Honey Soap: What It Does, How It's Made and What to Look For

How honey soap is made

True soap is made by reacting fats or oils with an alkali, a process called saponification. In cold process soap, honey is usually added in small amounts at trace, when the mixture begins to thicken. In melt and pour soap, honey is stirred into a ready-made base.

Because honey contains sugars, it heats up during saponification and can scorch or darken if too much is used. Most recipes use one teaspoon to one tablespoon of honey per pound of oils.

What honey adds to soap

Honey's sugars can increase lather, making bubbles feel richer. Honey also gives bars a warm golden to tan color and a subtle scent. As a humectant, it may leave a slight moisturizing feel, though most of it rinses away.

A review of honey in dermatology and skin care describes honey's role in cosmetic products, including cleansers.

Honey soap and FDA rules

The FDA's soap FAQ explains that products made mostly of fats and alkali and marketed only for cleansing are regulated as soap by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Products with other cleansing agents, or marketed for moisturizing or fragrance, are cosmetics. Products claiming to treat skin conditions are drugs.

That is why careful soap makers avoid claims like cures acne or treats eczema. Those claims would make the bar a drug under federal rules.

Who these bars suit

People with normal to dry skin often enjoy honey soap, especially bars made with nourishing oils like olive, shea or cocoa butter. People with very sensitive skin, eczema or rosacea may prefer fragrance-free syndet bars, which are gentler than traditional soap.

The American Academy of Dermatology suggests gentle, fragrance-free cleansers for dry skin.

What to look for on the label

Useful clues when choosing a honey soap:

• Simple ingredient list with recognizable oils
• Fragrance-free or lightly scented if skin is sensitive
• Superfatted bars (extra oil) for dry skin
• Honey listed among the ingredients, not just in the name
• No disease treatment claims

Honey soap with oatmeal or milk

Oatmeal and goat milk versions are popular combinations. Oats add gentle texture and are known for soothing dry skin, while milk adds creaminess. These are pleasant choices for winter.

Making honey soap at home

Melt and pour soap is a safe starting point for beginners. Melt a clear or goat milk base, stir in about a teaspoon of honey per pound, pour into molds and let set. Cold process soap involves lye, which is caustic and requires safety goggles, gloves and careful measuring.

Follow a trusted recipe and lye calculator if you try cold process.

Storing your bars

These bars can attract moisture from the air and develop beads of liquid on the surface, sometimes called glycerin dew. Store bars in a dry place and use a draining soap dish to help them last.

Allergy check

If you have pollen or bee product allergies, test honey soap on a small area first. Many of these bars also contain beeswax or propolis. Our article on honey allergy explains possible reactions.

A handmade bar as a gift

A handmade bar paired with a jar of honey makes a thoughtful gift. Our gift guide has more ideas for honey lovers.

The takeaway on honey soap

It is a pleasant, lathering, golden bar with a light moisturizing touch. Choose gentle, simple bars, and treat bold health claims with skepticism.

Cold process versus melt and pour

Cold process bars are made from scratch with oils and lye and need about four to six weeks to cure. They can be very gentle and rich when well formulated. Melt and pour bars use a pre-made base, so they are ready in hours and easier for beginners, but the base determines most of the bar's feel.

Both can include honey. For gentle cleansing, the oils and the amount of extra fat in the recipe matter more than the honey.

Why handmade bars vary

Two bars that both say honey on the label can feel very different. Recipes vary in oils, superfat, fragrance, colorants and additives such as oats or milk. If a bar dries your skin, try one with more shea or cocoa butter, or switch to a syndet bar.

Honey for your soap making

Al Safa honey is raw food honey, never heated above hive temperature. Pure honey with no added syrups is ideal if you make soap at home.

Find a jar in our shop.