What Happens to Soap After It Goes Down the Drain? Why Ingredients Matter
We often focus on what skincare does *for* our skin, but it’s equally important to consider what it does *after* it’s washed off. At Suffuse, we craft soaps with biodegradable, plant-based ingredients that are gentle not just on you, but also on the environment.
Where Does Soap Go?
Every time you rinse off, the soap flows into your home’s greywater system and eventually into treatment facilities, or in some areas, directly into the soil or natural water bodies. The ingredients in your soap determine what kind of impact that rinse water has.
Biodegradable vs. Non-Biodegradable
Soaps made with natural oils and lye break down quickly and completely. These ingredients return to nature without leaving a toxic trace. In contrast, synthetic surfactants like SLS and SLES can persist in the environment, harming aquatic ecosystems and interfering with beneficial bacteria in water treatment systems.
Micro-Pollutants and Their Hidden Impact
Many commercial soaps and body washes contain chemical preservatives, artificial colorants, and synthetic fragrance compounds. These can accumulate in waterways, potentially disrupting wildlife and water chemistry even at low concentrations.
The Handmade Soap Advantage
By using natural, saponified oils, skin-safe clays, botanicals, and eco-friendly pigments, our soaps are not only kind to your skin, they’re safe to return to the earth. No residue. No microplastics. No unnecessary chemicals.
Better Choices, Lasting Change
Every bar of handmade soap you use makes a small but meaningful impact. When multiplied by a community of conscious consumers, those choices help reduce water pollution, support sustainable ingredient sourcing, and create a cleaner planet for all.
At Suffuse, we believe that skincare should be as good after the rinse as it is during use. Because your daily rituals shouldn’t come at nature’s expense.