Foaming Soap was new to a lot of us at Botanie last year. As a result, we had some very basic questions, some of which overlapped with questions we knew we’d be hearing from our customers. What emerged from our research and questioning is the best foaming soap on the market. Today, we have five of these questions (and answers) to pass on.
1 – What makes the soap foam?
It’s the pump dispenser on the top of the bottle injecting air into the liquid soap.
2 – Does soap concentration matter for foaming?
Yes. The water-to-soap ratio affects the quality of the foam. If the concentration’s too thick, the foaming dispenser produces weak, inconsistent foam. If it’s too thin, the lather simply runs without being able to hold its form. The proper balance produces consistent, even bubbles and a foam that holds its shape (much like shaving cream).
3 – Does the air-tightness of the bottle have any effects?
Yes. With some bottles, once the soap is over half used, the pressure inside the bottle can cause it to buckle slightly. To fix the problem, just unscrew the top, release the pressure, then screw the top back on. You might also have to squeeze the bottle itself on the sides to pop the buckle back out. We’re conducting a test that involves poking a small pin-hole in the bottle just underneath the dispenser cap. The hole doesn’t affect pressure, and it doesn’t cause any leakage. The theory is, the hole will allow the pressure to remain constant as the contents of the bottle decrease. We’ll keep you posted on the results.
4 – Why no palm oil?
We use palm oil in our bar soaps, but not in our foaming soap. Here’s why. Palm oil contains palmitic and stearic fatty acids. When saponified, these fatty acids create soap molecules that are not fully soluble in water, which can make the soap cloudy. And we knew ahead of time that cloudiness is not something people like to see in foaming soap. Also, palm oil’s major contribution to bar soap is hardness, something that isn’t missed in foaming soap.
5 – No Herbs or Powders?
The process of adding herbs or powders for coloring bar soap doesn’t work for liquid soap. Instead of becoming part of the soap, herbs and powders simply float around without adding to the color, and though we didn’t test specifically for this, would most likely interfere with the pump.