Top 5 CBD Soap: Benefits of CBD-Infused Soap

What Are The Benefits of CBD Soap?

CBD soap may seem gimmicky at first — at least, that’s how I felt. But after trying a few of the brands above and giving it some thought, I realized there are some legitimate benefits of a quality CBD soap product.

The main benefit is that soaps made with CBD are much more gentle on the skin than conventional soaps. They use the same ingredients — a soap base (sodium or potassium salts with a fatty base), carrier oils, fragrances (preferably essential oils), and various stabilizers or thickening agents.

The only difference with a CBD-infused soap is the addition of CBD at the very end.

While you’re washing your hands, the soap works to bind and remove dirt and grease. As you scrub, CBD is absorbed into the surface layers of the skin along with some of the fatty acids contained in the soap — nourishing and hydrating the skin as you wash.

With that said, don’t expect too much from a CBD soap. The amount of time the CBD remains in contact with your skin is negligible — lasting up to two minutes max for even the most thorough of hand washers. Most people spend less than 30 seconds washing their hands — which doesn’t give the CBD much time to soak in.

These products are not meant to treat any disease — they merely offer a way to offset the harsh drying action of most soap products. They’re great for people with dry or sensitive skin.

Here are the main benefits of CBD soap:

• Provides all the same benefits as any other soap product
• Reduces the harsh drying or irritating action of soaps on the skin
• May help with skin that’s already dry or cracked
• Often made from all-natural ingredients (but not always)
• Great for use with sensitive skin types

CBD Soap vs. CBD Topicals

CBD soap could be considered a CBD topical. Its primary action is on the surface layers of the skin, just like any other topical. The main difference between a CBD soap compared to something like a CBD cream or gel is the duration of contact the CBD has with the skin.

Soaps only remain on the skin for a few seconds at a time, giving the CBD very little chance to absorb into the deeper layers of skin. The majority of the CBD in soap is rinsed down the drain when you’re done — which also makes it a fairly inefficient way of using CBD.

Other forms of topicals, like CBD creams or salves, are always going to offer stronger and more reliable benefits to the skin than a CBD soap.

Keep in mind, the goal of using a CBD soap isn’t to treat any specific condition. Their primary purpose is to offset some of the negative effects of regular bars of soap (like drying or irritating the skin on contact).

If you have particularly dry or irritated skin, it’s better to use a combination of both CBD soap for washing up and a high-quality CBD topical to apply for more long-term support afterward.

Suggested Reading: The Best CBD Products for Skincare.

How Much Does CBD Soap Cost?

Cheap vs. Premium Soaps: Is There a Difference?

The cost of soap is highly variable. You can go to your local Walmart and pick up a new bar of soap for a dollar or less — or hit up an artisanal soap shop and spend more than $20 for a bar of the same size.

So what makes the cost of soap so different? Is expensive soap worth the price tag?

If you want a product that’s going to leave your skin in the best condition and avoid causing issues with acne formation, dryness, or irritation — then premium soaps make a big difference.

The main differentiator between a cheaper soap and something more expensive is the ingredients.

Cheap soap contains a variety of synthetic detergents, preservatives, and fragrances — many of which can damage and irritate sensitive skin.

Common ingredients in cheap soap products include:

• Sodium cocoyl isethionate — synthetic detergent
• Stearic acid — a hardening agent
• Sodium stearate — also used as a cheap stabilizer for plastics
• Sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate — synthetic detergent
• Fragrance oils — synthetic aroma
• Sodium chloride — table salt
• Titanium dioxide— whitening agent
• Trisodium EDTA — ingredient in industrial cleaning products (harsh on the skin)
• Trisodium etidronate  — preservative
• BHT — preservative

Premium soaps contain much more expensive but gentler ingredients. They tend to use a natural soap base — made from plant sources like hemp, olive, sweet almond, or goat’s milk — and use natural preservatives and fragrances like essential oils. Premium soaps are often “detergent-free” because these are some of the key ingredients that make soaps harmful to the skin.

Even the addition of CBD is considered more of a premium ingredient. The concentrated extract of CBD can add several cents to every milliliter of soap produced.

Premium soaps are worth it if having products that are all-natural are important to you or if you have particularly acne-prone or sensitive skin.

Common CBD Soap Ingredients & What They Do

1. Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)

Lye is the primary ingredient in most soaps. It’s extremely caustic in its raw form but combined with a fatty acid (such as vegetable oil) to form sodium hydroxide, which is much gentler on the skin. You can’t make soap without using lye; it’s one of the core ingredients in the entire formula.

Lye itself is made by leaching wood ash. It’s completely natural but requires some skill to make it safely. Getting even small amounts of pure lye on the skin can cause chemical burns.

2. Oils & Fatty Acids

The second most important ingredient in soap is a source of fat. Fats bind to the lye to create sodium hydroxide, the active ingredient.

The choice of fatty acid contributes a lot to the overall qualities of the soap. Cheaper soaps are usually made from palm oil, coconut oil, or MCT oil — all of which are very cheap to produce in bulk.

Most premium soap companies will use a combination of this cheaper fatty source with something a little more premium-like argan, shea, sweet almond, or sunflower oil.

3. Essential Oils or Fragrance Oils

What’s a good soap without some fragrance? This is half the reason we use soap, to begin with — the addition of an aromatic compound leaves the skin smelling fresh after we’re done in the wash.

There’s a big difference between fragrance oils (synthetic) and essential oils (natural).

Fragrance oils are very cheap but can cause irritating side effects on the skin. They also tend to block the receptors in our nose that detect aroma — temporarily blocking our sense of smell. Additionally, some synthetic fragrances can trigger allergies or interfere with hormones in susceptible people.

Essential oils are always a better choice compared to fragrance oils — but they’re many times more expensive. Essential oils have a better aroma overall and offer additional health benefits that a fragrance oil simply can’t match. The benefits of the essential oil depend on its source — some are analgesic or anti-inflammatory, others provide a gentle, soothing action to the surface layers of the skin.

4. Scent Binder

Most people don’t use their entire bar of soap in a single day — right? Unfortunately, the essential oils in a premium soap will immediately start to float away once the bar is exposed to the air. This is why you can smell the bar so strongly when you open it from the package. What you’re essentially smelling are all the molecules of essential oils that have managed to escape the bar and were sucked up through your nostrils.

In order to limit this effect and prolong the lifespan of your soap, binding agents are added to lock in the scent until it’s time to use it.

A few of the most common binding agents include:

• Arrowroot
• Corn starch
• Orris root
• Beeswax

5. Other Ingredients

Aside from the core ingredients listed above, there are a lot of additional compounds soap manufacturers can add to make the soap more effective for a given application.

Here are just a few examples of additional botanicals, minerals, or synthetic agents companies can add to their soap mix:

• Exfoliants — Anything from plastic beads to bits and pieces of seeds can be added to give the soap an exfoliating effect.
• Herbs and flowers — Adding flower petals or small pieces of dried leaves can enhance the look of the soap and give it a fresher aroma as you use it.
• Preservatives — soap doesn’t rot, but the ingredients can start to separate and give it an unattractive gooey texture. Preservatives and stabilizers are added to prevent this from happening.

Key Takeaways: Best CBD Soap

CBD-infused soaps aren’t meant to treat any condition. The amount of time the active ingredients in the soap remain in contact with the skin is minimal.

However, CBD soaps are a great option for people who find their skin is often dry, cracked, or irritated after handwashing. The CBD content of the soap helps protect the skin from inflammation and irritation, and other natural ingredients and oils protect the skin from drying out.

In Review: Best CBD Soap Products:

Number	Product	Total CBD	Potency	Cost per mg CBD	Link
1	Mission Farms CBD Goat Milk Soap	200 mg	High-Potency	$0.10	Get a Deal
2	The CBD Skincare Co. CBD Infused Body Bar	100 mg	Medium Potency	$0.13	Get a Deal
3	LEEF Organics Nooks + Crannies Soap	20 mg	Low-Potency	$1.10	Get a Deal
4	Cannuka CBD Soap	Not Listed	N/A	N/A	Get a Deal
5	CBD American Shaman Soap	75 mg	Medium Potency	$0.27	Get a Deal