Is sodium gluconate soap safe for facial skin? Is sodium gluconate soap good or bad for the skin? After understanding it, you can use it with confidence.
Organic sodium gluconate and its chelates are natural chelating agents, which are non-irritating to human skin, have high safety, environmental protection, and biodegradability, and improve the environmental protection of soap noodles.
Why is sodium gluconate used?
Is sodium gluconate safe in soap?Sodium gluconate (SG) is a chelator. It offers two benefits when used in soap and other personal care products — It increases the shelf life of your soap by chelating (binding up) certain metals that can cause DOS (dreaded orange spots, also known as rancidity). It can also reduce the amount of sticky soap scum formed when lye soap is used in hard water.
Sodium gluconate is manufactured as a powder at 98-99% purity and as a water-based liquid containing up to 60% SG by weight as well as a preservative.
Can I make a sodium gluconate masterbatch solution?
Yes, but I strongly advise against this due to how fast SG biodegrades in the presence of bacteria and fungi and the impossibility of knowing if a sodium gluconate solution is still effective just by looking at or smelling it.
The best way to ensure your sodium gluconate stays as effective as possible is to use the powder directly. It dissolves easily in water-based liquids.
A compromise would be to make only enough SG solution needed for the current day of soap making and discard any leftover solution at the end of the day. Sodium gluconate is highly soluble in water, so it would be reasonable to make a 50% masterbatch — 50 grams of SG dissolved in 50 grams of distilled water. It might also be wise to also add a broad-spectrum, water-based preservative to discourage bacteria and fungi.
How much sodium gluconate to use in soap?
Soap makers who use sodium gluconate typically use 0.5% to 1% SG powder based on total batch weight. This is 5 to 10 grams SG powder per 1000 g of total batch weight (oil weight + water weight + alkali weight).
The 0.5% dose seems to be the usual proportion of soap. (2, 3)
How much lye does sodium gluconate neutralize?
None! Do not adjust your lye weight for sodium gluconate.
How should I add sodium gluconate to my soap?
Mix the sodium gluconate powder or solution into any water-based liquid — lye solution, extra water, aloe, beer, vinegar, milk, etc.