Bar soap is one of the oldest places animal products hide. Traditional soap is literally made from animal fat. Even today, many UK soaps contain tallow, goat's milk, or honey without making it obvious. Here's what to watch for and which products are safe.
Cosmetics scanning is coming soon to Is It Vegan. You'll be able to scan soap and body wash barcodes and get an instant ingredient breakdown, just like you can with food today.
If your bar soap lists sodium tallowate as the first ingredient, it's made from rendered animal fat (beef or mutton). This is extremely common in traditional soaps. Dove Original Beauty Bar, for example, contains sodium tallowate. Many people don't realise this because the word "tallow" doesn't immediately suggest "animal fat" the way "beef dripping" would.
Liquid body washes are less likely to contain tallow, but check for other animal ingredients listed below.
Sodium tallowate / tallow — rendered animal fat. The base of most traditional bar soaps.
Goat's milk — increasingly popular in "natural" and "sensitive skin" soaps. Obviously not vegan.
Honey / beeswax — common in moisturising soaps and body washes. Sometimes listed as "mel" (honey) or "cera alba" (beeswax) in INCI ingredient lists.
Lanolin — from sheep's wool. Found in moisturising body washes and hand soaps. Also appears as "lanolin alcohol" or "wool wax".
Carmine / CI 75470 — red pigment from crushed insects. Used in coloured soaps and body washes. Same ingredient that appears in food as E120.
Stearic acid — can be animal or plant derived. Ambiguous unless the product specifies the source or carries a vegan certification.
| Product | Vegan? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dove Original Bar | No | Contains sodium tallowate (animal fat) |
| Dove Body Wash | Check | Liquid Dove products vary, some are vegan |
| Imperial Leather Bar | No | Contains sodium tallowate |
| Radox Body Wash | Most | Most Radox shower gels are vegan |
| Original Source | Yes | Vegan and clearly labelled |
| Dr Bronner's | Yes | Certified vegan, organic, fair trade |
| Simple Body Wash | Yes | Vegan and sensitive-skin friendly |
| Baylis & Harding | Some | Some contain honey or milk, check the label |
| Palmolive Naturals | Some | Milk & Honey variant obviously not vegan, others may be |
Superdrug is your best bet on the high street. Their entire own-brand range is Leaping Bunny certified and most products are vegan. They also stock a wide range of clearly labelled vegan brands.
Holland & Barrett carry a good selection of specialist vegan soaps and body washes from brands like Faith In Nature, Dr Bronner's, and Friendly Soap.
Supermarkets are getting better. Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Asda all have expanding "free from" toiletry sections. Aldi and Lidl are patchier but improving.
If you're already using our food scanner, you'll know how quickly you can check ingredients. The same approach works for cosmetics: look for the Vegan Society trademark, check for the ingredients above, and when in doubt, check the brand's website.
Already checking your food? Try scanning your favourite snacks for a quick vegan verdict.
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