DOVE is valued at more than $7 billion (according to their parent company — Unilever). Their body soaps are listed as a BEST SELLER, with “just” 17 ingredients.
To note, Dove doesn’t actually use the term “soap” on their labels because the FDA doesn’t consider it a “soap”... Not that I'm personally a fan of the FDA, but alas.
Quite commonly people shy away from bar-soap because of that "tacky" feeling on your skin when you get out of the shower. This is exactly why I never used soap bars either..
Now, I rated them — DOVE — a minus 2... which I consider poor.
A mere ZERO, would be average (not good or bad) and anything above zero would be considered GOOD for you. Obviously, my "poor" rating will sound biased being as though I make soap bars, but I highly encourage you to read why.
If you don't care to read the entire article, these are their list of ingredients:
1) Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate
2) Stearic Acid
3) Sodium Tallowate
4) Sodium Stearate
5) Aqua (Water)
6) Lauric Acid
7) Sodium Isethionate
8) Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
9) Sodium Cocoate
10) Parfum - ie; Fragrances
11) Sodium Chloride
12) Tetrasodium Etidronate
13) Tetrasodium EDTA
14) Dipropylene Glycol
15) Red 33 (CI 17200)
16) Blue 1 (CI 42090)
17) Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)
My scoring system is a PERSONAL OPINION based off of what ingredients they use and why they would use that ingredient. I also factor in quite plainly, if that ingredient outweighs the pros vs cons (ie; is this useful for our skin, or is this an additive to speed up production time)
I did my best to make each ingredient digestible in your brain, but I highly encourage you to do your own research as well.
So, what are the 17 ingredients in their best-selling product?
First, Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate
Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate is a mild water-soluble surfactant derived from coconuts. It’s fatty acids combined with isethionic acid, which is derived from sodium bisulfite and aqueous solution — of ethylene oxide. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance, so for that reason we're going to start this off with a MINUS 1 (-1).
Next, we have:
Stearic Acid
Stearic Acid is a long-chain saturated fatty acid (also known as octadecanoic acid) that’s commonly found in animal and plant fats, mostly derived from coconut or palm oil.
I think this is a good ingredient!
That'll be a PLUS 1 (Total points: 0).
Then we have:
Sodium Tallowate
Sodium Tallowate is essentially what true soap is [or should be] made of — tallow (fat from cattle or sheep) combined with lye. It really is that simple.
This is a great ingredient, although I'd like it to be processed by mixing tallow with lye as opposed to using it as a base.
Nonetheless, definitely another PLUS 1.
Total points: +1
Sodium Stearate
Sodium Stearate is made when stearic acid reacts with lye after saponification (after true soap is made). It’s a naturally occurring fatty acid and often used as a stabilizer/thickener/hardener.
Again, this would be achieved naturally, but in mass-produced products I can understand it's use.
I’ll give it a PLUS 1!
Next, we've got Aqua. I don’t think I really need to explain this one, haha. I'm not going to award or revoke any points here because water is water and it's an absolute necessity when making soap. That being said, I do think it's imperative to use distilled or reverse-osmosis water, as opposed to fluoride tap water. I can't confirm what water they use, but let's assume it's the former.
Then we have:
Lauric Acid
Lauric Acid is a medium-chained saturated fatty acid derived from coconuts. It can act as an anti-bacterial ingredient, so I’m a fan. Let's give this a PLUS 1.
Total: +3 — impressive!
Sodium Isethionate
Sodium Isethionate is a sodium salt derived from coconut oil. It allows water to mix with oil and dirt from your skin. This can also be naturally achieved with animal fats, so I’m not convinced it’s necessary, or the best option. No points gained or lost here, for that reason.
Still +3.
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
While it doesn’t appear to be the worst ingredient known to man, I don’t have any pros that can warrant a POSITIVE from this ingredient. Especially, considering you could achieve this with a soap bag/loofah.
This is going to be a MINUS 1 for me.
Total: +2
Then we have:
Sodium Cocoate
Sodium Cocoate is another mixture of fatty acid salts derived from coconut oil. It basically helps keep the mixture of ingredients composed. This should NATURUALLY happen when mixing lye with fatty acids and allowing the soap bar to curate appropriately (4 weeks minimum).
When you're mixing in 10+ ingredients, I could understand why you would need a binding agent like this, BUT, there are petroleum-based and synthetic alternatives to sodium cocoate as well… whether Dove uses that or a natural one, I cannot confirm. Intuitively, I would think they would use the cheapest alternative.
For that reason (because they don't disclose if it's synthetic or natural), it'll be a MINUS 1.
Total Points: +1
Moving on to:
Parfum - ie; Fragrances
If you haven't gone down the rabbit-hole of perfumes/colognes, I highly recommend that you do (or don't... because there's no turning back). Without deviating down that path, just know that the FDA does NOT require fragrance ingredients to be listed... that's really ODD to me, because we have absolutely no idea what’s in it… for that reason alone, this will be another MINUS 1.
Total Points: 0
We’re all even again!
Sodium Chloride
Sodium Chloride - SALT! As I’m sure you’re aware. There are MANY incredible benefits to salt — with the right source. While I can’t confirm the quality of their Sodium Chloride, I will be gracious and award a point here.
New total: +1
Tetrasodium Etidronate
It doesn’t have a fantastic history, but also supposedly isn’t a carcinogen in it’s final form. It’s used to preserve the soap bar and stabilize colors, textures, and fragrances.
I definitely don’t love it, but I’m not convinced it’s horrific. No points gained or lost.
Tetrasodium EDTA
Tetrasodium EDTA has fairly similar properties to the previous ingredient. Again, helping to preserve and stabilize the ingredients in the bar (avoid mold, scum, etc). It has 4 equivalents of Sodium Hydroxide (lye) which is quite steep for my liking. If you've ever been around lye when it's mixed with water, it's incredibly difficult to breathe, and if you get it on your skin it really burns! The reason that true soap needs to cure for a minimum of 4 weeks is to allow the necessity of lye to do it's job, which won't be present in the final product after that curing period.
It’s not readily biodegradable and can persist in it’s environment… meaning there’s concern in regards to its environmental impact...
I don’t view this as beneficial to the human body, but I’m also not convinced of immense toxicities… so again, no points gained or lost.
Total Points: 0
Dipropylene Glycol
Dipropylene Glycol is a slip agent, texturizer, and solvent. It enhances the penetration of plant extracts into your skin (good if ingredients are good, bad otherwise). It’s a mixture of 3 chemical compounds that most of us DON’T know, but seems to be used to help make a more well-rounded consumer product (makes it softer, last longer, prevent deposits from forming on the surface, etc).
From an organic standpoint, this makes me uneasy because with the right ingredient(s) like beef tallow or olive oil, it would naturally penetrate your skin. I mean, almost anything you put on your skin will penetrate it...
Plus, soap bars are already smooth when they're cut from their batches and they'll last much longer when cured properly.
To me, this is an ingredient that's added to make a "pretty" consumer-product and because corners were cut.
It's not necessarily an alarming "con" to me, but I just don't see it as a pro.
So, no points lost or gained.
Total Points: 0.
Now we get into the fun stuff — the sh*t your average consumer in the supermarket isle would likely never look into...
Red 33 (CI 17200)
Red 33 (CI 17200) is a super common synthetic colorant that adds a purple-red color, similar to red beet powder (essentially a color-dye). This COULD be achieved naturally, and any dyes added to any product — purely for visuals — this is definitely a "negative" to me.
That'll be an immediate MINUS 1.
Total: -1
Blue 1 (CI 42090)
Blue 1 (CI 42090) is quite similar to the previous ingredient, it’s another synthetic BLUE dye. It’s produced from petroleum (albeit FDA-approved) — that's a big yikes.
It’s labelled as a WORSE ingredient (according to EWG) if used around the face (mouth, lips, eyes) and/or in products intended for damaged skin because of absorption and ingestion… since we’re using soap here, which is quite literally applied to these areas and often used to HEAL your skin, this going to be a big MINUS 1.
Total: -2.
Lastly, of the 17 ingredients, we have ANOTHER colorant…
Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891)
Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891) is commonly used in toothpaste and UV filter in sunscreens (big oof for me) which creates that bright-white look. It’s mostly used in the manufacturing of paints, varnish, paper and plastics, and can cause burning, tanning, and even skin cancer…
Again, being that soap is an every-day-use product that’s applied to our skin ritually, this is another clear, MINUS 1.
That brings our total ranking of Dove “beauty bars” to: MINUS 3 (-3).
For me, this is obviously not a product I want to use on my face, body, and hair day-in and day-out. It's hard to convey the difference of products when you don't have them side-by-side for comparison — something I highly recommend so you can asses the difference.
Obviously, I think your BEST alternative is a “true” soap. There's a ton of artisan seller that cold-process their soap this way with organic ingredients, such as:
- Tallow
- Olive Oil
- Castor Oil
- Coconut Oil
Having started with olive oil a few years back and being introduced to tallow, I'm highly confident that a soap bar made with quality tallow is the definite winner... but that's a decision you have to make for yourself.
Tallow comes with a world of benefits that you should be aware of:
Beef Tallow Explained: Making, Storing, and Utilizing Nature's Gold
I’ve been making my own cold-processed soap bars for the last 2 years with a total of 3 — 4, if scented — ingredients:
- Beef tallow (100% grass-fed and finished)
- Distilled water
- Sodium Hydroxide (lye)
- Cold-pressed OR steam-distilled organic essential oils (which come with their own incredible prosperities)
You can grab a bar and start reenergizing your skin today here. All products are available in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia.
While I’m extremely confident in my products and the ingredients I use, I recommend any other artisan seller that you trust, to purchase soaps from.
If you don’t want to use beef tallow (fat that would otherwise be waisted), feel free to try a plant-based [true] soap made with olive oil or coconut oil.
Most people can feel the literal difference after just one shower... But, I recommend giving your body a few weeks to detox from the synthetic ingredients and chemicals you’ve used for years, then reap the rewards of the organic materials our ancestors used for centuries.
The best way to know the difference is to be the subject yourself.
This article isn’t about selling a soap bar, it’s awareness of daily-use products that we (and our parents) never questioned for decades…
It’s up to YOU what you want to do with that information, no more, no less.
Let’s be real, a lot of companies don’t want to be questioned when they’re profiting billions of dollars… it’s the natural human greed (that I don’t believe will continue to exist (at that level) in the coming years.