Soap noodles are used as the primary raw material in the production of laundry soap and toilet soap bars. The remaining materials for the final product depend on individual manufactures. Soap noodles prices differ among vendors and vary based on different conditions and qualities such as color and moisture content.
Accord Commodities is the number one provider of palm oil-based soap noodles made from palm kernel oil and palm oil. Out soap noodles are extensively used across industries worldwide for bar soap production.
Types of Soap Noodles
Soap noodles are generally categorized into four types. This categorization relies on processes depending on their synthesis method and raw materials. They include;
- Tallow oil saponification noodles.
- Palm oil saponification noodles
- Palm fatty acid noodles.
- Tallow fatty acid noodles.
Soap noodles are also categorized according to their uses, including;
- Customized soap noodles, majorly used for medical purposes.
- Industrial soap noodles, primarily used in the textile industries
- Household applications such as toilet and laundry soap
How Are Soap Noodles Formed?
The reaction of sodium hydroxide, popularly known as “lye” with palm fatty acids, develops non-uniform cylindrical shape soap noodles. Routinely, soap noodle manufacturers blend these products in the ratio of 80:20/ 90:10 palm oil: palm kernel. Depending on your order size, you can also request customized soap noodles in the ratio of 60:40 or 70:30.
Many manufacturers mostly use the 80:20 ratio blend since it provides foaming, whiteness, good cleaning properties, and right hardness.
Currently, there is a rising demand for soap noodles due to the unexpected coronavirus pandemic. The demand has also risen due to the growing awareness of personal hygiene in developing areas. There is also an increased public and private expenditure in growing the retail sector.
These increased soap noodles demand, and fast development in the soap noodle sector in Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific are expected to fuel the soap noodles market size exponentially.
Technology
Soap noodles can be produced from the saponification of methyl esters, neutralization of fatty acid, and saponification of neutral fats and oil.
TFM, a measure of fat content from different oil blends, glycerine, and moisture contents, are vital elements in differentiating soap grades.
In southeast Asia, noodles are majorly produced from palm oil and blended with palm kernel oil or coconut oil. However, in India, palm fatty acid distillate is utilized in place of palm stearin.
On the other hand, in China, manufacturers make soap noodles from palm oil, animal fats (tallow), or a blend of the two.
Uses of Soap Noodles
As previously mentioned, soap noodles are the main ingredient in the production of bar soaps. They are the sodium salts of fatty acids from animal fats or vegetable oil. Soap noodles can be used to make laundry, toilets, and multi-purpose soap products.
They vary in color from white to yellow.
Soap production from soap noodles is relatively straightforward since noodles are essentially soap. One only has to reheat the noodles to facilitate its melting. You can use the soap immediately after the heated soap noodles has cooled.
Uses of Soap Noodles
Laundry soap noodles are used to make economic laundry soap. LSN is more economical than high-quality laundry noodles. Laundry soaps are made using cheaper palm oils with lower oil content than toilet soaps. Laundry soap noodles are manufactured with kaolin and sodium silicate since these two add the hardness needed in laundry soap noodles. The hardness is vital when making laundry bar soaps.
Multi-purpose Soap Noodles
These noodles help manufacture multi-purpose soap, which is economical since it is used to wash clothes and bathing instead of buying different soaps for different needs.
Toilet Soap Noodles
They are used to manufacture hand wash and bathing soap. They are more expensive compared to other noodles since they have higher oil content. Toilet soap noodles are mainly snow-white, off-white, or extra white.
Bottom Line
You can also find translucent noodles sold in the market. The transluceny is unnatural. One can achieve this translucency by forcing soap molecules to line in a way allowing for light passage. You can achieve it when powerful or special finishing lines are utilized with propylene glycol, glycerin, or sorbitol.
Vegetable oil-based soap noodles are derived from palm kernel oil and palm oil. They are also extensively used as raw material in the making of bar soaps.
