What is Sodium Lactate and How to Use it

Hi Crafters!

Some newbie soap makers have come up to us, inquiring about sodium lactate, how they can incorporate it to their soaps and whether it is actually a crucial component or not. So, for today, we’re sharing what we know on this liquid salt 😊

During the cold process soap making process, Sodium Lactate is added to cooled lye water in order to create harder longer-lasting bars of soap. It also speeds up the unmolding time so instead of waiting 2-3 days (or longer for recipes that use more soft oils) before you can demold and cut your soap, this waiting time is shortened thanks to Sodium Lactate.

Sodium Lactate

Derived from natural fermentation of sugars found in corn and beets which produces lactic acid. Sodium lactate is the sodium salt of lactic acid.
Clear, colorless liquid.
Soluble in water.
Up to 5% of sodium lactate can be added to your formulations.
An effective humectant which can help retain/preserve moisture of the skin.

How much to use?

As mentioned above, during the cold process soap making process, Sodium Lactate is added to cooled lye water in order to create harder longer-lasting bars of soap. You can add up to 5% of sodium lactate to your formulations, though be careful when doing so as using too much Sodium Lactate will result in a hard and crumbly bar of soap.

In general, the amount of sodium lactate you should add to your cold process soap is 5ml per 500g of oils (including melted butters). That’s roughly 1%. However, if your recipe uses more than 50% soft oils, you can add more sodium lactate.

How to add to cooled lye water?

Once the sodium hydroxide has completely dissolved in the water, ensure that it is around room temperature before adding in the sodium lactate. Stir to ensure that the lye mixture is blended before pouring it to the oils.