Is soap made from animal fat?

All soap is made using an acid (fat) which reacts with an alkali (lye). However you may be wondering the type of fat used in the making of your favorite brand of soap. The fat used in making soap can be categorized as animal or plant based. GBB cares about animals and only uses plant based fats. These plant based fats include organic shea butter, olive oil, and coconut oil. Is it bad to use soap made from animal fat? That question can only be answered by the person using the soap and their preference. If the soap you use contains sodium tallowate as an ingredient, this is a fat derived from animals; usually beef or sheep. In this post, GBB will not go into detail about how the animal fat is rendered, but if you are interested in learning more, a quick internet search will describe the gory details. Some people consider the use of animal fat in soap to be not only gross, but inhumane. You have to ask yourself if you feel comfortable washing your skin and body parts with a product that contains animal fat. If you feel a bit weird doing so, you are not alone. A lot of people will only use soap that is considered “vegan” for this very reason. Soap containing shea butter also has the benefit of softening and nourishing your skin. Happy washing!