What has to be checked before buying a soap?

The Total Fatty Matter (TFM) determines the quality of soap. Soap with a high total fatty matter has the capability of deep-cleansing. According to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), a toilet soap is classified into three grades. Grade-1 toilet soaps should have a minimum of 76% TFM while Grade-2 and Grade-3 soaps should have a minimum of 70% and 60% TFM respectively. The total fatty matter (TFM) % is printed on the soap package.

Laundry (washing) soaps are segregated into two types. They have low TFM compared to that of in toilet soaps. Grade-1 and Grade-2 laundry soaps should have a minimum of 62% and 50 % TFM respectively.

There is another category called bathing soaps with TFM ranging from 40-60%. Toilet soaps have better cleansing and moisturizing properties than bathing bars which contain surface-active ingredients which makes bathing soaps less gentle on the skin.

“Next time when you buy soap, look for TFM on its package”.