Can your soap be leaving something behind?
MANILA, Philippines - Among the many beauty rituals, nothing has come close to the sheer bliss of a simple bath. The feel of relaxing soap and water sloughing off the dirt and grime of a hard and busy day is still one of life’s simple joys. But have you ever wondered why, after a bath, your skin sometimes feels tight and dry? Or why you sometimes itch or even break out in a temporary rash? Well, the answer may lie in what your soap just deposited on your skin.
Calcium-Soap Residue
An independent study was conducted and published to shed light on different surfactant-induced skin irritations. The analysis found that there is a significant interaction between surfactants (or cleansing agents) in soap, the minerals in water, and our skin. The authors of the study were able to statistically substantiate that soap rinsed off with hard water leaves residue on the skin that may cause irritations and inflammations.
Using the infrared spectroscopy technique (IR), the study shows that residue is formed when soap molecules interact with the calcium in hard water. This calcium-soap mixture forms a gummy, insoluble deposit known as soap scum, which contains dirt and other materials identical to that left on bathtubs. That residue, though invisible to the naked eye, stays on the skin and tends to build up over time. As the residue accumulates, it becomes a major cause of itching and other skin irritations.
To further validate these findings, Unilever, the makers of Dove, conducted its own study using both IR and a controlled forearm wash study using litmus paper. A change in the color of the litmus paper indicated the presence of residue. This study confirmed earlier findings that soap-based cleansers indeed deposit residue on the skin because the areas applied with it turned green while the areas applied with Dove showed no significant color change.
Just how much residue is deposited on the skin after a bath? The latest Dove television ad visually depicts the actual amount through an artistic dramatization of what soap residue would look like on the skin if we could see it. The commercial shows a scientifically-corroborated visualization of how much residue is left on our skin by soap-based cleansers.
No Residue Means A Completely Clean Bath
Because Dove is a non-soap formulation, this cleanser is not sensitive to calcium and does not bind with calcium ions to produce residue. With its neutral pH, Dove has no affinity to calcium, and does not form any chemical bonds with it. This means a truly clean bath, with almost no residue of any kind left on the skin, a major reason why Dove causes almost no skin irritations.
Aside from this patented cleansing technology, another reason for Dove’s skin-friendly wash is its strong moisturizing properties. It has been well-established that 25 percent of the Dove bar consists of a spreadable moisturizer that leaves skin smooth — the way clean skin should feel.
Because Dove leaves skin feeling soft and moisturized — as opposed to dry, tight skin feel left by soap — more consumers felt cleaner and better after washing with Dove.
It’s not just empty claims: Scientific evidence supports the fact that Dove is indeed better than soap because it gives a better clean and promotes overall skin health.
