Soap nut extract for natural and sustainable washing and cleaning

Clean and well-maintained clothes are a matter of course to most Germans. The use of the washing machine therefore is an integral part of daily life; it is switched on once or twice per week or more frequently in most households. According to the information of the Federal Environment Agency, the use of washing agents amounts to 630,000 tons per years. An enormous quantity, which has worried ecologists for years. Even modern washing agents are environmentally harmful. There is also the fact of increasing numbers of persons with intolerances and allergies complicating the choice of suitable products.

The soap nut originating from India, in Asia, has been well-known as a natural and gentle universal cleaning substance for thousands of years. Its shell contains the detergent substance saponin which easily dissolves in water and as suds offers versatile possibilities of use for cleaning and personal hygiene.

In Germany, soap nuts have been in the range of goods of health food stores and online shops already for several years. Used in the private household, they are put directly in the washing machine or prepared as suds for washing and cleaning purposes. The soap nut shells, however, are rather impractical for industrial processing.

„Processing the soap nuts to extract the saponin for further use is a complicated, laborious measure for the manufacturers of sustainable washing and cleaning products”, Dr. Serk Naymann, Senior Business Development Manager der PolyNeo GmbH, explains. „Thanks to soap nut extract directly produced in India, we can relieve our customers of the expenditure and ensure efficient product development and manufacture. “

Soap nut extract is derived from the shells of the soap nut of the sort of Mucurossi by different, organic and not organic, processes by the Indian partner of PolyNeo GmbH. The final result of the multistage method offers the customers several primary products for individual further processing. As liquid, paste, or powder, the extract has broad application flexibility. The saponin content, in all presentation forms, is at least 60%, significantly higher than in soap nuts which contain maximally 15% of the active washing substance. PolyNeo offers the extract also in tablet form which is especially user-friendly.

The soap nut extract has numerous convincing arguments as an alternative to traditional washing and cleaning products. All ingredients are bio-degradable and sustainably sourced from regrowing raw materials. Used as a washing product, saponin is effective and kind to colors at the same time. Products with soap nut extracts feature good skin compatibility and are particularly suitable for persons prone the allergies. 

„Our Indian supplier was one of the few manufacturers in the country who already had the USDA bio-certification for his bio-soap nut products.” Dr. Naymann states: “The responsible authorities use it to certify for the product the origin from controlled organic cultivation.”

Thanks to high commitment and efforts, the most part of different products meanwhile has been certified in accordance with ECOCERT guidelines which includes the bio-certification of the raw materials as well as the manufacturing process and storage. With regard to this high grade of verified bio-quality, PolyNeo significantly stands out from competitors.

„Our priority is to be a solution provider to our customers assisting them with eco-friendly and sustainable products “, Dr. Naymann emphasizes.  „That encompasses our ability to handle customer demands flexibly and individually. For example, it is possible to supply personalized textures with different saponin contents in flexible quantities. “

The application possibilities for soap nut extracts are versatile. Saponin is suitable for classic washing products and universal detergents for household purposes and it lends itself also to the use in pet care, e.g., as pet shampoo with anti-parasite effects, and in cosmetics.