Until well into the 18th century, doctors in Europe held the view that water and air were harmful to the body. Powdering the skin and clothing served as protection against these “harmful elements”.
It was not until the bourgeois 19th century that attitudes changed and people began to wash their bodies regularly and rid them of unpleasant odors. Washing became fashionable.
Soap as a scarce commodity
But during the war in the 20th century, the supply of raw materials was so scarce that there were not enough oils and fats for soap production.
It was not until after the end of World War I in the 1920s that industrial production made it possible to mass produce soap. Cheap fat raw materials were imported from tropical countries and a cheaper manufacturing process was invented: “Leblanc”, later “Solvay” process.
Ingredients of soap
Today, soaps are made from vegetable or animal fats. The main ingredients are:
- Raw materials such as coconut oil, olive oil or palm oil.
- Animal fats such as tallow, lard or bone fat.
These fats are decomposed (“saponification”) in soap making by boiling them with a lye. This process is called “soap boiling”.
The so-called “fine soap” – or also called “toilet soap” – is mostly used for washing hands. It consists of odorless fats with caring additives, as well as perfumes and dyes.
Soap can harm the skin
The disadvantage of alkaline soap is that it not only removes the existing dirt, but also dissolves the skin‘s own greasy film, which can lead to cracked and rough skin. It also produces an increase in skin pH, destroying the acid mantle.
Therefore, in cases of severe eczema, an absolute ban on washing was imposed until 40 years ago.
Revolution of washing: “soap without soap”.
The realization that healthy skin is slightly acidic – pH 5.5 – and conventional alkaline soaps attack the acid mantle, led Dr. Heinz Maurer to fundamentally rethink the composition of soaps. He developed a soap-free wash – adjusted to the pH value 5.5 of healthy skin – that can also be used without hesitation by people with sensitive skin.
The so-called “syndets” are soap-free, washing-active substances with a particularly skin-friendly effect. Unlike conventional soap, syndets can be largely adjusted to any desired pH value. The skin’s protective acid mantle is maintained by the particularly gentle cleansing action of slightly acidic syndets and can thus ward off harmful environmental influences such as pathogens.
