How is mass produced soap made?
Modern technology has enabled faster, cheaper soapmaking methods, using lower quality oils, resulting in lower quality soap. Firstly, the soapmaking oils are heated and treated with high pressure, which destroys any goodness even in high quality oils. Secondly, the skin softening glycerin that forms during soapmaking is removed during manufacture, and sold as a separate commodity. The resulting soap is milled (ground into small flakes) and mixed with fragrances, preservatives, colours and other additives, then refined through rolling mills and plodders to ensure thorough blending and a uniform texture. Finally, the mixture is extruded, cut into bar-size units and stamped into its final shape in a soap press. The majority of soaps made using large scale manufacturing methods are made this way. Many modern “soaps”, or soap free cleansing bars, are known as “syndet (synthetic detergent) bars,” and feature surfactants as the main cleansing ingredients.
