My puck of SV, which I put in an aluminium container, is turning brown. Smells and works just the same but it's definitely turning brown bit by bit.
What does this mean?............. Anyone?
What does this mean?............. Anyone?
Saponificio SV turning brown....ideas?
- Thread starter les24preludes
- Start date
It maybe due to 'soap sweating' -lack of moisture in the soap caused by drying out
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Slowly turning rancid? Is it tallow? Stored in the fridge?
It’s not tallow.
Ooh. Its Reacting with the aluminium!
Hmm.... oxidizing in some way?
- Thread starter
- #7
The brown parts do seem to be round the sides where the edges come into contact with the aluminium. It doesn't smell rancid. Smells fine.
Are these guesses, or does anyone know the actual chemistry of what's happening?
From what I understand, this soap has no preserving agents added to it. Fats eventually go rancid. Yours is probably just starting. Since you won't be eating it, I would just use it, maybe refrigerate it.
Soap is a strong alkaline. If the aluminium bowl isn't coated or anodised, it could be that the soap is eating the bowl.
I think that over-fatted soaps (ie there is not enough lye to fully conplete the soap process) is mainly done by small artisan soap makers who use the cold soap making process. SV is massive and use a multiple mill process so i doubt that there is any excess fats for it to go rancid easily.
I dunno though.
I've noticed the same brown spots in my tub of SV Mirto di Sardegna. But I keep it in a PET container, so aluminum isn't causing the spots. I smell nothing rancid. The spots form all over the surface of the soap, not just the edges. When I lather the soap, they disappear. But the next day they slowly reappear. They don't seem to affect either the scent or the performance. Curious.
I have a couple of pucks of Mikes that have turned uniformly darker over the last year. No spots, kept in a plastic tub. No Negative effects noted yet.
My SV Felce gradually changed scent ... So I grated it into smaller, sealed containers.
Tallow changes over time.
AA
Tallow changes over time.
AA
Soap can oxidize and go rancid (know as "dreaded orange spots" or DOS) and gets stinky. This process is greatly accelerated by the presence of multi-valent metal ions, with the worse being iron and aluminum. I would NOT store any soap in aluminum, coated or not. Just to be safe.
The other thing that can happen is that any vanillin in the fragrance will eventually turn brown. Doesn't smell rancid (and rancid fats are orange, not brown anyway) but it can look terrible. scents with lots of vanillin can cause soap to turn dark enough to make the lather brown -- still work fine, still smell fine, but not pretty.
Both processes will be slowed by freezing, so if it bothers you, take out a small amount to use now, and put the rest in the freezer.
The other thing that can happen is that any vanillin in the fragrance will eventually turn brown. Doesn't smell rancid (and rancid fats are orange, not brown anyway) but it can look terrible. scents with lots of vanillin can cause soap to turn dark enough to make the lather brown -- still work fine, still smell fine, but not pretty.
Both processes will be slowed by freezing, so if it bothers you, take out a small amount to use now, and put the rest in the freezer.
Aren’t all SV soaps vegan?
- Thread starter
- #16
My SV in this case is Felce. So looks like I find another container and keep it in the fridge.
I could maybe grate it and separate the brown bits - not sure it's worth the trouble. So it seems that it may continue to smell fine or it may not!
I could maybe grate it and separate the brown bits - not sure it's worth the trouble. So it seems that it may continue to smell fine or it may not!
Yes, no tallow in SV.
Oxidizes with the aluminium. The tub should be lined with plastic (or painted) for cosmetic purposes, otherwise they rust.
- Thread starter
- #19
Thanks - I'll put it in a plastic container.
The brown bit is basically a colorant right now, and they do use metals as dyes in cosmetics. Nothing wrong with the soap, just not as pretty as new. You should see what wooden stained bowls do to soap. Nasty.
