Sometimes its hard to understand exactly what organic or all natural means. Plant based? What does this really mean? Just because a product is plant based doesn’t mean that the ingredients are just grass and water (obvi). I did a little digging last night to learn more about one of my new favorite products, Aveda’s Beautifying Body Cleanser.
One of the ingredients in this amazing product is Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate. What is this you might wonder? …
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate — also known as sodium isethionate — is a sodium salt derived from coconut oil. It’s a common replacement for animal-derived sodium salts like sodium tallowate, which is derived from cattle and sheep. Sodium isethionate acts as a surfactant in soaps and cleansers — it lowers the surface tension of water, which makes the cleanser easier to spread on your face when you wash it, and helps water and oil bond. Basically, sodium isethionate helps water cling to the dirt and oil on your skin, allowing it to be washed away. Because of sodium isethionate’s mild nature, it’s often found in toothpastes and in baby soaps.
This is an ingredient that you could learn to recognize if you prefer not to use animal ingredients in your soap. It’s a gentle, plant-based product that works just as well as animal-based products!
