Why Should You Go Vegan… with Soap!?

Why should you even consider picking vegan soap over regular soap? Although many soaps don’t seem to be different from each other, their components inside them sure are, and by a huge margin. We’ll be breaking down the wonders of eco-friendly, cruelty-free soap bars and the horrors behind toxic, regular soap.

Disadvantages of Regular Soap

Toxins in our Soap

To start off, let’s talk about rashes. You try out a new soap, you wash your hands and you go on with your day as usual. Then the unexpected happens: your hands are now all red and itchy. We’ve all been there, but why does this happen? Despite the fact you only need oil, lye and water to make soap, many companies add their own toxic components to distinguish themselves from other brands. This comes at a price: our bodies’ health.

Said components have many flaws: high amounts of pH, prone to cause allergic reactions, the removal of our own bodies’ oils and the disruption of the hormones cycle, among other effects. Regular soap usually contains chemicals such as sulfates (and other SLS variants) to create foam, parabens to preserve the soap and phthalates to maintain fragrance. These components may lead to sensitive skin, hormone disruption and cancer. What’s the worst part of this? You’ve been taking these toxins in on a daily basis. Companies are not thorough with the content of their soaps for a reason: the list of negative effects they have on our bodies would be shocking to anyone.

Environmental Impact

The negative environmental impact soap production has is rarely talked about. Soap, at its core, is not toxic to the environment, but the chemicals present in regular soap are. Sulfates contribute to aquatic toxicity; however small their toxicity levels are, this chemical adds up to the immense quantity of oceanic waste we produce every day. The water we use always ends up in the ocean, ocean in which 96.5% percent of the water resides. Soap chemicals are slightly degrading the hydrological cycle of water, which worsens the water’s cleansing process everyday.

Chemicals are not the only reason industrial soaps are harmful to the environment: the packaging of regular soap produces much more carbon footprints than its organic counterpart, especially liquid soap. Liquid soap requires much more water to make than solid soap, and its packaging is guaranteed to be made out of plastic, which is non-biodegradable. Studies made in 2009 states liquid soap requires far more energy to produce than bar soap. We estimate this outage of carbon footprint has increased due to the pandemic: the usage of soap has never been this high in history, nor have the production consequences been so big.

Animal experimentation

The cosmetic industry has always been in the scope of controversy. Why would that be? The answer is simple: cosmetics are usually tested on animals. A study made in 2017 by the US Department of Culture reported that 792,168 animals were put through product testing that year. This number comes from the US alone.

Did you also know the majority of cosmetic companies have tested their products on animals in the past? Some companies fell under the pressure of the public eye and stopped testing on animals; nevertheless, the damage to innocent creatures had already been done. Other companies have told the public their products have never been tested on animals, but some of their components still are. That’s why PETA launched a ‘cruelty-free’ label to indicate which companies are still taking advantage of defenseless animals, a label that is not present in most cosmetic goods. Be on the lookout for these labels: many companies present their soaps as cruelty-free products despite the fact PETA says otherwise.

Why not just steer clear away from animal testing at all? The stress of thousands and thousands of animals should never be the price to pay in order to take care of your health and hygiene. Why make animals suffer just for the sake of beauty?

Benefits of Vegan Soap

Cruelty-free soap

In spite of the effort companies make in order to label their products as eco-friendly items, a select few of them achieve this. Why? The reason is simple: a lot of soap brands use tallowate as an ingredient to make soap, which is a convenient synonym for animal fat. Not only soap is made from animal fat, it may also contain other components such as milk and glycerin, which are directly derived from animals. Did you know animal fat comes from slaughterhouses?

Such morbid practices are under the supervision of well-known companies. It’s true that animal fat makes up for a good moisturizer, but organic oil is an amazing component for moisturizing your skin too. This fact is only ignored for the sake of practicality: companies intend to use a deceased animal at its fullest.

Skincare is not a problem

Vegan bar soaps come in many shapes and sizes, and thus, may also come for many purposes. You can take care of your skin and body without ever relying on regular soap. Coconut oil is good for dry skin and reduces inflammation. Mango butter is high on vitamin A and C. Almond oil is good for sensitive skin. Hazelnut oil is an excellent moisturizer. If you want palm-free soaps, there are many organic oils to try out. One of these vegan soaps could be the solution you were looking for, you just need to find them. You can even make your own vegan soap bar if need be to create the perfect soap that suits you. You can shine as much as possible without ever hurting the world you live in.

You will use organic oils

Organic oil has been regarded as one of the main ingredients in complementary medicine, and for no small reason: organic oils have many, many uses in the medicine department. Although some oils share the same medical properties, there are some oils who have way more uses than the rest. A prime example would be the Coconut Oil. This oil shares wound-healing, skin-repairing and anti-bacterial properties with the Jojoba Oil, yet the former is viewed as the superior component due to its hair-strengthening and fat-burning perks. Rosehip Oil is full of vitamins (A, B-carotene, C and E) and reduces skin aging. Sunflower Oil, although less durable, is the most moisturizing soap component of all organic oils. Remember the bothersome itchiness we mentioned earlier? You can treat it with Castor Oil, which also improves blood circulation.

As you can see, the amount of oils to choose from is astounding: for every inconvenience you may have, there are at least two oils to answer it. Be mindful, though! Some people are not compatible with certain types of oil. People with oily skin avoid using coconut-based soap due to how fat-heavy the oil is, so acne-prone people should avoid it at all costs. However, Tea Tree Oil is the perfect solution for them: it reduces acne and fungi outbreaks.

Accessibility

If you’re new to the organic movement, you may be wondering whether vegan products are as accessible as regular products. Rest assured because this healthier way of life has been on the uprise in recent years. Cruelty-free companies, such as ourselves, are doing the best they can to reach as many people as possible. Money isn’t an issue either due to the raw materials being fairly obtainable. The fact that vegan bar soaps are 100% handmade make it easier to find, so don’t be afraid to step into this wholesome lifestyle.

Contribute towards a better place

Here, at Caribbean Trading, we believe a peaceful coexistence between people and nature is the way to go. For this purpose, we do everything we can to partner with local artisans and suppliers to promote handmade craftsmanship to the best of our abilities.

We can change the future with small steps, all we need to do is to take a step forward and steer our course towards a cleaner tomorrow. Less toxins, carbon footprints and slaughterhouses give nature the opportunity to seal its wounds, deep wounds that we’ve been opening for many, many years now. It is our duty to safeguard the place we live in.

You should check out our selection of handmade vegan bar soaps and other cruelty-free products to start making a better planet Earth for you and following generations. We ensure you won’t regret making the right call!