Soap Noodles and their Significance in the Soap Industry

Introduction

 

We’ve always been taught to wash our hands with soap to maintain our hygiene. However, some people find this chore a bit inconvenient, and some even resist doing it for various reasons.

Handwashing with soap is critical for preventing the transmission of germs and microbes that could get us infected with various diseases. Remember that these microorganisms are everywhere—in the air, dirt, or water, or on any surface, including your body.

Some bacteria are harmful to human wellbeing, while others, such as those living in our guts, are beneficial. However, certain germs cause health issues, and we should do what we can to prevent them from getting to our bodies. As a result, soap is regarded as everyone’s first line of protection against infectious germs.

But do you know how a soap bar is created? Soap noodles are used to make the soap bar. Soap noodles are used everywhere, and they come with a variety of specifications based on the kind of soap you’re making, may it be for personal use or laundry.

What are Soap Noodles?

 

Soap noodles are traditional raw materials used in soap production. They are generated by the saponification of vegetable oils such as palm oil, coconut oil, or animal fats to obtain fatty acid salts. Soap manufacturers often buy soap noodles and apply flavoring, fragrances, pigments, and other ingredients to set them apart from other products.

The regular blend of soap noodles, also known as 80/20, comprises an 80 percent combination of palm oil and palm stearin and a 20 percent palm kernel oil. Some variants have a mixed composition of 90/10, 70/30, or 60/40.

Three Different Types of Soap Noodles

 

There are three varieties of soap noodles, and each one is determined by the customer’s needs and the final goods they expect to make. The variants are white soap noodles, swing soap noodles, and laundry soap noodles.

White Soap Noodles

 

White soap noodles are produced from palm and palm kernel oil fatty acids. They are also well-suited for the manufacture of any kind of fine soap, making them multipurpose and cost-effective.

Swing Soap Noodles

 

In a continuous saponification process, these soap noodles are made directly from palm oil. This is why they are slightly cream-colored rather than white, like washing soap noodles or white soap noodles. Swing soap noodles can be used to make high-quality toilet soap, laundry soap, and other natural cosmetics.

Laundry Soap Noodles

 

Laundry soap noodles are used to create soap for non-human bathing or face washing. Soaps made from laundry soap noodles must have the ability to bind solid cleaning agents while still softening human skin.

Soap Noodles vs. Soap Base

 

Soap bars are made from either soap noodles or a soap base. The difference between the two lies in the act of creating a hard bar of soap. The two primary processes are the hot and cold processes.

In the hot process method, both the oils and alkali are boiled together for a long time to create saponification, or the process by which the oils and alkali bind. The soap product and glycerin separate at the boiling point. The glycerin is isolated and sold in many major industrial operations, while the soap mixture is either extruded into molds or rendered into soap noodles. After that, the vast majority of soap noodle supply is set for export.

For the cold process method, on the other hand, the oils are not heated. This allows the soaps to maintain their glycerin content. It also results in fewer industrial processes and preservatives in soaps, both of which are safer for the environment. Soap bases are created as a result of this.

 

The Technology Behind Soap Noodles

 

Soap noodles are made by saponifying neutral fats and oils, neutralizing fatty acids, and saponifying methyl esters. A traditional soap noodle blend will be 80/20, consisting of 80 percent palm oil and palm stearin, and 20 percent palm kernel oil.

Other blends available on the market include 90/10, 70/30, and 60/40. It is also important to consider the Total Fatty Matter, abbreviated as TFM. The TFM determines the fat content of different oil blends and can differentiate between grades of soap noodles.

Your soap’s total fatty matter must be dependent on your skin condition. The higher the total fatty matter, the more moisturizing the product. This is why bathroom soaps have more TFM than laundry soaps. However, toilet soaps with a high TFM content can still dry out your skin, especially if the pH level is too high. As a result, all types of soap must have their TFM content listed as part of their ingredient list.

Soap noodles are mostly produced in Southeast Asia from palm oil mixed with either coconut oil or palm kernel oil. In India, however, palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) is used instead of palm stearin. In China, soap noodles are manufactured from animal fats or tallows, palm oil, or a combination of the two.

 

What are the Uses of Soap Noodles?

 

Soap noodles are mostly used as the primary raw material in the manufacture of toilet soaps and laundry soap bars. Their prices can also be determined by other characteristics such as color, total fatty matter (TFM), and moisture content. If you want to make non-uniform cylindrical-shaped soap noodles, pair palm fatty acids with sodium hydroxide, also known as lye.

According to Grand View Research, soap noodles are classified into these four groups based on their synthesis phase and raw materials:

1. 1. 1. Palm fatty acid noodles
      2. Palm oil saponification noodles
      3. Tallow fatty acid noodles
      4. Tallow oil saponification noodles

 

They can also be divided into three sections based on their application, namely:

1. 1. 1. Household which includes laundry and toilet soap noodles
      2. Industrial soap noodles which are mainly used in textile industries
      3. Customized soap noodles that are mostly used for medical purposes

 

Palm oil to palm kernel ratios of 80:20 or 90:10 are the most popular soap noodle blends. Many manufacturers use this blend extensively because it provides the soap with whiteness, foaming consistency, strong cleaning properties, and the appropriate hardness. On the other hand, customized soap noodles can be made in 70:30 or 60:40 blends, based on order size.

 

Trends on Soap Manufacturing

 

The uses of soap bars have grown over time—from a strictly cleaning product to one that provides many advantages and features. The following factors are behind the soap production trend:

1. 1. 1. The constant need to distinguish oneself from the flood of liquid shower gels
      2. The need to move from a mass-market to a more niche and specialist role
      3. The high costs for soaps
      4. The continuous use of technologies to create innovative soap variants

 

As a result, the soap bar industry is constantly challenged to include more value-added features, especially in multifunctionality. The soap bar trends are as follows:

1. 1. 1. Soaps containing extracts, essential oils, and polyols such as honey, chamomile, tea tree, and lavender, among others
      2. Soaps with antibacterial properties and hygienic properties
      3. Soaps with moisturizing, anti-acne, and other skincare benefits
      4. Soaps made from a blend of moderate synthetic detergents
      5. Soap bars with a distinct look and aroma

 

Multifunctional soap noodles have three different applications.

 

Providing Enhanced Efficiency

 

If you’re wondering how advertisers can distinguish their antibacterial claims from others, the answer is by enhancing the effectiveness of bar soap for stronger and more effective defense against harmful bacteria. As a result, antibacterial agents such as triclosan and triclocarban (TCC) are added to the soap.

 

Combining Soap Noodles with Syndet

 

Syndet bars, also known as combination bars, are milder than soap. They were first used to treat skin problems in Germany. Due to their medical functionalities, these bars are only used in pharmacies.

They are also made of industrial detergents and fillers, as well as natural soaps that serve as structural and plasticizers. However, they are considered to be unsuitable for a traditional soap finishing line. The formula’s working state of syndet bars is very tight, and the bars are often slippery and mushy, with a high rate of wear as opposed to standard soap bars.

To take advantage of the mildness of syndet bars and the easy handling and in-use properties of soap noodles, 10% to 50% mild syndet bars is mixed with soap noodles. Using too many syndet bars would make traditional soap finishing lines very difficult to process.

Mixing Soap Noodles with Liquid Ingredients

 

To make an excellent skin treatment soap, a high concentration of liquid ingredients such as polyol and emollient oils should be used without interfering with the soap’s simple handling.

For example, compare the adhesion of a multifunctional soap base containing 12% polyols to the standard 80/20 blend of soap noodles with a similar number of polyols. The multifunctional soap base is approximately 30% higher work efficiency than the standard 80/20 soap noodle blend.

 

How to Make Soap Noodles Using Palm Oil

 

The soap industry has experimented with a variety of methods for producing soap from various materials. In all of these ingredients, oil was discovered to be highly significant because it gives soaps a smooth and slippery touch. As a result, the use of oil in soaps is growing, and people are experimenting with different ways to create special soap blends by combining various oils.

 

Advantages of Palm Oil-Based Soap Noodles

 

Since palm oil is a natural substance, using it as a basis for producing soap noodles offers many benefits to your skin. Below are some of the benefits of palm oil-based soap noodles:

1. 1. 1. They are used in the production of white soap and as a detergent.
      2. Because they are biodegradable, they are renewable resources and are environmentally sustainable.
      3. They make it possible for you to produce soaps in a comfortable manner.
      4. Since they are all natural, you can use them to attain mooth skin.

The Process of making Soap Noodles from Palm Oil

 

To produce soap noodles from palm oil, the animal fats and oil must first be processed. You can use the hot process or the cold process method.

The hot process method necessitates the use of soap additives such as palm oil (C16-C18) and alkaline fatty acids. A boiler is also needed to ensure that the correct melting point is obtained. In the case of soap noodle manufacturers, industrial boilers are used. They are extremely secure and help the mixture in reaching a specific melting point.