Best African Black Soap Bars RANKED 2021.
African black soap has been used by West Africans since before records began, and traditional black soap is still produced today in West Africa and sold as a skin-saving wonder product. But which African Black Soaps are worth buying? And what exactly are the skin benefits of African black soap?
What is African Black Soap?
Authentic African black soap is traditionally made using dried natural ingredients such as plantain skins and cocoa or palm oil pods. These are roasted, turned to ash and combined with fats like shea butter, palm oil or vegetable oil. The specific ingredients vary depending on where and how the soap is produced.
The great news about African Black Soap is that it's suitable (and beneficial) for all skin types; in a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 91% of African Black Soap users reported that the soap helped improve their skin conditions!
THE 5 STAR CATEGORIES ★★★★★
Each Soap Bar rated have been awarded a star based on each of the following categories. Best African Black Soap Bars 2021!
1★ Traditional African Black Soap vs. Non Traditional African Black Soap.
Traditional African Black Soap is made authentically without major changes to the original formula. It is in fact not black but dark brown, easily breakable and marble - like in appearance.
Why is this significant?
Traditional African Black Soap showed a higher level of antimicrobial activity, when compared to African Black Soap derivatives such as Zee or Dudu Osun. This means traditional African Black Soap has a greater ability to inhibit the growth or destroy the bacteria.
Traditional African Black Soap also benefits from supporting traditional farmers and product makers in the soaps country of origin.
VERDICT: Authentic, Traditional African Black Soap wins. Fewer irritating ingredients, supports traditional communities and has a higher level of anti-microbial activity (better at cleaning).
2★ African Black Soap Moisturising Ability
Some users of African Black Soap can find the soap drying. Look out for moisturising ingredients such as vitamin rich Vitamin E, Shea Butter or any moisturising oils.
VERDICT: Look for Shea Butter, Vitamin E or a moisturising oil on the list of ingredients.
3★ No Key Irritating Ingredients
There are some key players that increases the chances of irritation after using African Black Soap.
VERDICT: Avoid irritating ingredients such as "fragrance', 'perfume', 'sulfates' and alcohol.
4★ Eco Friendly, Palm Oil-Free & Plastic-Free
The Ellen Macarthur Foundation estimates there'll be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050 if we do not reduce our current plastic consumption.
Farming of palm oil trees is harmful, as it is a major driver of deforestation which destroys the habitats of endangered species like the Orangutan, Sumatran rhino and pygmy elephant.
In 2020, WWF also reported that deforestation also contributes to climate change and that there also remains some exploitation of workers and child labour.
5★ Slave labour & Company Ownership
Slave Labour
With a rising concern regarding; the use of slave labour in the beauty industry; appropriation of traditional recipes; and exploitation of those who use African Black Soap indigenously; it is important to look at who is behind the soap that you are purchasing.
Breakdown of costs
When you start do the business maths, you can start to see how a £2 bar of soap could easily be made through means of exploitation.
Quick example: Lets look at a §3 bar of Soap
* VAT is 20%, which is §0.60 from our example.
* It costs about §2.48 per product to sell on Amazon as a small parcel.
* It costs on average 50% of RPP to sell products through a retailer store. Thats §1.50 in our example.
Combined VAT and Amazon costs in this example are §3.48 (§-0.48)
Combined VAT and retailer costs in this example are §2.20 (§0.80)
Assuming there is only §0.80 left for the cost of raw ingredients, packaging, operating overheads such as machinery, rent and materials, markup, company profits and more - you can start to see where slave labour and exploitation can creep in.
Appropriation
African Black Soap is a product heavily tied in with culture in West Africa. It is important that the global celebration of the product continues to rise, but does not lead to the gain of others without gain to West Africa.
VERDICT: Look for brands which state their anti slave labour ethical commitment on their website, look for companies that are black owned and sell products made in the country of heritage. Try to buy from websites directly.
What are the BEST African Black Soap Bars in 2021?
Which African Black Soap Is The Best? Best African Black Soap Bars 2021
Here’s our rundown of 5 of the most popular African Black soaps on the market - we’ve given each option a rating out of 5 stars based on its pros and cons:
1) Kokoa Eco Beauty - ★★★★★ (5)
Pros: Authentic & Traditional; organic; no perfumes or sulfates; vegan, cruelty free; palm oil free; with shea butter; with vitamin e; ethically sourced; female black owned, plastic free.
| Real Authentic Raw African Black Soap | ✔️ | Real Authentic Soap. Made in Ghana. |
| Moisturising Ingredients | ✔️ | Shea Butter, Vitamin E and Sunflower Oil |
| No key irritating Ingredients | ✔️ | No key irritating ingredients |
| Eco Friendly, Palm-Oil Free & Plastic Free | ✔️ |
4% Profits donated to charity |
| Anti Slave labour & Authentic Ownership | ✔️ |
Works directly with Ghanian farmers and suppliers. |
Cons: can not currently buy wholesale
Pros: Vegan and cruelty free; affordable price point
| Real Authentic Raw African Black Soap | ✔️ | Authentic |
| Moisturising Ingredients | ✔️ | Shea Butter |
| No key irritating Ingredients |
✔️
|
No key irritating ingredients.
|
| Eco Friendly, Palm-Oil Free & Plastic Free |
|
Vegan |
| Anti Slave labour & Authentic Black Ownership | ✔️ | Black Owned - owned by Olowo-n'djo Tchala |
Cons: not black owned, contains palm oil.
3) PraNaturals - ★★★★ (3.5)
Pros: Authentic & Traditional; organic; no perfumes or sulfates; vegan, cruelty free; ethically sourced;
| Real Authentic Raw African Black Soap | ✔️ | Real Authentic Soap. Hand crafted in Ghana |
| Moisturising Ingredients | ✔️ | Shea Butter, Coconut Oil and Palm Oil |
| No key irritating Ingredients | ✔️ | No key irritating ingredients |
| Eco Friendly, Palm-Oil Free & Plastic Free |
Vegan BUT Contains Palm Oil |
|
| Anti Slave labour & Authentic Black Ownership | ✔️ ? |
All PraNaturals products are 100% organic, natural, pure and ethically sourced. (Owner unknown) |
Cons: contains palm oil, owner unknown
Pros: Vegan and cruelty free; affordable price point
| Real Authentic Raw African Black Soap | Not Authentic | |
| Moisturising Ingredients | ✔️ | Aloe Vera |
| No key irritating Ingredients |
Contains fragrance and alcohol Contains Sodium Laureth Ether Sulfate and perfumes |
|
| Eco Friendly, Palm-Oil Free & Plastic Free | ✔️ |
Vegan |
| Anti Slave labour & Authentic Black Ownership | ✔️ | Black Owned by Tropical Naturals Limited |
Cons: Not authentic, Contains fragrance and alcohol; Contains Sodium Laureth Ether Sulfate and perfumes which may cause skin dryness/irritation
5) Incredible by Nature - ★★★ (3)
Pros: Authentic
| Real Authentic Raw African Black Soap | ✔️ | Authentic |
| Moisturising Ingredients | ✔️ | Shea Butter |
| No key irritating Ingredients |
✔️
|
Contains artificial fragrance and alcohol |
| Eco Friendly, Palm-Oil Free & Plastic Free |
Palm Oil |
|
| Anti Slave labour & Authentic Ownership | Not black owned. Owned by Hutch Vogel.
|
Cons: Not black owned, Palm oil
Pros: Vegan and cruelty free; affordable price point
| Real Authentic Raw African Black Soap | ✔️ | Authentic |
| Moisturising Ingredients | ✔️ | Shea Butter |
| No key irritating Ingredients |
✔️
|
No key irritating ingredients.
|
| Eco Friendly, Palm-Oil Free & Plastic Free |
|
Vegan |
| Anti Slave labour & Authentic Black Ownership | Not Black Owned - owned by Dean Neiger |
Cons: not black owned, contains palm oil.
Pros: Vegan and cruelty free; affordable price point
| Real Authentic Raw African Black Soap | ✔️ | Authentic |
| Moisturising Ingredients | ✔️ | Shea Butter |
| No key irritating Ingredients |
✔️
|
No key irritating ingredients.
|
| Eco Friendly, Palm-Oil Free & Plastic Free |
|
Vegan |
| Anti Slave labour & Authentic Black Ownership | Not Black Owned - owned by Andrea Sanchez |
Cons: not black owned, contains palm oil.
Pros: Vegan and cruelty free; affordable price point
| Real Authentic Raw African Black Soap | Not Authentic | |
| Moisturising Ingredients | ✔️ | Shea Butter |
| No key irritating Ingredients |
✔️
|
No key irritating ingredients. Contains small percentage of essential oils.
|
| Eco Friendly, Palm-Oil Free & Plastic Free |
|
Vegan |
| Anti Slave labour & Authentic Black Ownership | Not Black Owned - owned by Unilever |
Cons: Not authentic, not black owned, contains palm oil.
9) Shea Moisture - ★★
Pros: shea butter
| Real Authentic Raw African Black Soap | Not authentic | |
| Moisturising Ingredients | ✔️ | Shea Butter |
| No key irritating Ingredients | Contains artificial fragrance and alcohol | |
| Eco Friendly, Palm-Oil Free & Plastic Free | ✔️ |
Palm Oil Free Plastic Wrapped |
| Anti Slave labour & Authentic Ownership | Owned by Unilever, not vegan or black owned
|
Cons: Not authentic, plastic wrapped, contains fragrance and alcohol; owned by parent company Unilever which is not vegan, cruelty-free or black owned
CONCLUSION
Best African Black Soap Bars 2021 - Leave a comment and let us hear from you!