How to make Whipped Soap without a pre-made base - Intermediate Recipe

Most whipped soaps you see will be made using a ready-made base. Whilst this is fine, and good for those unfamiliar with or those who have no desire in formulating, you are beholden to their formula and any batch changes.  This can be super frustrating if you are trying to make a consistent product each time. 

This base is super simple and allows you to make a consistently good product time after time that you can customize the way you want.  It is an aqueous formula, meaning that you need a preservative.  You can use the one we have suggested here or your own preference.  A shelf life of 6-12 months is advised when stored correctly.  Remember that you need to stability test and obtain a CPSR before gifting or selling your finished products.

You’ll need:

• Scales
• Respirator
• Heat proof beakers or bowl
• Pan or bane marie or double boiler
• Stirring rods
• Small dishes or beakers for ingredients
• PPE – Gloves, mask, apron, hairnet

Formula:

Phase A

• 20% Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI) (foaming) – Anionic Surfactant with great cleansing and foaming abilities. Powder is easier to work with than noodles.
• 15% Cocamidopropyl Betaine (foaming) – Amphoteric Surfactant which works exceptionally well with SCI to reduce irritation and enhance the foaming texture of the final product.

Phase B

• 5% Distilled Water – hydrating base ingredient.

Phase C

• 10% Stearic acid – Used to thicken the product, act as an emulsifier and soften the skin and help it to retain moisture.

Phase D

• 1% Kaolin Clay - cleansing properties that aid in removing dirt and impurities from the skin. Cleanses by absorbing excess oil.
• 5% Mica or pigment (colour) – Use mica or neon pigments up to the allowed amount for your desired colour.

Phase E

• 2% fragrance oil (scent) – Add according to IFRA allowed amounts (don’t forget to calculate your allergens)
• 1% Phenoxyethanol EHG (preservative) – A broad spectrum preservative that’s easy to work with and commonly used in products such as this.

Recipe for 200g batch

Phase A

• 40g Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (SCI)
• 30g Cocamidopropyl Betaine (CAPB)

Phase B

• 101g Distilled Water

Phase C

• 20g Stearic acid

Phase D

• 2g Kaolin Clay
• 1g Mica or pigment

Phase E

• 4g fragrance oil
• 2g Phenoxyethanol EHG

Recipe for a 200g batch

• Add Phase A surfactant ingredients together and stir to form a thick paste, and heat in bane marie.
• Heat phase B water – take weight before-hand and replace any afterwards that has evaporated.
• Heat phase C stearic acid in a beaker until melted.
• Once the stearic acid has melted take phases A, B and C off the heat and allow to all come to the same temperature, failure to do so can cause the stearic acid to crystalize.
• Pour phase B water in phase C stearic acid
• Add your phase A surfactant mixture to the stearic acid and water mixture.
• Whip with a hand mixer to a thick creamy texture.
• Add your phase D kaolin clay and mica or pigment.
• Whip with a hand mixer again.
• Allow to cool to 40 degrees C
• Add phase E preservative and fragrance and whip again until light and fluffy.
• I highly recommend leaving this overnight as the texture improves considerably.
• Whip again.
• The ingredients in this formula should produce a good PH from the offset, but you should still check PH and adjust if required. Skin has a PH of between 4.5 and 5.5, and although bath products can be slightly higher, whipped soap is known for being a very gentle cleansing product and therefore I’d recommend aiming for around 5.5 on the PH scale.  If you have a PH meter then you can use that for an accurate reading.  Or if you don’t have one then PH strips may be enough for this particular product.
• Portion into jars.

Use in the shower as a creamy body wash.

To turn this recipe into a scoopable sugar scrub:

• Reduce water to 41.5% (83g for a 200g batch) and add 9% (18g for a 200g batch) vegetable glycerin for its humectant and skin softening properties. This goes into the water phase.
• Once your product is made, add granulated sugar until you reach your desired consistency. You will need to recalculate your percentages for your final formula before submitting for your CPSR and the cosmetics portal.  If you need help with this, we have a handy calculator available here https://revega.co.uk/collections/calculators and don’t forget to calculate your fragrance allergens.

NOTES:

• Always use a proper respirator when working with fine powders such as pigment and SCI. SCI powder is extremely unpleasant if you breath it in and dangerous to inhale. Work in a well-ventilated room and wear your respirator until you have finished formulating and cleared away.
• This is an extremely basic whipped so recipe and it can be further customized. If you’d like to make a large batch of base to customize later, skip phase D and the phase E fragrance.  Simply allow to cool to 40 degrees and add your preservative.  Then package for use another day.  Then you simply need to add your additions and re-whip.  Adjust your percentages accordingly. 
• To adjust for a thicker or thinner consistency you can adjust the water content, but bear in mind that you may then also need to adjust the surfactants to product the bubbles you require.
• The addition of glycerin is lovely in this soap, but be aware that it can negatively affect the foaming ability of the surfactants, so I'd advise not to use more than 9% with the current suggested surfactant percentages.
• Always perform your own stability tests before selling and product and obtain a CPSR.

Disclaimer: These formulas and recipes are experiments created for the purpose of sharing on Patreon and YouTube. Revega does not make any claims as to their qualifications or the efficacy of the formulations which are listed here for entertainment purposes and accepts no responsibility for how you use these. We are self-taught and offer these videos from our years of knowledge and experience in making our own cosmetic products.

Remember that if you intend to use one of these formulations for your own product range, do your own research, experiments, adjustments and tests before using, gifting or selling.