While most soaps are biodegradable by design, they certainly aren’t perfect. Some soaps contain harmful chemicals, including:
- Phthalates – can damage your liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive system.
- Toxic sulfates – can damage hair and skin.
- Parabens – linked to breast cancer.
It’s obvious why you wouldn’t want to wash yourself with soaps containing any of these. So it makes sense that the environment certainly shouldn’t be exposed to these problematic chemicals as well.
Natural, biodegradable soaps are different because they focus on using organic ingredients instead of synthetic ones. You can expect oils, plants, and other natural additives when you use biodegradable soap.
Some biodegradable soaps will use chemicals found in traditional soap (like lathering agents), but these chemicals are almost always safe to use and don’t negatively impact the environment.
That said, it’s important to note that no soap, including biodegradable or ocean-friendly soap, should be used directly in a body of water. This includes oceans, lakes, and rivers.
Washing yourself in these bodies of water directly can negatively affect the pH of the water and force marine life to consume to soap, both of which can be harmful.
The biodegradability of any soap is also reduced when left in water. It takes much longer for soap to be broken down by microorganisms.
Instead, keep a distance of at least 200 feet from a body of water. You can transport the water from the body of water and use that as your rinse. Once you are done washing, you should bury your used soapy remains in the soil. The soil will assist in breaking down your soap even faster.
Now that you know how to properly use biodegradable soap, it’s time to talk about WHY you should use it. Here is our list of 5 amazing reasons why you should use biodegradable soap.
Once you use biodegradable soap, you’ll never want to go back!
5 Cool Reasons Why You Should Switch To Biodegradable Soap
#1 – It Doesn’t Harm Plant Life
Biodegradable soap is often made with natural ingredients. They are also overall made with fewer ingredients, making them simple yet effective soaps.
This is great for plant life. Plants need to get their nutrients from the soil and, by extension, from whatever water is nearby. If that soil or water is contaminated with harmful chemicals, then the plants will also suffer and potentially die.
And if the plants start to die, the entire ecosystem begins to fall apart.
Biodegradable soaps made with natural materials ensure that this never happens. That’s because they are often designed to be all-natural and lack the harmful chemicals found in other soaps.
So when you use biodegradable soap, you know that you are supporting healthy plant life.
#2 – It Doesn’t Harm Aquatic Life
Just like plant life, the life of marine animals are impacted by the presence or absence of chemicals. But in this case, aquatic life is more susceptible to being harmed than plant life is. This is because the delicate balance of a lentic ecosystem is easily disturbed.
Like with plants, harmful chemicals found in other soaps can be toxic to marine animals and cause a host of problems (mutation, disease, death, etc.).
This gets even worse when these chemicals directly end up in the water. Now, these problems are accelerated as the concentration of chemicals dramatically increases.
Using natural, biodegradable soap will guarantee that you do not have to worry about poisoning aquatic life. When this soap is properly buried in the soil, it breaks down within months as opposed to years. It won’t even have a chance to affect marine animals.
You will still want to keep it directly out of water, as biodegradable soap can still affect the chemical balance maintained by the lentic ecosystem.
This can ultimately end up being harmful, so take care to ensure that your soap is properly disposed of.
#3 – It’s Amazing For Your Skin and Smells Great
The fact that biodegradable soap is made with all-natural ingredients means wonderful things for your skin.
The formula in biodegradable soap is usually a combination of oils and vitamins that promote healthy skin while also locking in moisture. Your skin will stay hydrated longer just by being exposed to the ingredients found in biodegradable soap.
As for actually washing your body, this soap works just as well, if not better, than traditional soap. This is true for both soap bars and liquid soaps. And you won’t have to worry about being saturated with hidden chemicals that can cause skin issues.
Biodegradable soap is also great for people with sensitive skin. Since it has fewer overall ingredients compared to traditional soap, people with sensitive skin are less likely to have irritations or reactions.
Finally, this type of soap just smells really good. This is because the fragrances are often extracts of popular plants and fruits. Some popular smells include coconut, lemongrass, and even spearmint.
Biodegradable soap doesn’t have that overbearing, synthetic smell that makes you turn your nose away, either. The scents are more mellow and natural like you are smelling the actual plant/fruit from a distance.
#4 – It’s Good for Your Septic Tank
If you didn’t already know, a septic tank is a wastewater management tank that takes your household’s (or RV’s) sewage and breaks it down using bacteria that’s been added to the tank. The “treated” water is then dispersed into soil and watercourses.
Traditional soap may have chemicals and other agents that can actually kill the bacteria in your septic tank. This can result in less and less sewage being broken down over time, leading to clogging and other complications.
And if something bursts or otherwise stops working, you might be on the hook for costly repairs.
That’s why biodegradable soap is a pretty awesome solution. It’s DESIGNED to be broken down by bacteria and definitely won’t kill them.
This means that as long as you are using biodegradable soap, you can rest easy knowing that your septic tank is well protected and can work efficiently.
#5 – You Are Supporting Good Business Practices and Eco-Friendly Ventures
It’s vital to show support for companies that go the extra mile for the environment, even at the cost of higher pricing.
As the demand for eco-friendly goods like biodegradable soap increases, we can expect to see improvements in product quality (which is already pretty high) and lower costs.
If you dream of a world where choosing the greener option meant spending as much or less money than the traditional option, then showing your support and encouraging others to do the same is the best way to make that dream a reality.
When more companies adopt eco-friendly business practices and produce green products, even more companies will take notice and follow suit. It’s already being observed with something as popular as trash bags and as obscure as glitter.
So when you decide to make the switch to biodegradable soap, you are making an active effort towards making the world a greener, better place to be!
(Plus we’ll give you mad brownie points. Who doesn’t love those?)
Excited to pick some up right now? Or just want to check out the best options on the market? We make it easy for you! Check out our list of the top 10 best biodegradable body soaps of 2020 + an awesome buyer’s guide.
Wrap Up
That concludes our list of the 5 amazing reasons why you should use biodegradable soap. We hope that you found it useful and will consider trying it out!
Questions, comments, concerns, or just wanna chat? Leave a comment below and we’ll get right back to you. We’d love to hear from you all.
As always, thanks for reading! We appreciate you stopping by!
Let’s continue to strive for a greener, better way of living!