Handmade Soap Franjipani

ALL THAT LATHERS IS NOT SOAP by Harold Hopkins

You've been near it all your life, bassinet to bath to boudoir. It was used behind your ears before perfume was used there. It has removed dirt and grime from your face, fingers, and knees. If you've said naughty words your mother may have threatened to wash out your mouth with it. It has cleansed you, made you smell good, added a glow to your complexion, and helped make you feel fresher. But what do you really know about soap?

Well, in the first place the product you regard as soap may not be soap at all, but a synthetic detergent "beauty" or "bath" bar. These and similar names have been used by copywriters to spare the consumer the awful knowledge that she is not bathing herself with real soap, but with a synthetic detergent which, ironically, is for some purposes superior to soap. Some "soap" bars may consist of soap and synthetic detergent.

Soap, as long as we can remember, has enjoyed an enviable respect in polite society and this could be at least a part of the reason why Congress placed soap above the law in enacting the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938. This law exempted soap from regulation as a cosmetic.

So long as no cosmetic representations are made for soap, other than that it cleanses, and no claims are made that it will affect the structure or functions of the body or treat a disease, it is beyond FDA regulation. When such claims are made the soap must meet all FDA requirements for a cosmetic or a drug or both, whichever is appropriate. If it's represented as a drug the label must list all active ingredients; if represented as both a cosmetic and drug or as only a cosmetic the label must list all ingredients.

For instance, if a soap is labeled as a deodorant soap, FDA considers this to be a cosmetic claim and the label must, as with other cosmetics, carry a list of ingredients. If the soap makes a medical claim, such as that it will cure dandruff, it is considered a drug and must carry required drug labeling and also meet FDA safety and effectiveness requirements.