By Dawn Yeomans, Ph.D.
Hygiene Sciences & Partnerships Senior Advisor, GOJO Industries

The short answer is a confusing “yes and no.” We’ve all had the experience of using a soap that didn’t lather properly or that left our skin feeling tight and dry. This is because the soap formulation itself – as well as the practice related to dispensing the formulation – matter, for how the soap performs and feels during use, its germ and dirt removal efficacy, and how the soap leaves skin feeling after use. Here’s a little science to help understand why something as simple as soap can perform so differently and what to look out for when choosing a hand soap for your facility.

What is soap, what’s in it, and how does it remove soils and germs?

All soaps essentially have the same ingredients: soap results from a chemical action between a salt and a fatty acid (a building block of fat). The result is soap or detergent that acts as a surfactant, a compound that forms what are called micelles (little balls of soap molecules that grab and trap dirt, oil, and germs). The type of surfactant helps determine the product’s lathering characteristics, skin feel, and rinsability. By choosing oils that have specific molecular properties (in other words, choosing the right natural or synthetic fatty acids) and blending them in the right mixtures, it’s possible to create the results we want in our soaps – creamy, fluffy lather that rinses well and leaves skin feeling soft and moisturized.

Washing hands with soap and water is important to both personal hygiene and public health. Through their ability to loosen and remove soil, they contribute to good personal hygiene. Soaps also help to wash away germs. Some soaps contain specific antimicrobial ingredients that kill or inhibit bacteria that may cause odor or illnesses. Efficacy of the soap – both the strength of its soil removal plus the amount and type of germ reduction – depends on all of the ingredients in the formulation. Unfortunately, typically the stronger the soil removal, the harsher the product is toward the skin.

Harsh soaps can damage skin, causing dryness, tightness, and irritation

Skin is built like a brick wall – the bricks are protein-rich skin cells, and the mortar is made up of your skin’s natural lipids that strengthen the wall, keeping skin moisturized and protected from the outside environment. With repeated handwashing, the surfactants in harsh soaps and cleansers remove the proteins and oils from your skin, breaking down the “mortar” between the bricks. ¹ This leads to “cracks” forming and allows water to evaporate from within your skin, leaving it dry, damaged, and vulnerable to outside germs and sources of irritation. As skin gets drier and irritated, it’s unlikely that customers and staff will wash their hands properly since washing may cause burning, stinging, and further dryness and irritation.

What to look for in a skin-friendly cleanser for your facility

Luckily, much of the hand dryness and irritation can be avoided by choosing milder soaps and cleansers for use in your facilities. Here is a list of important things to look for:

• Moisturizing and Soothing Ingredients. Soaps containing moisturizing ingredients may be less harsh or drying to the skin. Examples include glycerin, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid. Natural oils such as avocado oil, shea butter, coconut oil, and jojoba oil are also good moisturizing ingredients. Skin-soothing agents like vitamin E and aloe vera also help to leave skin feeling soft.
• Products with “Mild” or “Suitable for Sensitive Skin” Claims. Mild soap softens and soothes skin because it doesn’t strip away its natural nutrients and oils, thus giving the appearance of healthy-looking skin and reducing symptoms of skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema.
• Automatic Soap Dispensers. In general, no-touch, automatic soap dispensers are a great option to help reduce germs. However, avoid adding soap to partially empty dispensers (e.g. refilling bulk dispensers). Refillable bulk soap threatens the health of washroom users.²

Here are things to avoid:

• Harsh Surfactants. It’s important to choose the right soap or cleanser for everyday tasks; if your hands are not very heavily soiled, a milder cleanser will do the job. While harsh surfactants such as sodium dodecyl (lauryl) sulfate are very effective at extreme soil removal, they also have the potential to dry and damage skin more than others. ³ Combinations of sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), which is often used in liquid cleansers, with other surfactants such as cocamidopropyl betaine can result in an overall milder product.
• Antibacterial Actives. In most settings, “cosmetic” hand soaps should be adequate for customers or guests to wash away germs. Antibacterial soap may be considered for use in critical care areas such as healthcare settings where patients are highly susceptible to infection. Antibacterial soap is generally not required and not recommended in other settings.⁴
• Poor Lather. Lathering is important since lathering and scrubbing hands create friction to lift dirt, grease, and germs from the skin.
• Products that Don’t Rinse Well. Even though it sounds counter-intuitive, water and excessive rinsing further dry out your skin, so it’s important to use soap that rinses easily from the skin, making sure product residue is not left behind.

Wash away germs while caring for hands with PURELL^® brand soap

For more information and help choosing the right soap for your facilities, check out: GOJO Canada Hand Soaps. For questions related to PURELL^® products, visit the PURELL® Brand Well-Being Centre.

1. Ananthapadmanabhan KP, Mukherjee S, Chandar P. Stratum corneum fatty acids: their critical role in preserving barrier integrity during cleansing. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2013 Aug;35(4):337-45.
2. Chattman, M, Maxwell, S., Gerba, C. Occurrence of Heterotrophic and Coliform Bacteria in Liquid Hand Soaps From Bulk Refillable Dispensers in Public Facilities. Journal of Environmental Health 2011.
3. Ananthapadmanabhan KP, Moore DJ, Subramanyan K, Misra M, Meyer F. Cleansing without compromise: the impact of cleansers on the skin barrier and the technology of mild cleansing. Dermatol Ther. 2004;17 Suppl 1:16-25.
4. Antimicrobial Products in the Community https://ipac-canada.org/photos/custom/Members/pdf/17Jul_Antimicrobial%20Products%20in%20the%20Community_2.pdf.  Accessed August 30, 2021.