What to label "lard" on ingredient list?

[Joy Wolff]

I like soap made from lard. But what other name can be used for lard? I'm sure listing "lard" on the ingredients list won't go over big!?? I want to be honest, just not stupid. Thank you.

 

[Ford]

I just call it out as lard. Any questions about it. I just educate them. To the fact it's not lard after saponification. Besides it's only 4 characters on a label.

 

[Maple_Street_Bath]

Lard. It is what it is. In 10+ years I've only had an issue with the word for those who avoid animal products.

 

[Misschief]

The inci name for saponified lard is sodium lardate.

 

[DeeAnna]

I make my ingredients list using the "what goes in the pot" method. And lard is ... well ... lard.

I've never had anyone complain -- most people are far more interested in the fragrance than the ingredients list. And those who do read the list are usually interested in whether the soap contains animal products of any sort.

The INCI name for lard is adeps suillus. But no one will remotely have a clue what that means. And in all fairness, you'd have to use INCI nomenclature for everything if you use this for lard.

 

[Lyric]

I like soap made from lard. But what other name can be used for lard? I'm sure listing "lard" on the ingredients list won't go over big!?? I want to be honest, just not stupid. Thank you.

Years ago when I first began making soap, I was involved with a soap swap (boy were those fun). Anyway, one gal labeled an ingredient "Manteca". I was curious and when I looked it up I was kind of put off. I was like, "It's lard!!!!!" I was put off by the deception, not the ingredient. I think honesty or perhaps straightforwardness is best. IMHO.

I rejoice in using lard for soaps and lotions because I am educated. So, back then, I would always attempt to educate those who purchased from me. No one was ever in their feelings about the lard from what I recall. I am now returning to making soap for me and hubby. Lard WILL BE my main ingredient. Amen.

 

[janesathome]

Rarely does anyone pay attention to ingredients in my experience, unless they are vegans, or have religious restrictions against pork.
But I do talk about my ingredients AND I’m very clear that I use a lot of lard. Providing clear and honest information helps people to understand what makes good soap so they can make informed choices for themselves, IMHO. And if someone really were to object to lard, I wouldn’t want to sell them a soap with that ingredient. I think we all want happy customers who trust us to care about their interests and preferences

 

[A-Polly]

...one gal labeled an ingredient "Manteca". I was curious and when I looked it up I was kind of put off. I was like, "It's lard!!!!!" I was put off by the deception, not the ingredient....

It may have been deception, but possibly not. "Manteca" is a product sold Latin markets. The ingredients look the same, but I've read that some feel manteca has a stronger flavor and is softer than other lard. I have no clue, since I'm not a "lardinator" and haven't tried them myself to see if there is a difference. So who knows what the soaper's intentions were, but at least he/she labeled the ingredients and didn't go with "saponified oils of..." which for some reason really puts me off (and Dr. Squatch labels their soaps that way!). But I guess we all have our own particular bugaboos!

 

[Tammyfarms]

Rarely does anyone pay attention to ingredients in my experience, unless they are vegans, or have religious restrictions against pork.

Interesting you mentioned the religious restrictions. I’m sure it varies by religion but I once made soap for my podiatrist who is a very strict Muslim. I asked him about using lard and he said it was fine as they are more concerned about consumption. I found that very interesting.

 

[DeeAnna]

..."Manteca" is a product sold Latin markets. The ingredients look the same, but I've read that some feel manteca has a stronger flavor and is softer....

That's interesting. The lard I buy in the grocery store is labeled "lard" on the Engish-language side of the box and "manteca" on the Spanish-language side. Check out Morrell Snow Cap lard if you want to verify. There may be other brands that are labeled in a similar way; that's just the brand of lard I happen have in my refrigerator at the moment.

My guess is lard that is softer and has a stronger odor is more about how the lard is rendered. So worry less about "lard" versus "manteca" and instead try lard from another company that might be rendering with a different method.

 

[AliOop]

That's interesting. The lard I buy in the grocery store is labeled "lard" on the Engish-language side of the box and "manteca" on the Spanish-language side.

^Same here

I will add that I used to live not far from one California town named "Manteca," and later, another one named "Atascadero."

You already know what the first one means; it ended up with that name due to a misspelling of the name "Monteca."

The second one is "mud hole" or "mire." It's in a rather dry area, so ??

 

[A-Polly]

That's interesting. The lard I buy in the grocery store is labeled "lard" on the Engish-language side of the box and "manteca" on the Spanish-language side. ... My guess is lard that is softer and has a stronger odor is more about how the lard is rendered....

Agree! I've always thought of "manteca" and "lard" as the exact same product, and it was only after looking into it because of the above comment that I found there are some cooks (not soapmakers!) who consider it to be a little different. Maybe only some brands are rendered differently, and the others are just providing a standard Spanish translation on the label. In any case, I wouldn't have immediately thought that the soapmaker was trying to deceive, but perhaps I'm giving him/her too much credit!

 

[ScentimentallyYours]

at least he/she labeled the ingredients and didn't go with "saponified oils of..." which for some reason really puts me off

I think that is how some soap makers try to omit sodium hydroxide or lye in the ingredients list, @A-Polly. It could be accurate for soaps that use finished soap noodles and a compressor in production of bars rather than cold processed soaps. @DeeAnna’s what-goes-in-the-pot labels is absolutely accurate for the recipe. But in properly made and finished soap, is lye still an ingredient in the finished product? Is it more accurate to list sodium tallowate instead of tallow and lye? Can you tell I have deliberated on and continue debating pros and cons of soap labels? Haven’t reached a definitive conclusion.

Hmm … now imagining what a label would look like if every chemical derived from petroleum products had to state “petroleum” as an ingredient.

 

[ackosel]

Agree! I've always thought of "manteca" and "lard" as the exact same product, and it was only after looking into it because of the above comment that I found there are some cooks (not soapmakers!) who consider it to be a little different. Maybe only some brands are rendered differently, and the others are just providing a standard Spanish translation on the label. In any case, I wouldn't have immediately thought that the soapmaker was trying to deceive, but perhaps I'm giving him/her too much credit!

I wonder if the difference between the two products (if there is a difference) might be where on the pig the fat comes from rather than a rendering method. Body fat on pigs has a stronger odor than the leaf lard from around the internal organs. I know people who will only use leaf lard in baking to avoid the possibility of their sweet goods taking on a lard taste or smell from body-fat lard. Just a thought.

Edited to add, I just did a Google search for the difference between lard and manteca and found - not much. One site said to use lard for pie crusts & sweet baking and Manteca for savory cooking, but didn't tell WHAT the difference is. The other site said Manteca is rendered at a higher heat and sometimes has little bits of unpurified stuff in it. It is also less white than lard.

So I guess maybe it's just the rendering process that's different, but I would also wager that lard is made only from leaf fat, and manteca is made from body fat.

 

[AliOop]

So I guess maybe it's just the rendering process that's different, but I would also wager that lard is made only from leaf fat, and manteca is made from body fat.

In many parts of the US, labels are in both English and Spanish. So I'm used to seeing both lard and manteca on the same label. And I can assure you, what we buy as "lard" is not leaf lard. If you want that, you need to look for something labeled as leaf - and be willing to pay a much higher price for it. Otherwise, what you are getting is just bleached and deodorized pig body fat.

When I was getting pig fat from a local custom hog butcher, I specifically requested all of the leaf fat he could provide. It was amazing - melted like a dream, and had zero smell during the rendering and after. One could definitely see and smell a difference between that and the body fat. Although rendering + cleaning the body fat did eliminate the smell, it never got it as white as leaf fat.

 

[A-Polly]

@DeeAnna’s what-goes-in-the-pot labels is absolutely accurate for the recipe. But in properly made and finished soap, is lye still an ingredient in the finished product? Is it more accurate to list sodium tallowate instead of tallow and lye? Can you tell I have deliberated on and continue debating pros and cons of soap labels? Haven’t reached a definitive conclusion.

Hmm … now imagining what a label would look like if every chemical derived from petroleum products had to state “petroleum” as an ingredient.

Well, sure, if one wants to calculate the out-of-the-pot list with the glycerin and unsaponifiables and all, that's fine and correct and great, but I'm not sure I could do it properly without a chemical assessment like they are required to have in the UK and EU. Perhaps there is some easy formula that the forum scientists have worked out! But for me, an in-the-pot listing is the simplest and most straightforward way — at least as long as US regulations allow it.

But if someone doesn't want to say sodium hydroxide on a label, why bother with a complete ingredient list at all? Isn't it acceptable in the US to say something like "our featured ingredients include such and such" as long as it is clear that the list is not a complete representation? "Saponified oils of..." seems iffy no matter what. For instance, on the Dr. Squatch website for "Birchwood Breeze" I see this:

Ingredients​

Inactive Ingredients​

Saponified Oils of (Olive, Sustainable Palm, Coconut), Shea Butter, Natural Fragrance, Coconut Shreds, Coconut Milk, Coconut Water, Titanium Dioxide, Kaolin Clay, Sea Salt​

Ingredients​

Ingredient List​

Active Ingredients​

Deltamethrin​

Now, is the shea butter not saponified? And most mysteriously, how much deltamethrin (an insecticide) is in that bar? And why is it there? Weird. Is it just a mistake on the website? I don't have an actual bar in front of me to see if it shows up in print. And now I'm going to crawl out of this rabbit hole, wondering why on earth did I jump in here.

 

[MelissaG]

Well, sure, if one wants to calculate the out-of-the-pot list with the glycerin and unsaponifiables and all, that's fine and correct and great, but I'm not sure I could do it properly without a chemical assessment like they are required to have in the UK and EU. Perhaps there is some easy formula that the forum scientists have worked out! But for me, an in-the-pot listing is the simplest and most straightforward way — at least as long as US regulations allow it.

But if someone doesn't want to say sodium hydroxide on a label, why bother with a complete ingredient list at all? Isn't it acceptable in the US to say something like "our featured ingredients include such and such" as long as it is clear that the list is not a complete representation? "Saponified oils of..." seems iffy no matter what. For instance, on the Dr. Squatch website for "Birchwood Breeze" I see this:

Ingredients​

​

Inactive Ingredients​

Saponified Oils of (Olive, Sustainable Palm, Coconut), Shea Butter, Natural Fragrance, Coconut Shreds, Coconut Milk, Coconut Water, Titanium Dioxide, Kaolin Clay, Sea Salt​

​

Ingredients​

Ingredient List​

​

Active Ingredients​

Deltamethrin​

Now, is the shea butter not saponified? And most mysteriously, how much deltamethrin (an insecticide) is in that bar? And why is it there? Weird. Is it just a mistake on the website? I don't have an actual bar in front of me to see if it shows up in print. And now I'm going to crawl out of this rabbit hole, wondering why on earth did I jump in here.

Terrible way to write that. I'm not entirely sure what the point of it is.

 

[paradisi]

The point of an ingredients deck is to inform the buyer of the contents, so they can avoid things they are allergic to. It's not meant for advertising.

Any ad copy belongs elsewhere on the label.

If one is concerned shoppers won't buy if they list ingredients like lard as lard, that is more of a formulating question (am I using ingredients I don't feel sure of?) than a labeling one.

The -ates are equally accurate as standard terms *if* one has the testing done, to know what exactly they are. Perhaps people who label that way have gotten that testing done, who knows?

People will label differently, like they soap differently. It's their soap.

That "active ingredient" thing though looks like a mix of OTC labeling and regular.. and if they're using an insecticide, it takes them into the realm of pesticides perhaps? Very odd.