Magnesium carbonate: The name tells me it is benign. This is an antacid ingredient. I suspect it's use in your product is to make a powder flow more freely without clumping.

Magnesium carbonate hydroxide: This is an additive to clay masks; also a whitening agent. Both magnesium compounds are sometimes used in "dandruff" shampoos. Also basically benign topically.

Sodium benzoate: A common preservative used in many soft drinks. Read the words; benzoate - benzene. This is on the Soapman's limit exposure as best you can list.

Glycol distearate: A common emulsifier (holds water and oils together). Should be fine. Can be made from animal or vegetable sources.

Dimethicone: Silicon oil. Used in food and cosmetics. You would think it would be safe, and most cosmetic chemists think it is fine. However the Soapman is not so sure. Used in lotions, hair conditioners, Chicken Pieces Parts and much more. I am going to stick to using it in the lubricating spray for the controls on my rototiller. I am putting this one on the Soapman's limit exposure as best you can list. Do we really need it in the first place when there are so many natural ingredients that do the same thing?

Sodium xylenesulfonate: This is just creepy. Also called dimethylbenzenesulfonic acid sodium salt. A solvent foaming chemical. Big Jim says it will wreak havoc on your liver way before it gives you cancer. Might be used to deliver a "medicated" ingredient under the skin. Should never have been invented. Minimum safety data available. This goes on the Soapman's Terrorist Chemical Watch List. Avoid this one Mookie!

Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride: This is a derivative of natural guar gum. Should be fine, but why bother? We use organic guar gum as a thickener in our shower gels.

Keep it clean and natural!

The Soapman

Quick question. I was thinking about this last night while using one of the organic liquid castile soaps from your company. If your products are USDA Certified organic, why don't you have that circle green and white logo that accompanies that distinction on the products?

Thanks!
Julie

Does the vegetable glycerine in the foaming soaps come from wheat, barley, rye, oats, or soy?

Thanks! Allison

Glycerin is a component of natural oils (triglycerides). Your own cell walls contain it. We source our vegetable glycerin from palm oil, which is a typical source for high quality vegetable glycerin these days. Glycerin is purified and standardized (USP pharmaceutical grade is what we use) and does not contain gluten. Because it is made from vegetable oil, grain crops are rarely - if ever, used in it's production (currently).

On your "What Is Natural" page [in the first paragraph] you say that "chemical/synthetic free" means, among other things, no alcohols. But alcohol is a very effective sanitizing agent that *can* be produced "in an ordinary American kitchen using "generally available utensils". So why do you exclude alcohol?

Jeff

Hi Jeff, Thanks for your question. We avoid the use of alcohol in our products because so many people are topical alcohol sensitive, and most do not know it. Alcohol is used as an emulsifier in lotions (holds the water and oils based portions of the formula together. It works well for this, but alcohol can have the unfortunate side effect of drying ones skin as one is attempting to moisturize! The end result is that the individual fells GREAT when they apply the lotion, but they need to re-up every 15 minutes or their skin dries out. Good news for the marketers of the product, but bad news for the consumer.
Alcohol and sugar is also used to make high end transparent soaps. The advantage is their is no free alkali in the soap (which makes your skin dry and irritated). However alcohol sensitive people will experience dry, irritated skin from the alcohol instead!
We do support the use of ethanol and essential oils for sanitizing wipes and sprays, and methanol (rubbing alcohol) for surface disinfecting (such as toilet seats). Look for a USDA certified organic ethanol based hand sanitizer from Vermont Soap sometime next year. We have one in the works!

Best Wishes, The Soapman