We tested the following additives, as listed below:
Control Formula with 5% superfat
Control Formula with 8% superfat
8% superfat: 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
Sodium Lactate
7 gram per 450 gram of oil: 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
Soap made with sodium lactate is easier to cut, crumbles less and lasts longer in use because of the hardness imparted by the additive.
Granular Sugar
1 tablespoon per 450 gram of oil: 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
Fruit juices in soap seem to up lather, so it makes sense that sugar would do it. The lather was much creamier and tighter.
Honey
1 tablespoon per 450 gram of oil: 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
The honey made the lather creamier and silkier in feeling, but not much more abundant.
Rosin
3% of the weight: 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
Rosin is notoriously known for being a pain in the butt to soap. But look at those bubbles! The drying of the soap is very difficult.
Bentonite Clay
1 tablespoon per 450 gram of oil: 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
Many soapmakers add various clays to their soaps to increase slip and glide, to make shaving soaps. It also adds a nice creamy touch with an increase on lather.
Tetrasodium EDTA
0.5% per 450 gram of oil: 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
Tetrasodium EDTA counteracts the defoaming action of hardness ions, reducing soap scum and improving lather.
Reconstituted Goats’ Milk Powder subbed for water
50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, powdered goatmilk
It smelled off and was scant on lather. Once the lather built up, it got thicker and creamier but never bigger.
Aloe juice subbed for all the water
50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Aloe juice
It was the perfect balance of increased lather – not just creamy, not just bubbly, but a little of both.
Canned Coconut Milk subbed for water
50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, canned coconut milk
The canned coconut milk used in this sample contained guar gum and it seemed to make a small difference between the two coconut milk samples.
Powdered Coconut Milk
50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, powdered coconut milk
The powdered coconut milk used in this sample contained no extra ingredients, and it seemed to have more abundant lather than the canned coconut milk.
Beer subbed for water
50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, beer
Everyone knows beer soap lathers a lot. And here’s the proof.
Fresh Goat’s Milk subbed for water
50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, fresh goat milk
The difference between the fresh goat’s milk and the powdered goat’s milk is pretty obvious. This is what is expected from both samples.
Evaporated Cow Milk
50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, cow milk
The initial feel is a bit sticky, but the lather speaks for itself.
Powdered Sugar
1 tablespoon per 450 gram of oil, 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
The powdered sugar sample gave a slightly creamier lather than the granulated sugar sample. Powdered sugar is simply finer ground granulated sugar with added starch to prevent caking, the added starch must have made for the lather difference.
Kaolin Clay
1 tablespoon per 450 gram of oil, 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
Quite a difference between the clay samples! Kaolin clay was slower to lather up, but stabilized at a much thicker abundant lather than bentonite clay did.
Cetyl Alcohol
3%, 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
A very small difference on the lather from the control. A consumer wouldn’t notice the difference.
Oat Milk
115 gr oat milk in a 690 gram batch, 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
The lather felt just as silky and creamy as other milks, and produced about the same lather as the fresh goat’s milk sample.
Yogurt
Substituted for 58% of water, 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
Slightly creamier lather, but not a huge difference in abundance than the control. The smell is not very pleasant.
Sorbitol
5% sorbitol, 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
Sorbitol is usually used in transparent soap to keep it clear, as well as to improve lather and conditioning. Looks like it does that.
Sodium Citrate
3% Sodium Citrate, 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
Most often used for the same reason Tetrasodium EDTA is: to cut down on soap scum. It creates a lot of lather.
Palm Kernel Oil subbed for Coconut Oil
50% Olive Oil, 50% Coconut Oil, Distilled Water
Substituting Palm Kernel Oil for Coconut Oil in this formula resulted in more lather,
Kefir
Substituted for 58% of water, 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
More lather than the control at first, but not much more at the 20 second mark. However, it is creamier.
Sodium Citrate & Sorbitol
Sodium Citrate and Sorbitol, 50% Olive Oil, 25% Coconut Oil, 25% Palm Oil, Distilled Water
Considering how sorbitol and sodium citrate performed on their own, we expected slightly better lather here. But it’s still pretty impressive.
