So what is a bio-fermented shampoo bar? Well, it is a shampoo bar that contains cleansers made from a fermentation process. We are the first company to add bio-fermented cleansers to their shampoo and conditioner bars. You can find it in liquid shampoo, but we cannot see it anywhere else in a solid bar.
Usually, cleansers (surfactants) are made via a chemical reaction, the raw products either being plant or petrochemical based. The bio-fermented cleansers that we use are made via, yes, you guessed it, fermentation. Fermenting sugars and rapeseed oil with minimum processing and no solvent usage, this low carbon method produces a cleanser that is gentle on your scalp and gentle on the environment. Compared to petrochemical surfactant manufacturing, the carbon reduction is estimated to be about 3 tonnes less carbon dioxide for each tonne of bio-fermented cleanser (sophorolipid) produced. So, manufacture involves less energy, less carbon dioxide production and no solvent use compared to petrochemical surfactants.
But what about your scalp? The sophorolipids that we use are post-biotics ( we will go into that in a later blog), As well as having the benefits of post- biotics a study on sophorolipids found that they were the mildest of all the cleansing products tested by a considerable margin*.
While we know that sophorolipids are exceedingly gentle cleansers, it is fair to say that the science behind the beneficial action of post biotics on our skin and scalp is in its infancy and the true mechanism of action are not fully understood at present.
Current theories are that bio-fermented products, being closer in structure to the skin than chemical products can easily penetrate the skin membrane where they can help support hair repair, skin protection, moisturization and pH balance along with acting as a food source for the microbiome.**
So while the scientists continue to understand the mechanism of action behind this mighty bio-fermented brew, let us just step into that shower, massage it into our hair and feel great in the knowledge that you are using the UK's first (and for now only) bio-fermented shampoo bar.
- * tested against 7 other well known surfactants.
- **Microbial Biosurfactants in Cosmetic and Personal Skincare Pharmacetuical Formulations. Simms A. Adu, Patrick J. Naughton, Roger Marchant, Ibrahim M Banat . Published: 16 November 2020