What has changed in Ritual Waters Soaps

I had made a decision several weeks ago to remove Palm Kernel oil from my soap formula. I had been using Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil to add hardness and lather to my bars for many years. But, in reading of the effects of the increased demand for Palm Oil and Palm Kernel Oil on the cutting down of the Rain Forests in Malaysia and Indonesia I am joining other soapmakers who have also decided to change over to other oils for their soap. The Oil Palm production is affecting the Rain Forest wildlife, particularly the Sumatran, Bornean Orangutans, Sumatran Tigers, Asian Elephant, and Sumatran Rhino are all in danger of disappearing. It appears that levelling and clearing the rain forest is cheaper than reworking the land that was used for rice paddies but at what cost? Sometimes the fires used to clear the Rain Forest burn out of control.  The Oil Palm is used mainly as an edible oil that China, India, the European Union, and the US supposedly use in processed foods to eliminate the trans fat from our diet. There are other oils that can help with this like Soybean Oil or Olive Oil but these are more costly than Oil Palm but the cost to the environment far outweighs the dollars saved. Oil Palm is sometimes the only oil in some US processed foods like packaged cookies, crackers and pop corn. Oil Palm is not as healthy as some would like us to believe and has been shown to promote heart disease. Please follow this link to learn more and read the full article - http://www.cspinet.org/palm/PalmOilReport.pdf

 

My soaps now have more Coco Butter which will replace the Palm Kernel Oil for its hardness and will make a more moisturizing bar. I feel this will hopefully have better impact on the environment. Please read ingredient labels and avoid processed foods that contain Palm Oil as a way to voice your opinion to save the Rain Forests in Malaysia and Indonesia.