Soap Vs Syndet: Syndets are recommended for cleansing sensitive skin and even baby skin, as they are far more gentle and skin-friendly than traditional soaps. But the anionic surfactants contained in syndets may cause sensitization problems in reactive skins. Nonetheless, even though syndets might prove to be a source of irritation for a small segment of the population, they are undoubtedly much more recommendable than traditional soaps. Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), warns the customers of bathing bars. “It is important to guard against the removal of the beneficial skin lipids by the bathing bar and over-cleaning resulting in defatting of the skin is undesirable”. High clay content in the bathing bar may reduce its solubility and hence increase its durability. But after bathing with a bathing bar, the whole body may be coated with a white powder, (two-in-one soap talcum powder). Children and old people cannot tolerate high syndet containing bathing bar, because it would decrease their skin. The table below enlists comparative features of vegetable soap with syndet.
Table.1
The use of soaps and synthetic detergent (syndet) bars has been associated with skin dryness and aggravation of dermatologic conditions. Several factors, including chemical structure, pH, and cleansing ability, have been implicated in this phenomenon. Many bars contain agents designed to ameliorate the irritancy of the bar and/or provide a skin benefit. Clinical studies have shown that soaps are generally quite irritating while syndets can range from mild to harsh. The addition of skin benefit/mildness agents such as glycerin, cocoa butter, mineral oil, or lanolin has little effect on the irritancy potential of a bar since minimal amounts of these agents are deposited on the skin. The excessive removal of skin lipids by harsh soaps and detergents can result in superficial dryness. The key to gentle cleansing is to start with a mild cleansing product and avoid overuse.
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