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Watchdog out to clean up your soap: Times of India
Mumbai, June 25: The next time you buy your favourite soap, better check the wrapper, because no matter how many celebrities endorse it or how expensive the soap is, you could actually be buying a soap loaded with... talcum powder!
Mumbai, June 25: The next time you buy your favourite soap, better check the wrapper, because no matter how many celebrities endorse it or how expensive the soap is, you could actually be buying a soap loaded with... talcum powder!
According to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), soaps will now be graded, and these grades will have to be printed on the wrapper. That’s not all — you’ll also have to decide whether you want a bathing bar or a toilet soap for that refreshing bath at the end of the day.
According to the BIS, there are two types of soaps in the market — toilet soaps and bathing bars. Bathing bars are largely entry-level soaps, while toilet soaps have three sub-categories depending on their TFM (total fatty matter), insoluble matter, free caustic alkali, carbonated alkali, rosin acid and chloride content. Interestingly, declaration of TFM content is mandatory for toilet soaps, but not for bathing bars. ‘‘Total fatty matter is what lends soap its soapy feel. Along with insoluble matter, this is what distinguishes one soap from the other,’’ a soap manufacturer told the Times News Network.
‘‘Several well-known brands use a lot of insoluble matter like talcum powder, for instance, which does not add to the soap’s quality, but impacts its grade,’’ an industry analyst pointed out.
‘‘However, there are several grey areas in the notification issued by BIS; it is not clear whether it is mandatory to notify the grade of the soap on the wrapper or whether it is a self-regulatory measure on the part of the manufacturer. And it is also not clear why two categories — bathing bars and toilet soaps — have been created, after all, bathing bars are as good as toilet soaps, and largely serve the same purpose,’’ the analyst said.
He added that most big manufacturers have products in both the toilet soap and bathing bar categories, and in some instances the products keep jumping between the two categories.
The entry-level soaps of some big companies are in Grade-I of the toilet soaps category, so the more expensive products from the same stable are technically no better than the entry-level ones. The manufacturer in this case distinguishes its more expensive soaps on the basis of other properties like perfume and fragrances.
According to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), soaps will now be graded, and these grades will have to be printed on the wrapper. That’s not all — you’ll also have to decide whether you want a bathing bar or a toilet soap for that refreshing bath at the end of the day.
According to the BIS, there are two types of soaps in the market — toilet soaps and bathing bars. Bathing bars are largely entry-level soaps, while toilet soaps have three sub-categories depending on their TFM (total fatty matter), insoluble matter, free caustic alkali, carbonated alkali, rosin acid and chloride content. Interestingly, declaration of TFM content is mandatory for toilet soaps, but not for bathing bars. ‘‘Total fatty matter is what lends soap its soapy feel. Along with insoluble matter, this is what distinguishes one soap from the other,’’ a soap manufacturer told the Times News Network.
‘‘Several well-known brands use a lot of insoluble matter like talcum powder, for instance, which does not add to the soap’s quality, but impacts its grade,’’ an industry analyst pointed out.
‘‘However, there are several grey areas in the notification issued by BIS; it is not clear whether it is mandatory to notify the grade of the soap on the wrapper or whether it is a self-regulatory measure on the part of the manufacturer. And it is also not clear why two categories — bathing bars and toilet soaps — have been created, after all, bathing bars are as good as toilet soaps, and largely serve the same purpose,’’ the analyst said.
He added that most big manufacturers have products in both the toilet soap and bathing bar categories, and in some instances the products keep jumping between the two categories.
The entry-level soaps of some big companies are in Grade-I of the toilet soaps category, so the more expensive products from the same stable are technically no better than the entry-level ones. The manufacturer in this case distinguishes its more expensive soaps on the basis of other properties like perfume and fragrances.