There’s a big difference between Soaps and Surfactants.
Soaps are manufactured using a chemical reaction called saponification. This means mixing fats and oils with strong alkali solutions. The resulting soap products can be excellent cleaners, but have their limitations. Soaps generally work best at higher temperatures, yet lose effectiveness in hard or salt water. Typically soaps have a pH of 9-10 which is too high for your dog’s skin and coat.
Surfactants are made in many different ways, with a broad selection of potential ingredients. Surfactant is a broad term, simply meaning Surface Active Agent which work by reducing the surface tension, making it easier for water and other ingredients to saturate the coat. Surfactants are generally formulated to a specific purpose, such as dog shampoo. Surfactants can be formulated to have whatever pH works for the specific use, in the case of dogs, pH Neutral.
Whereas soaps work by stripping dirt and oils from the skin and hair, they can unfortunately remove the natural oils on your dog’s skin and coat. This is the main reason surfactants are better, working in synergy with each other, along with other ingredients to penetrate coats of fur, removing excess dirt and oils without stripping the coat of vitamins and natural oils.
Soap also leaves behind a natural film when being used due to the nature of the fats and oils used in manufacturing. If using a soap based product, the soap reacts with water to produce a soap scum and the residue requires rinsing out with clean water after washing. This can be very irritating to your dog’s skin if unnoticed. This is not the case with surfactants.
Utilising a confidential selection of surfactants typically used in baby formulations due to their mildness, we have produced a unique ultra gentle formula which is hypoallergenic.
More importantly, our extensive research has enabled us to develop a product that specifically caters for dogs and adapts to the key needs of different breeds.