Is Softsoap Body Wash Good or Bad for your Skin? Complete Review

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Softsoap reviews

SoftSoap is made and marketed by Colgate-Palmolive. It’s a brand of 18 types of body wash. 

If you have recently suffered from itching or dryness after using SoftSoap, you may be curious to know if this brand of body wash is indeed good for your skin.

Read on to know more.

What are the ingredients in Softsoap body wash?

The primary ingredients in Softsoap body washes are water, sodium sulfate, Cocamidopropyl betaine, fragrances, sodium chloride, sodium hydroxide, gelatin, dyes, and such other chemicals with boring, teeth-breaking names.

We are more interested in the understandable ingredients. Now, as I already mentioned, there are eighteen exciting kinds of Softsoap body washes, designed for your specific needs. These eighteen body washes are again broken down into two broad categories – exfoliating and moisturizing.

First, let’s deal with the five exfoliating body washes –

  • Blackberry Sugar
  • Pink Peony and Sea Salt
  • Coconut Butter Scrub
  • Lustrous Glow Amber and Honey
  • Lustrous Glow Rose and Vanilla

Now the Blackberry Sugar body wash contains interesting ingredients like hydrogenated jojoba oil, sucrose, and blackberry juice, while Pink Peony and Sea Salt body wash have sea salt and peony seed oil.

Similarly, as the names suggest, Coconut Butter Scrub contains coconut seed butter, apricot seed powder, and hydrogenated jojoba oil, while Lustrous Glow Amber and Honey have amber powder, honey, and lavender oil. Lustrous Glow Rose and Vanilla are enriched with rose and avocado oils. 

As far as the thirteen moisturizing Softsoap body washes are concerned, most of them contain shea butter. The other exciting, fun ingredients in the body washes are as follows: 

  • Citrus Splash & Berries –juices of strawberry, peach and raspberry, sweet almond seed extract
  • Shea & Almond Oil – sweet almond fruit extract
  • Juicy Pomegranate & Mango – pomegranate and mango extracts
  • Blooming Jasmine & Plum – plum fruit extract, jasmine flower extract
  • Sweet Honeysuckle & Orange – orange peel extract, honeysuckle flower extract
  • Luminous Oils Coconut Oil & Lavender – coconut and lavender oils along with hydrogenated jojoba oil
  • Luminous Oils Macadamia Oil & Peony – macadamia and peony seed oils
  • Vanilla & Jojoba Oil – coconut seed butter and hydrogenated jojoba oil
  • Hydra Bliss Cucumber Water & Mint – interestingly cucumber or mint is not mentioned in the ingredient list
  • Shea Gentle Wash – sweet almond oil
  • Hydra Bliss Coconut Water & Blueberry – this one also does not have coconut water and blueberry
  • Coconut Gentle Wash – coconut oil and hydrogenated jojoba oil
  • Lavender & Honey Crème – lavender oil and honey

Is Softsoap body wash antibacterial?

No. The Softsoap body wash range does not contain any antibacterial chemicals. The body wash mostly contains substances that help clean the dirt and oil from your body, or that increase the shelf-life of these products.

Antibacterial ingredients like Benzalkonium Chloride are absent in Softsoap body washes. 

Is Softsoap body wash vegan?

Most of the Softsoap body washes do not contain any animal by-products and are hence vegan. If you want to opt for a vegan body wash, then select from these eleven:

  • Blackberry Sugar Body Wash
  • Blooming Jasmine & Plum Body Wash
  • Coconut Butter Scrub Body Wash
  • Shea Gentle Wash Body Wash
  • Coconut Gentle Wash Body Wash
  • Vanilla & Jojoba Oil Body Wash
  • Hydra Bliss Blueberry & Coconut Water Body Wash
  • Hydra Bliss Cucumber Water & Mint Body Wash
  • Luminous Oils Coconut Oil & Lavender Body Wash
  • Luminous Oils Macadamia Oil & Peony Body Wash
  • Pink Peony & Sea Salt Body Wash

Is Softsoap cruelty-free?

Unfortunately, Softsoap is not cruelty-free. It tests its products on animals.  

Is Softsoap body wash gluten-free?

Softsoap assures its customers on its website that all its products are gluten-free. They clearly state that they do not intentionally add any gluten to their products.

But they also remark that though they take their raw materials from trusted suppliers, Softsoap cannot guarantee 100% that the ingredients have not come in contact with gluten.

Our trusted source, SkinSAFE proves that Softsoap body washes are gluten-free. SkinSAFE affirms that gluten-related products like barley, rye, and oat are absent in Softsoap body washes. 

SkinSAFE’s test however cannot detect the presence of highly processed ingredients derived from wheat, barley, rye, and oat (e.g., glycerin or tocopherol).

Is Softsoap body wash good for sensitive skin?

Softsoap affirms that its products are suitable for all skin types. Additionally, it recommends its gentle body washes – Shea Gentle Wash and Coconut Gentle Wash for its consumers with sensitive skin.

Then again, we also saw some customers with sensitive skin review that Softsoap; even those not meant for sensitive skin, keep the skin hydrated and do not cause itchiness.

Does Softsoap body wash have microbeads?

Softsoap declares on its website that none of its products have plastic microbeads.  

Does Softsoap body wash contain benzene?

 No. None of the Softsoap body washes contain benzene.

At room temperature, benzene is a colorless or light yellow liquid. When it comes in contact with skin, eyes, or throat, it causes irritation and even redness and blisters. Softsoap has crafted its gentle, caring body washes without this chemical irritant. 

Does Softsoap body wash contain alcohol?

No. Softsoap specifies on its website that none of its body washes (and non-antibacterial liquid hand soaps) contain isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, or ethyl alcohol.  

Is Softsoap body wash good for eczema?

Not really. Eczema or dermatitis is a skin condition that causes patchiness, redness, and irritation. People with eczema have to carefully select their skincare products so that the chemicals do not further aggravate their skin condition. 

Dermatologists recommend that people with eczema should not use face, hand, and body washes that do not have pH-balanced formulas or contain dyes and fragrances. Now, while Softsoap claims that their body washes are pH-balanced, the company claims on the other hand that it uses dyes and fragrances.

So, it is probably safest for people with eczema to stay away from Softsoap body washes. 

Is Softsoap body wash good for tattoos and piercings? 

No, Softsoap is not good for tattoos and piercings. Here is why:

Doctors recommend that you gently wash your tattoos with antimicrobial soap and water. As Softsoap body wash is not antimicrobial, it would not be a good choice for your tattoos.

Also, it is mostly suggested that one should use fragrance-free soaps for tattoos, and the Softsoap body wash range contains many beautiful, enticing fragrances. So, probably keep it away from tattoos.

As far as cleaning your piercings is concerned, it is best to use either a saline solution, or a fragrance-free antimicrobial soap, or both once or twice a day. So, in this case, also, using your scented Softsoap body wash is a no-go!

Is Softsoap body wash good for your face? 

No. The Softsoap body wash is meant for your body. Do not use any body wash, be it of Softsoap or any other brand, on your face. It rinses away the essential oils on your face, raising the pH and creating dry skin.

So, folks, use face washes on your face, and not body washes.

Is Softsoap body wash toxic or harmful?

Softsoap body washes are not toxic to humans. A lot of people use it every day. Softsoap assures its customers that all its body wash formulas are very gentle and can be used by all members of a family, including children. 

Also, Softsoap body washes are free of harmful chemicals like parabens and phthalates. Parabens are a type of preservative that is added to hair-care and skin-care products like shampoos and body washes to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold, to prolong their shelf lives.

Phthalates are very harmful industrial chemicals that can damage the liver, kidney, lungs, and reproductive system. 

It’s great that Softsoap does not contain these toxic chemicals, but SkinSAFE claims that the Softsoap body washes are not irritant-free. So, the body washes might irritate your skin, even if it is not sensitive skin. 

While Softsoap body washes are certified safe by SkinSAFE, they can act as irritants and so you should try them out for your skin and proceed accordingly. After all, there are various skin types and people can be allergic to some specific types of fragrances, or oils.

References:

  1. https://www.softsoap.com/en-us/body-wash/products
  2. https://incidecoder.com/products/softsoap-naturals-moisturizing-body-wash-milk-lavender
Anand Srinivasan
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