Washing hands is still the order of the day. Also with liquid soap. After all, people are paying more attention to scrubbing any viruses off their hands in addition to the usual dirt. But then please also use a suitable cleaning agent, as a study by Öko-Test suggests.
Washing hands is always a good idea. Not only since the threat situation from various viruses got out of hand. After all, all sorts of unwanted things stick to your fingers and palms. Not just RVA, flu or coronavirus. But sometimes personal hygiene needs a little incentive. And so since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, sales of soaps and detergents have almost doubled compared to the previous year.
A question of faith is still whether the bar of soap cleans better than the detergent from the pump bottle. It is clear that such a bar of soap requires less packaging and is therefore better for the environment because less water and therefore less volume has to be packed and transported. However, liquid soaps have one advantage and that lies in their composition. Strictly speaking, these are not soaps at all, but syndets that work on the basis of synthetic cleaning substances. These can be better adjusted to the pH value of the skin than a classic soap and are therefore somewhat milder.
Irrespective of this, not every liquid soap is suitable for everyday use, as Öko-Test found out in a recent study of 48 products. The goods were bought in drugstores, supermarkets, discounters and online shops, including 12 products with natural cosmetics certification - at prices between 0.74 and 25 euros per 500 milliliters. All soaps contain perfume - the fragrances advertised vary from milk and honey to patchouli, from fruity-fresh to woody-tart.
In the laboratory, the soaps were examined for problematic fragrances, controversial halogenated organic compounds and questionable preservatives such as formaldehyde/formaldehyde releasers and, in individual cases, for isothiazolinones. Products with pH information on the packaging were also checked. Based on the declaration on the product packaging, it was examined whether, for example, PEG/PEG derivatives, aggressive surfactants and synthetic polymers were in the recipe.
Result: All twelve natural cosmetics products and three liquid soaps without labels convince with "very good" overall rating. These include: "Alterra cream soap organic olive" (Rossmann, 2.48 euros/500 ml), "Alverde liquid soap organic olive organic orange" (DM, 2.08 euros), "Alviana liquid soap organic lime" ( Bonano, 2.09 euros).
One soap failed the test with "inadequate" and four others with "inadequate". For example, four contain artificial musk fragrance and/or PEG/PEG derivatives, which can make the skin more permeable. Polycyclic musk compounds can accumulate in human adipose tissue. The testers found the preservative chloromethylisothiazolinone (CIT) in a liquid soap. This is considered a strong allergen and is prohibited in cosmetic products that remain on the skin and are not washed off. For products that are rinsed off again, the quantity is stipulated by law and must not be exceeded.
Consequently, among other things, "Palmolive Milch
(This article was first published on Tuesday, December 27, 2022.)
