Tricks or Treats: What's in your Soap?

Trick or Treat for you skin?

Happy Hallows Eve, everyone! Here at Lively Faith, we hope your night is filled with spooky fun, adorable costumes, and the best candy stashes! And while you’re out on the hunt for the sweetest treats tonight, have you ever thought about what’s really in the soaps you use? Just like candy, not all soaps are as sweet as they seem.

Some might look tempting but hide spooky “tricks” (we’re talking harmful chemicals, yikes!), while others are pure “treats” for your skin—handcrafted, all-natural, and nourishing in every way.

The Tricks: The Common Ingredients to Beware Of

Let's dive into some of the “tricks” hiding in common soaps that can leave your skin in need of a treat!

• Sulfates (Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate/SLI)

  Sulfates are often used in soaps to create that rich, bubbly lather we all love. But here’s the trick: sulfates can be extremely harsh on the skin, stripping away those natural oils that protect and nourish. Without these oils, your skin can become dry, irritated, and even prone to redness and cracking.

• Paraben Preservatives

  Many big-name brands rely on parabens as a preservative to extend shelf life. The trick with parabens is that they’re known to disrupt hormones, especially during key developmental stages in children. They’ve even been linked to breakouts in acne-prone skin. And to add to the scare, the FDA doesn’t regulate the amount of preservatives like parabens in cosmetics—meaning they might be lurking in higher concentrations than you’d think.

• Harsh Alcohol (SD Alcohol 40)

  SD Alcohol 40 is commonly used because it can dissolve both water and oil, helping soaps stay clear and uniform. The trick, however, is that too much of this alcohol can dry out the skin and lead to that tight, itchy feeling you get after washing. And like parabens, the FDA doesn’t regulate how much SD Alcohol 40 can be included, which means you’re often exposed to higher amounts than you might expect.

The Treats: All-Natural Goodness

Enough with the tricks this Hallows Eve—let’s talk about the treats!

• Goat Milk

  Goat milk is packed with fatty acids and vitamins like A and E, leaving your skin soft, hydrated, and supple after every wash. It’s also naturally high in sugars, which help create a beautiful, natural lather with plenty of bubbles!

• Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)

  Lye, or sodium hydroxide, is an essential ingredient in traditional soap-making. It’s been used for thousands of years to transform oils into soap through a process called saponification, where fats break down into fatty acid chains. After saponification, our soaps cure for four weeks, allowing all the lye to fully react and “cook out,” making the soap completely safe and naturally shelf-stable. These fatty acids gently lift dirt and grime from the skin, leaving it clean and comfortable. We balance our oils and lye with care to ensure the lye is perfectly neutralized, so it’s only a treat for your skin!

• Natural Oils

  Each of our soaps features a unique blend of six natural oils and butters that make them a true treat for the skin. Olive oil, castor oil, coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, and lanolin all play a special role. Together, they lock in moisture and create a gentle barrier against the elements, helping prevent the dryness and redness often left behind by harsher soaps. No more tight or itchy skin—just a lasting, soft feel.

Give yourself a treat!

As Halloween approaches, it’s easy to get caught up in the tricks, but when it comes to what we put on our skin, only the finest treats will do. At Lively Faith, we’re passionate about crafting soaps that are safe, natural, and nourishing—giving your skin the gentle care it deserves without any hidden surprises. So, skip the harsh chemicals and let your skin indulge in wholesome, all-natural goodness.

Because tricks are for the ghost stories... but treats? Those are for your skin!