Learn what makes soap ingredients truly organic, including regulatory standards, careful handling, separation, and allowed substances. Discover the skin and environmental benefits of certified organic oils, explore the realities of the organic soap market, and see how Soap Therapy stands out by using only fully certified organic ingredients in every bar.
The word organic appears quite often in skincare, yet its meaning is frequently unclear, inconsistent, or misunderstood, especially in soap making. In this article, we explore what organic truly means beyond the label, how organic standards differ from those used in food, and why certification matters more than marketing language. We look closely at how organic ingredients affect human health and the environment, and why fully organic skincare remains rare in today’s market. Soap Therapy stands apart by choosing to work exclusively with certified organic ingredients and by prioritizing education, transparency, and integrity above trends and profit margin maximization.
In the context of soap making, the term organic does not simply mean that the final soap product is organic. Rather, it refers to ingredients that have been certified organic, even though the finished soap itself is not always certified. This distinction is important because the certification applies to the agricultural origin and handling of the raw materials, not the soap bar as a whole.
In Canada, organic products are regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) under the Canada Organic Regime (COR). COR sets standards for production, handling, and labeling, ensuring that certified organic ingredients meet strict requirements before reaching consumers.
In the United States, organic agricultural products used in soap making are regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the National Organic Program (NOP), codified under 7 CFR Part 205. Any ingredient labeled as organic must be certified by a USDA-accredited certifying agent that audits farming practices, handling, storage, and manufacturing operations.
Under USDA regulations, there are four distinct organic labeling categories. 100 percent organic products contain only certified organic ingredients, excluding water and salt. Organic products must contain at least 95 percent certified organic ingredients. Made with organic ingredients requires a minimum of 70 percent organic content, while products with less than 70 percent organic ingredients may not use the word organic on the principal display panel at all. Non-agricultural substances necessary for processing, such as sodium hydroxide or citric acid, are permitted since they are listed on the NOP National List of Allowed Substances.
Quality Assurance International (QAI) is an example of a USDA-accredited certifier and is commonly used by ingredient suppliers, including those serving the cosmetic and soap-making industries. Outside North America, COSMOS serves as an international organic standard specifically designed for cosmetics and personal care. It establishes two levels, organic and natural, and applies requirements that are often more skincare-specific than USDA rules. Ecocert is one of the certification bodies that operates under the COSMOS standard.
For carrier oils and essential oils to qualify as organic under USDA regulations, several core requirements must be met. Crops must be grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers, must be non-GMO, and must come from land that has been free of prohibited substances for a minimum of three years. During extraction and processing, organic materials must be physically separated from non-organic substances to prevent contamination. Finally, only processing aids and materials listed on the NOP National List may be used, ensuring the integrity of the organic ingredient from soil to finished soap.
One of the core principles of organic certification is the absence of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Common herbicides such as glyphosate and paraquat, insecticides like pyrethrin, fungicides including copper-based products and sulfur, and rodenticides or nematicides such as diphacinone are widely used in conventional agriculture. Synthetic fertilizers, most notably nitrogen, are also applied to boost plant growth. When these chemicals are used on crops, trace residues can remain even after harvest and washing. Many pesticides are lipophilic, meaning they bond to oils, so residues can become concentrated during extraction. These substances can also transfer to the environment, contaminating soil, water, and air, and may come into contact with workers or surrounding ecosystems.
For soap users, exposure is largely cumulative. Daily application of soap over the entire body, often in warm or damp conditions or on sensitive or compromised skin, can subtly increase vulnerability to skin irritation or sensitization over time. Some pesticides are known endocrine disruptors or neurotoxins, highlighting the long-term health advantage of using certified organic ingredients.
Another key criterion is non-GMO status. Genetically modified organisms have been altered for specific traits such as herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, or improved yield. For soap making, the alkalinity of the saponification process destroys any DNA present, so GMO status does not directly affect the skin. However, organic certification ensures that raw agricultural inputs have not been genetically modified.
Soil and land standards require that land used for organic ingredients remain free from prohibited substances for at least three years. This allows microbial diversity and nutrient cycles to recover, promoting healthy crops and ecosystems.
Handling and separation prevent cross-contamination with non-organic materials during harvest, transport, storage, extraction, processing, and packaging. Dedicated or thoroughly cleaned equipment, separate storage areas, documented procedures, and full traceability minimize chemical carryover and preserve ingredient purity. Lipophilic residues, once present, are difficult to remove, so strict separation is essential for soap quality and for reducing sensitization, especially for sensitive skin.
Finally, allowed substances such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are carefully regulated by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB). These substances are essential for soap making, fully consumed during saponification, environmentally safe, and compatible with organic principles. The Allowed List undergoes review every five years to reassess human health impact, environmental effects, and compatibility with organic standards.
Together, these requirements ensure that certified organic soap ingredients are cleaner, safer, and more environmentally responsible.
The market for organic skincare, and specifically organic soap, is shaped by both real costs and consumer perception. Certified organic oils are significantly more expensive than their non-organic counterparts. For example, at New Directions Aromatics, 20 kilograms of extra virgin certified organic olive oil costs $500, compared with $290 for non-organic pomace. Coconut oil is $370 for certified organic versus $290 for non-organic virgin oil, while castor oil is $180 versus $150. Essential oils also show a similar trend: one liter of certified organic lavender oil is $190 versus $120 for non-organic, and eucalyptus oil is $60 versus $30. The price of an organic carrier or essential oil depends on multiple factors, including certification and compliance, farming practices and yield, oil type and rarity, extraction method, packaging and storage, import and shipping costs, and overall supply-demand dynamics.
A survey of Canadian companies claiming to produce organic soap bars shows that most list only a few ingredients as certified organic, often the more readily available and lower-value oils. Very few artisanal soap makers claim all-organic formulations, and when they do, the recipes often rely on less premium oils.
Soap Therapy approaches organic differently. Beyond using certified organic carrier oils, we also source organic herbs, flowers, and spices that provide therapeutic benefits in every bar. Our supplier, Organic Connections, allows us to maintain full traceability and certification for these natural additives, a practice rarely observed among other brands.
Interestingly, research on well-known luxury soap brands in Canada reveals that most do not label their carrier oils as organic and frequently use lower-value oils. This suggests that in the broader market, the perception of luxury is largely determined by marketing and branding rather than ingredient quality or certification. Soap Therapy redefines luxury as a return to simplicity, emphasizing transparency, education, and the genuine benefits of certified organic ingredients.
Choosing certified organic ingredients in soap making is about more than marketing; it reflects rigorous standards from soil to finished product, ensures safer and cleaner formulas for the skin, and supports environmental health. From strict USDA and Canadian regulations to the careful handling, separation, and allowed substances, organic certification protects both consumers and ecosystems. In the market, truly all-organic formulations remain rare, and many brands rely on perception over substance. At Soap Therapy, we go further, sourcing only certified organic oils and natural additives, and we share full transparency on Instagram, including receipts that prove our ingredients are genuinely certified organic.
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