Saponi-what?! Without being familiar with the world of soap, the expression “cold saponification” may seem a little complex… In fact, it’s a very simple, age-old principle whose benefits have been proven time and again. Demonstration!
Saponification: how does it work?
Saponification refers to the chemical reaction between a fatty substance and an alkaline agent. It’s like love at first sight between two people, giving birth to a beautiful baby: soap. So far, all the soap makers agree. But when it comes to manufacturing, there are two schools of thought: hot and cold!
Hot saponification
The well-known Marseille soaps, for example, are hot-saponified, i.e. the oils they contain are heated for a long time before being cleaned with water and transformed into soap. Perfect for laundry, they are a little less good for the skin, as the oils lose their virtues as they cook.
Cold saponification
At O’Naturalis, we’re 100% Team froid, meaning we give the raw materials time to solidify on their own, without cooking. With this method, it’s impossible to produce in industrial quantities, since the process requires manual labor and a great deal of time. But you know what? So much the better! That’s precisely why we’ve chosen this cold saponification technique… and many other advantages!
Cold saponification is environmentally friendly
No heat is required to heat the oils, very little water is needed, and there are no machines… Cold saponification is not energy-intensive, and above all requires manual know-how and special care in choosing the right raw materials.
Pure raw materials
Thanks to cold saponification, the raw materials used are never denatured, since they are not processed. In this way, they retain all their nourishing properties.
Another advantage is the unsaponifiable percentage of the oils. In fact, each oil has a part of its material that does not react with the alkaline agent. Yes, you can’t be 100% compatible! But it’s exactly this little discrepancy that gives soap its properties: antioxidant, seboregulator, etc.
Do you still doubt the magic of nature? Meet O’Rami! The natural purifying and disinfecting properties of its bay laurel oil are incredible…
O’Rami – Aleppo-style soap for dry or atopic skin
Surgras soap
If there’s one useful ingredient in soaps that helps prevent dry skin after a shower, it’s glycerine. And, as if by magic, it emerges naturally from the cold saponification process! Thanks to its humectant properties, it makes soaps oilier and softer, protecting the skin’s natural hydrolipidic film.
Haven’t you heard of O’Melia yet? Just give it a try and you’ll understand the benefits of surgras soaps 😊
