Simple, plain soaps- made without bad plastics?

[Solingen]

I've had great success with Mamabear's natural unscented soap,
but have become unsure if I want to continue using it knowing that it comes in #7 (unknown/unproven safe) plastic containers which have been thought to leech cancer causing chemicals. I know i could remove it from the tub, but the thought that the soap was originally mixed in a larger container made of such plastic that leeched into the soap has me worried. Does anyone know of any similar plain soaps on the market that are made safely in #1,2,5 plastics?

[Squire]

S, this is not on my list of things to be worried about.

[Araner]

It's a jungle out there!

[gil3591]

one more issue to worry about. stop the planet, i want to get off!

[KAV]

Solingen, The reality is mankind has created a global toxic soup from mercury in ocean to toxic houses off gassing formaldahyde from carpet and wallboard and acid rain dissolving the architecture of Europe.
I do not mean to belittle your concern regarding #7 plastic, but in the list of pollutants there is a lot nastier stuff all around.

[95%]

While I want to show repect to the O.P. and encourage him to continue posting, I agree with the tenor of the replies. Lungs and kidneys have evolved over hundreds of millions of years to filter pollutants out of bodies, and they are very good at it. We are a hardy species. Mankind may be headed to eventual extinction like most species the world has seen, but it won't be on account of plastics.

[CMur12]

Solingen, I haven't seen any discussion around here about the plastics in containers, but this is generally a pretty tolerant group when it comes to such things. I would personally be more concerned about plasticizers in certain other products than I am with soaps. Even so, I'm one of the few on this board who avoids -parabens where at all possible.

- Murray

[KAV]

Richard Crenna to Dustin Hoffman-PLASTICS.

My family owned a bathtub Packard. There was ONE 1/4" thick ivory coloured plastic light dome that glowed through the fine dust and lemon blossoms of a still heavily agricultural San Fernando Valley.

On aesthetic grounds alone I avoid plastic.

[Sodapopjones]

You could try a C&E soap, they come wrapped in wax paper in a cardboard box... Or tabac and mwf refills...

I honestly wouldn't worry about it though.

[GA Russell]

A Packard! All of Raymond Chandler's characters drove Packards.

[CJS]

I wouldn't worry either. I doubt the tub gets hot enough to leech any chemicals, and I don't think said chemicals could even be absorbed into your skin. Just don't eat any of the lather

[KAV]

Steel,crome,mohair,tempered glass, hand painted wood trim and neon coloured insruments- all 4 of them, tube radio and that 1/4" thick ivory interior light cover--all going down the same road Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert filmed IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT on ( Devonshire) with mediocre brakes and leaded 98 octane gas powering us, mom remembering to leave a note to the milkman for an extra glass botle of CREME in the morning.
#7 plastic

[brothers]

Steel,crome,mohair,tempered glass, hand painted wood trim and neon coloured insruments- all 4 of them, tube radio and that 1/4" thick ivory interior light cover--all going down the same road Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert filmed IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT on ( Devonshire) with mediocre brakes and leaded 98 octane gas powering us, mom remembering to leave a note to the milkman for an extra glass botle of CREME in the morning.
#7 plastic

Great memories Kav. Thanks. They just don't make 'em like that anymore. And don't forget, every road trip was a big deal, because the tires were prone to going flat with great regularity, and one benefit of having enormous trunks on those oldies was that dad might take along an extra spare tire and a spare (working) bumper jack just in case. It wasn't at all uncommon to experience one or more flat tires on lengthy trips. They had inner tubes, and the roads were unpredictable and constructed of anything from dirt to mud to gravel, to macaddam, bricks, or stones, and in some cases, even concrete. Pot holes, (we called them chug holes) and (bar) ditches full of murk and mire just waiting for somene to slid off into. And on some makes and models, there wasn't much plastic. There may have been a bit of bakelite if that is considered plastic, but it was all steel, fabric, glass and wood in many cases.

[cymric]

but have become unsure if I want to continue using it knowing that it comes in #7 (unknown/unproven safe) plastic containers which have been thought to leech cancer causing chemicals. I know i could remove it from the tub, but the thought that the soap was originally mixed in a larger container made of such plastic that leeched into the soap has me worried. Does anyone know of any similar plain soaps on the market that are made safely in #1,2,5 plastics?

Let me put is this way: it is not a question if the packaging starts leeching chemicals, but when, and if so, to what extent. And this can basically be anything: unreacted monomer (i.e., the building block of the polymer plastic), colorants in the plastic, catalyst introduced to speed up the formation of polymers, plasticisers, even ink from the imprinting process. No plastic is 'safe', although some may resist leeching longer than others and thus be 'safer' in some way. Don't make the mistake of thinking glass containers are beyond suspicion: they must always be closed by a cap, which is often made out of, you guessed it, plastic. Yes, in laboratories there are glass stoppers which fit very snugly into the neck of a bottle, but they are not meant to be as wide as the vial they are intended to seal.

I think the product has deteriorated microbiologically way before the amount of leeched chemicals becomes a problem, if at all. In other words, don't worry about it. You have a point that one shouldn't take a packaging for granted because it interacts with the product is supposed to contain, but at the same time the risk is minimal compared to the dangers you expose yourself to during the time it takes to empty the jar.

[BeatlesFan]

Scanning over the ingredients list of pretty much any shaving lather reveals a dizzying array of chemicals. I know essentially nothing about chemistry, so I just use the products, and hope the chemicals in the lather are safe.

On that basis, for my money, I see no point in worrying about the plastic tub adding to an already complex mix of chemicals.

If, for whatever reason, it's truly concerning to anyone, I suggest that they consider using shaving soaps instead. Shaving soaps come in cardboard boxes, and you can take the soap pucks out and store them in containers made from any material that you prefer (wood, ceramic, glass, stainless steel, etc.). Heck, I generally just store them in their cardboard boxes after use (how's THAT for frugal, eh?).

Just a suggestion . . .

[fishgutmartyr]

There are a number of shaving sticks wrapped in foil--some may have plastic bases, however. Arko shave stick doesn't even have the base.

Most of the shave soaps I've used haven't come in plastic. Refills almost certainly don't--although the glycerin products seem to: Col. Conk and VDH are the examples I know of.