Soap Noodles 101: The essential building blocks of your favourite cleansers

Listen

Posted: Aug 21, 2024 • 4 minute read • GAR • 7 Likes

Don’t be misled by the name – soap noodles aren’t for eating! These small but powerful ingredients are the backbone of our cleaning essentials. From sudsy soap bar in the shower to sleek liquid soap in the laundry room, soap noodles keep us squeaky clean.

Table of contents [show/hide]

What are soap noodles?

Soap noodles are small, soap-like pellets that serve as the basic building blocks for many soap products.

A blend of natural oils or fats or fatty acids (such as palm oil or palm kernel oil) and an alkali solution

That undergoes a saponification process

And is dried and cooled into solid strands, then cut into noodle-like pellets

Semi-finished products – they aren’t yet soap in their final form

Fragrances, colours, and other additives can be added to customise the final soap products

Did You Know?

When did the process of soap making first begin in history?

Why are soap noodles effective cleaning agents?

The science of suds
When water meets soap noodles, the saponification process breaks down their oils into micelles that capture and remove dirt, grease, and grime from surfaces.

Lather power
The micelles formed during saponification not only capture dirt but also create lather, enhancing the spread and effectiveness of soap noodles for a thorough clean.

Versatility
The base formula of soap noodles can be adjusted to create various types of soaps for different cleaning purposes, from gentle to heavy-duty ones.

Customisation
Soap noodles serve as a flexible base that manufacturers enhance with additives like fragrances for personal soaps, or enzymes and brighteners for laundry detergents.

Palm oil: Nature’s champion for everyday cleanliness

Palm oil is not just a food ingredient but also a cornerstone of modern hygiene. It is the unsung hero in soap production, thanks to its versatile qualities.

Why do we love the foamy action of soaps?

There’s something undeniably satisfying about a good lather. It’s more than just a visual cue of cleanliness; the foamy action of soap plays a fascinating role in our perception of getting clean.
This fondness for lather is linked to visual confirmation (tangible sign of cleaning power at work), sensory feedback (the slick, slippery texture feel like a physical removal of dirt and oil), and cultural conditioning (lather is depicted as synonymous with cleanliness).

The fatty acid content in palm oil helps create a hard, durable soap bar while also providing a rich, creamy lather that enhances the user’s experience. The moisturising properties of palm oil also helps prevent the drying of the skin, making palm-based soaps a preferred choice for effective yet mild cleaning agents.

Discover how palm oil transforms into soap noodles

Not only is palm oil beneficial for the skin, but as an eco-friendly, biodegradable, and renewable resource from nature, it also offers a more environment-friendly solution. By choosing soap noodles made from sustainably sourced palm oil, manufacturers and consumers can maintain everyday cleanliness while contributing to a healthier planet.

“Consumers are demanding eco-friendly options, and that’s pushing innovation in the cleaning industry. That’s where our palm-derived soap noodles come in. These soap noodles, made from responsibly produced palm oil, show that powerful cleaning solutions can go hand-in-hand with environmental responsibility,” said Kung Chee Wan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sinar Mas Oleochemicals and Sinarmas CEPSA.

“It’s about giving people the cleaning power they need, without compromising the future of our planet. That’s what truly matters in today’s market.”

GAR’s soap noodle products: A comparative view

Our soap noodles are tailored to meet a wide range of industrial needs. Explore our offerings, their specifications, and applications:

Product Name	Palm-Lauric Ratio	Appearance	Ideal Applications	Example of Uses
SN8020 & SN8020A	80:20	White in colour in noodle-like pellets	Everyday cleaning solutions where good cleaning power and ease of handling are desired. This is the most versatile option due to its balance.	Daily use body soaps, guest soaps in hotels, and community soaps in schools or offices where durability and moderate moisturising properties are desired.
SN8515	85:15		Applications where handling is a consideration. Good for cleaning tasks that don’t require the absolute strongest cleaning power.	Higher-end bathing bars, hand soaps that are mild and gentle on the skin, and facial soaps where a combination of gentle cleansing and mild moisturising is desired.
SN9010 & SN9010A	90:10		Industrial cleaning applications prioritising cost-effectiveness over hardness of soap.	Laundry soap bars, heavy-duty cleaning soaps, and other non-cosmetic applications where cost-effectiveness is more important than luxurious lather.

Key Differences and Selection Guide
The key distinction in our soap noodles lies in their cleaning power and ease of handling. Think of 80:20 as a good all-rounder – great cleaning power with decent handling properties. 85:15 noodles are for more gentle cleaning. 90:10 noodles have powerful cleaning, but may require specialised handling due to it being softer.

——-

Discover the ideal palm-derived oleochemical fatty acids for your industrial requirements. Click here to explore more and make an informed choice for your needs.

Browse our extensive portfolio of palm-derived fatty acids, fatty alcohols, glycerines, and soap noodles designed to meet each customer’s needs here.

——-