Good grooming and personal hygiene has always been a very important part of our daily lives. In America, thousands and thousands of people take a shower every minute. This is the reason why many businesspeople want to make it big in the health and beauty industry.

Look around and you will see different advertisements on beauty products like perfumes, deodorants, shampoos and of course, soaps. Furthermore, almost anything that will make you smell nice and look good can be found in different stores and boutiques.

Probably the most famous among health and beauty products is soap. In fact, the industry on soap alone is really huge. You will see different types of soap in terms of the ingredients used, colors, shapes, scents and sizes. Perhaps the most famous among the different types of soap are aromatherapy soaps. Aromatherapy soaps are widely used because of their positive effects on a person’s mood and health.

Below are the different types of soap ingredients and their variation in the major categories of soap:

Basic Ingredients:

· Fat and Alkali

According to soap experts, authentic soaps should contain fat and alkali (two basic soap ingredients). The alkali used is usually lye.

· Animal Fat

These days the most used ingredient in soaps is animal fat. This is commonly used in commercial soaps that you can find in the market. The animal fat used is called tallow, which produces hard soaps.

· Vegetable Fat

Many soap makers recommend vegetable fat over animal fat in making soaps. Vegetable fat may come in the form of coconut oil, palm oil olive oil and other vegetables. Soaps made from vegetable fats produce creamier lather than tallow.

· Glycerin

Glycerin is also a basic soap ingredient and all authentic soaps contain it. Soap experts say that the clear glycerin soaps that you see in the market are not made from pure glycerin but ordinary soaps that are mixed with other ingredients. Such ingredients used are alcohol and sugar that make the soap translucent. Soaps made from alcohol and sugars tend to have more chemicals than regular soaps that can dry your skin.

There are other types of soap ingredients aside from the ones mentioned above. Some soaps, like shower gels and soaps used for bubble baths, have additives for richer and creamier lather. Most of them contain an additive called SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate), a surfactant for producing extra bubbles. If you are interested in starting a soap business or even a soap-making hobby, you should research the different types of soap ingredients so you can come up with your own soap variations.