Squeaky clean: How soap makes it happen

Experts at Solvay create body wash formulations that are continuously aligned with rapidly-changing customer demands. For example, the texture of the product, foamability, spreadability, volume, stability, density, ease of rinsing, sensation, sensation of wetness and, of course, the moisturizing effect.

However, the question is, how does soap actually clean your body when you shower? And how do soap detergents clean the greasiness and dirt from your dishes? Does the soap cleanse or does water alone suffice? Enquiring minds want to know!

Inside the bubble

Soap is a type of surfactant made from vegetable and animal fats. Surfactants (Surface Active Agents) are in the everyday products we use such as body washes, lotions, detergents, hand wash, and car wash. Surfactants help reduce the water surface tension and remove dirt and oil, making them easy to rinse away.

How?

Unfortunately, water alone can’t dissolve the oil/grease because oil/grease and water don’t mix due to the hydrophobic (water-hating) nature of oil and the hydrophilic (water loving) nature of water.

Surfactants can stick to oil very well, making it easy to wash away. But water can’t stick to oil, making it difficult to rinse out. This is due to the fact that a soap molecule containing a hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen atom chain is composed of two ends- the tail — containing a chain of carbons which are hydrophobic, and the head of the tail- which is charged and hydrophilic.

As explained by Rajesh Patel, Sales Development Manager and Body Wash Expert at Novecare, “When soap, water, and oil mix (saponification), you can wash your hands clean thanks to the water dissolving the oil with the help of the soap. The combination of water and soap helps in the cleansing. A cluster of surfactant molecules in the water is formed, known as a micelle. In a micelle, dirt and/or oil are trapped in the soap solution making them easy to rinse away. When you rinse with water, the hydrophilic ends of the molecules follow the water, so the oil, water, and soap can be washed away.

“In short, water alone is not enough to clean off all the dirt!”