Glycerin

naturally forming vegetable glycerin

Glycerin is naturally formed during the soap making process and can be animal or plant based. Hence animal or vegetable glycerin.

During commercial soap making processes the glycerin is removed from the soap and is sold in it's natural liquid form to manufacturers to be used in other products such as moisturisers.

You can see the glycerin forming on the soap (pictured). It is a natural hand made (melt and pour) soap and after unwrapping the soap and using it, natural glycerin began to form on the soap. It appears as small oily looking drops on the surface of the soap.

Have you ever noticed that the mainstream soaps you purchase don't have this natural forming glycerin.

Glycerin has the ability to attract moisture to your skin and is a great skin softening agent. Soaps containing glycerin (such as the above hand made soap) are more moisturising to use than soaps without.

Yet another reason why natural hand made soaps are a little more decadent to use.