skin, and that why is soooo much better than commercial soap, which is stripped off from that wonderful ingredient… And Good God, I didn’t add it to the batch, it just how thing work in soap world. I know where from they have their concerns – people were told, that glycerin is something very bad in creams – I agree! But they went further and spared that thought on all cosmetics, shame they didn’t mentioned where from glycerin is taken from - from soap! Do you put glycerin on your INCI? I guess that we have to…
Unusual „glycerin” problem/INCI
- Thread starter Twiggy
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No, just listing the naturally occurring stuff
judymoody
Well-Known Member
Maybe things are different in the EU, but I only list the ingredients that go into my recipe, not byproducts of the saponification process.
Huh??? That's interesting. How exactly do they pull that off?? And if possible, which I don't believe it is, why would you want to?? Weirdos.
I think that is the issue - are you listing oils and lye, or the oils in their saponified forms? If the former (what you used), then you don't need to list Gly. If the former (what is actually in the soap, which is different than what you used) then it could be different.
I agree, I would only list ingredients used to make your product not the by product as previously mentioned as you aren't actually adding glycerin to your product.
Thank you all for answers! I will investigate that issue! As for now nothing makes sense to be hones – if I need to list 2 drops of colorant, and I do not need to list gly. which can reach up to 20% of the soap vol, than I don’t feel I’m honest on my labels. Ok, I will search for info, and promise to get back with the answer soon I will get it! 
It's not dishonest - if you're listing lye, then don't list Gly. (oooh, t-shirt idea!)
If you list lye, you're also being dishonest - there is no more lye, as it has saponified with the oils to become a mix of the oil and lye in a soapy compound that is certainly no longer lye. Which is why commercial soaps often have the saponified names for oils rather than the original/INCI names for the oils.
You list scents and colours as you put those in. You don't list "Soap" as an ingredient but it is in there with the gly.
If you list lye, you're also being dishonest - there is no more lye, as it has saponified with the oils to become a mix of the oil and lye in a soapy compound that is certainly no longer lye. Which is why commercial soaps often have the saponified names for oils rather than the original/INCI names for the oils.
You list scents and colours as you put those in. You don't list "Soap" as an ingredient but it is in there with the gly.
When listing lye you are not being dishonest, I list everything that I use to make my product. In order to make soap you need to use lye regardless if there's any in the final product. I don't add glycerin therefore I don't list it even though it's a byproduct of making it. That's my personal feelings anyway. I list ingredients in order of most to least used.
I don't know the rules for you, but in my mind, I would think that putting lye would not be necessary if you are posting the way you said above because the way the oils are now listed would imply that lye has already been a factor. But in this case, I would list the gly, like you were saying before.
In my mind, it's one or the other. Listing what is left would require gly to be listed but not lye. Listing what you put in would require listing lye, but not gly.
Saponista
Well-Known Member
Take a look at oakwood soaperie's website, she lists all her ingredients in her cold process soap. She doesn't list glycerin and she is a uk seller part of lots of guilds etc. so she is definitely adhering to uk regulations.
Here in Canada we have to list what is in the completed product so lye is not listed. It is still in the debating stage about glycerin though since it makes up 25% of the soap. I don't list it because I don't want people to think I am adding glycerin. On the other hand why can't we do the same as Lush and put an asterisk beside it and then note at the end of the list that is naturally occurring in the finished product?
Actually there is - for every gram of lye you use you get back .7 grams of glycerin. This is according to a Safety Assessor in the EU.
Each country has its own regulations - in the USA pretty much anything goes, but in Canada we have very definite regulations on labeling soap and as I stated you are required to put what the ingredients are in the completed item and in the case of soap there is no lye left so it is not listed. Instead we list everything using INCI which covers the saponification process. Sodium Olivate literally means Olive Oil Soap.
Each country has its own regulations - in the USA pretty much anything goes, but in Canada we have very definite regulations on labeling soap and as I stated you are required to put what the ingredients are in the completed item and in the case of soap there is no lye left so it is not listed. Instead we list everything using INCI which covers the saponification process. Sodium Olivate literally means Olive Oil Soap.
Lindy thank you so much for answer! Exactly, up to 25%!!!! It is ¼ of our product, so why not put it on INCI list??? On each 10 lb of the soap is nearly 2,5 lb of gly.
Canada and EU have very similar regulations about cosmetic labeling I guess. I label soap as you just said (Sodium Olivate and so on), and I think is great idea to let people know the glycerin is a byproduct and present in soap. That’s what I’m going to do! I will start campaign on me side to educate people a bit
You're welcome Twiggy. Canada and the EU are very similar - the biggest difference is that we don't have to have an SA but we do have a 'portal' to register our formulas just not in as much detail....
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