Soap is a salt resulting from mixing a fat, vegetable or animal, with an alkali such as caustic soda. It cleans well, but it has an alkaline pH, significantly higher than that of the skin's surface, which is slightly acidic. That is why our shower gels, whether bar or liquid, and our facial cleansers are formulated without soap.
How soap is made
The recipe is thousands of years old and is called saponification. An oil or fat is heated with a strong base; the base breaks the triglycerides in the fat into glycerin and fatty acids, and these become bound to sodium or potassium. Those fatty acid salts are soap. With sodium, you get a hard bar; with potassium, a soft paste or liquid soap.
The soap molecule is a surfactant: it has a tail that sticks to grease and a head that dissolves in water. It surrounds sebum and dirt, and the rinse carries them away. Up to that point, there is nothing to criticize.
Why pH matters
For a soap to exist, it needs an alkaline environment. In shower water, it leaves a pH clearly above 7, while the outermost layer of the skin, the stratum corneum, lives in an acidic range, around 5. That acidity is not just a detail: it helps hold surface cells together, regulates the enzymes that renew the barrier, and favors the microorganisms that live with us without causing problems.
A wash with soap raises that pH for a while. In healthy skin, it recovers on its own. In dry skin, in skin that reddens easily, or in the dry cold of Bogotá, where the barrier is already working at its limit, the feeling of tightness after a shower is a sign that the cleaning took away more than just dirt: it took part of the lipids that seal the skin.
Added to this is hard water. Calcium and magnesium salts react with the soap and form an insoluble residue, the same one that leaves a gray mark in the bathtub, and part of that residue remains on the skin.
What we use instead
Our cleansers do not use soap. They use only plant-based surfactants, derived from plant sugars and oils, which function at a pH close to that of the skin. They do not need alkali and do not react with hard water, so they can be formulated in the acidic or neutral range without losing lather.
This is how our shower gels are made, such as the Mango and Coriander Solid Shower Gel, formulated without soap and with a neutral pH, or the Shower Oil, as well as our facial cleansers, such as the Purifying Cleansing Gel for combination to oily skin and the Refreshing Cleansing Gel. For the face, it matters even more: the skin is thinner and is washed twice a day.
The most curious case is the solid shower gels, because they are shaped like a bar and anyone would mistake them for soap. They are formulated without soap and without sulfate surfactants, with a neutral pH for the skin, and contain sweet almond oil and glycerin so that the skin does not feel tight. In the satisfaction test we conducted with 192 people, 90% said it did not dry out their skin after 14 days of use. It is a self-assessment, not an instrumental measurement, but it is what most people want to know. They last longer if they are dried between uses in a soap dish that drains.
In the store, the word "soap" also appears on liquid hand soaps. We call them that because it is the name everyone uses to search for them, but they are not soap: they are liquid cleansers, and their base is sulfate-free. The entire line is in shower gels and facial cleansing.
When soap is not a problem
If your skin is oily, resistant, and never feels tight, a good quality soap will not harm it. Nor should you fear it for your hands when it comes to washing them thoroughly: soap destroys the envelope of many viruses and bacteria, which is why it remains a public health recommendation. The difference is noticeable in those who have dry, sensitive, or irritation-prone skin, and in those who bathe with very hot water or more than once a day.
More about body and hand cleansers
If you are interested in what else changes in a shower gel or hand cleanser, besides soap, read why you should also avoid sulfates in shower gels and soaps. You can find the products in body cleansing, solid shower gel, liquid shower gel, and liquid hand soap.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a product is real soap?
Check the list of ingredients. If names like sodium palmate, sodium cocoate, or sodium tallowate appear, or the phrase "saponified oils," it is a soap. If the first surfactants have names like coco-glucoside or sodium cocoyl isethionate, it is a soap-free cleanser.
Why does my face feel tight with a Yves Rocher cleanser if it is soap-free?
Soap-free does not mean it doesn't clean: every cleanser removes sebum, and if your skin was already producing little, it will notice. This usually happens for one of these reasons: you are using a formula designed for oily skin, like the Purifying Cleansing Gel, on dry or dehydrated skin; you wash with very hot water; you leave the product on for too long or wash more than twice a day; or your home's water is hard. Try lukewarm water, a quick rinse, and a milder formula for your skin type, and apply your cream while your face is still damp. If the tightness comes with stinging or redness that does not go away, consult a dermatologist.
Is the solid shower gel a soap?
No. It is shaped like a bar, but its formula is soap-free and sulfate-free, with a neutral pH for the skin. It is used the same way: rub it on damp skin or on a sponge and rinse.
Why does my skin feel tight after bathing?
It is usually the cleaning process stripping lipids from the barrier, especially with very hot water or an alkaline cleanser. Lower the temperature, shorten your shower, use a soap-free cleanser, and apply a body cream while your skin is still damp.
Does hand soap also dry out the skin?
Washing your hands many times a day dries them out with any cleanser. What helps is to dry them well and apply a hand cream afterward, especially at night.
