Ella's Soapbox

SODIUM TALLOWATE 🧪🧼

It sounds like a sophisticated laboratory ingredient.

Maybe a mineral.

Maybe a salt.

Maybe something created by scientists to make soap harder, creamier, and longer-lasting.

And it does help make a hard, long-lasting bar with a creamy lather.

But it wasn’t invented in a laboratory.

It came from—

animal fat. 🐄

Sodium tallowate is simply the name for tallow after it has reacted with sodium hydroxide and become soap.

Plenty of soapmakers use it and make beautiful soap with it.

I don’t.

Not because it’s dangerous. Not because it doesn’t work.

Because Ella’s Soapbox is vegan, and the cow has contributed enough already. 😂

Ingredients matter. And sometimes the ingredient name saves the plot twist until the very end.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, but the cow has been fully briefed.

RICINUS COMMUNIS OIL 🌱🫧

Sounds questionable.

It’s castor oil. 😂

In soap, castor oil helps create a rich, stable lather and adds conditioning to the bar.

And unlike everything else I talk about, castor oil has actually made it onto the FDA’s list—as an over-the-counter laxative ingredient. So apparently these statements have been evaluated by the FDA… just not for the reason I needed. 😬

Hero or villain?

Hero in the soap.

A threat in the medicine cabinet.

Ingredients matter. Context matters even more.

HYDROGENATED OLIVE OIL 🫒🧪

Sounds like someone gave olive oil a science experiment and a gym membership.

It’s still olive oil—it has just been hydrogenated, which changes it from a liquid into a more solid, wax-like ingredient.

In skincare and soap, it can help add firmness, texture, and conditioning without requiring the assistance of a coconut-scented chemistry villain.

Hero or villain?

Hero. Just olive oil wearing structural support. 😂

Ingredients matter. And sometimes a long, scientific name simply means a familiar ingredient has been modified to work differently in a formula.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, but hydrogenated olive oil has been evaluated by my soap recipe and told to hold everything together.

SODIUM HYDROXIDE 🧪🧼

Sounds dangerous.

Because, before soapmaking, it is. 😂

Sodium hydroxide is lye—the ingredient that reacts with oils during saponification and turns them into soap.

No lye, no soap.

Not “lye-free soap.”
Not “soap made without chemicals.”
Just… no soap.

Used incorrectly, sodium hydroxide is absolutely not something to play with. Used correctly in a properly formulated recipe, it does its job, reacts with the oils, and becomes part of an entirely new substance.

Hero or villain?

Neither. It’s the intense employee who requires safety equipment but is also the only reason the company exists.

Ingredients matter. Chemistry matters. And sometimes the scariest-looking ingredient is the one making the entire product possible. 🫧

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, but they have been aggressively defended by every soapmaker who has ever heard the phrase “lye-free soap.”

MENTHA PIPERITA 🌿❄️

Sounds like a tiny Italian woman who slaps your hand away from the dessert table.

It’s peppermint oil. 😂

Peppermint is one of those ingredients that absolutely refuses to be subtle. It smells fresh, feels cooling, and arrives in every product like it has somewhere important to be.

Hero or villain?

Hero—when used appropriately.

Because “refreshing tingle” and “why is my entire face experiencing winter?” are separated by a very small amount of peppermint oil. 😬

Ingredients matter. And with essential oils, more is not automatically better.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, but Mentha Piperita has been evaluated by my sinuses and received immediate clearance.

SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE 🫧🧪

SLS is a detergent.

And I went on a completely calm, reasonable, not-at-all-unhinged tangent about how maybe we should not be washing our bodies with detergent. 😂

Yes, it makes bubbles. Yes, it removes oil.

That is literally its job.

But your skin has oils for a reason, and I personally do not need my cleanser approaching my body with the same energy it brings to a greasy casserole dish.

Hero or villain?

For my skin—and my soapbox—this one is getting a firm eh.

Ingredients matter. And bubbles are not proof that something is better at taking care of your skin. 🧼

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, but they have been loudly announced by a soapmaker who has opinions about detergent.

OLEA EUROPAEA 🫒✨

Sounds like a powerful Roman woman who owns several vineyards and knows all your secrets.

It’s olive oil. 😂

In skincare and soap, olive oil is used because it helps condition the skin and contributes to a gentle, creamy bar.

So yes, this dramatic ancient-language ingredient is just the same olive oil you already know—wearing a toga and using its government name.

Ingredients matter. Understanding them matters, too. 🤍

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, but Olea Europaea has been invited to every fancy dinner party since approximately forever.

GLYCERIN 💧

Hero or villain?

Honestly, this one barely tried to disguise itself. 😂

Glycerin is a humectant, which means it helps draw moisture to the skin—and it forms naturally during the soapmaking process.

So while some INCI names sound like they were summoned from a medieval laboratory, glycerin just showed up using its regular name.

Suspiciously straightforward. Definitely a hero. 🦸‍♀️

Ingredients matter. Scary-looking words are a lot less scary once we understand what they mean.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, Europe, or the council currently reviewing my Latin pronunciation. 🧼

COCOS NUCIFERA 🥥🌴

Sounds like a tropical villain who lives inside a volcano.

It’s coconut oil. 😂

INCI names exist so ingredients are labeled consistently around the world—which is helpful, even if Europe apparently decided they should all sound like spells from an ancient apothecary. 🧙‍♀️

Unfamiliar doesn’t automatically mean unsafe. Sometimes it just means the ingredient is wearing its government name.

Ingredients matter. Understanding them matters, too. 🤍

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA, but my dramatic pronunciation has been evaluated by absolutely everyone. 😬