Everything that goes into a Sagebrush product, what it’s doing there, and what to watch for if you react to things. The full list for each item is printed on its own product page. If your question isn’t answered here, message us — we answer them all ourselves.
The base most bars start from
| Ingredient | What it’s doing |
|---|---|
| Olive oil | Gentleness. Mild and conditioning; the classic castile base. |
| Coconut oil | The bubbles, and most of the cleaning power. |
| Castor oil | Draws out a creamier, longer-lasting lather. |
| Shea butter | Richness, and a softer feel on the skin. |
| Palm oil Black Soap Crumble and Heather & Thyme only |
Hardness and a stable lather. |
| Hemp oil Love Thyself only |
A light conditioning oil. |
| Neem oil Pups & Peeps only |
Supports skin comfort on a bar made for dogs and people. |
| Distilled water | Dissolves the lye so it can react with the oils. |
| Sodium hydroxide (lye) | The thing that turns oil into soap. See below. |
Clays, colloidal oats, activated charcoal, botanicals, essential oils, skin-safe fragrance and mica colorants appear in individual products. Every product page carries its own full list.
The ingredients that vary:
| Ingredient | Where it is, and what it’s doing |
|---|---|
| Grass-fed tallow non-vegan only |
The backbone of most of the non-vegan line — Eye of the Tiger, Charcoal & Cedar, Cashmere Plum, Unmasqued, Heather & Thyme and Pups & Peeps. Makes a hard, long-lasting bar with a dense, low lather. Never in anything badged Vegan. |
| Goat milk non-vegan only |
In Unmasqued and Heather & Thyme. Adds a soft, nourishing richness to the lather. |
| Lard non-vegan only |
In Morning Java. Gives that bar a gentle, conditioning base that carries the coffee grounds well. |
Everything badged Vegan contains all Vegan friendly ingredients.
Yes, there’s lye in it
Every real bar of soap is made with lye. It is a chemical requirement. It is also regulated by the federal government you cannot call it soap without sodium hydroxide (solid soap) or potassium hydroxide (liquid soap). These are the two types of lye used for all real soaps.
When making soap, the lye reacts with the oils in a process called saponification, and it’s used up entirely doing it. There’s no lye left in a finished, cured bar. There is, however, natural skin-nourishing oils that remain in the finished product.
Why curing matters
A fresh bar is soft and full of water. Time on the rack lets that water evaporate, and the bar gets harder and milder as it sets.
A properly cured bar lasts significantly longer in the shower than a newer one. It’s why some things on this site say “curing” instead of “sold out” — the soap exists; it’s not ready yet.
Vegan and non-vegan, side by side
- Plant oils only: olive, coconut, castor, shea, palm, hemp
- No tallow, lard, goat milk, beeswax, lanolin or honey
- Essential oils and clays, or unscented
- Best choice if you avoid animal ingredients
- Many of the base recipe oils, plus tallow, goat milk or lard
- Harder bar, denser lather, lasts longer
- Essential oils or skin-safe fragrance and micas
- Best choice if you want maximum life out of a bar
If you react to things
Tree nuts
Shea butter is a tree nut and it is in the base of nearly everything we make, both lines. Coconut appears throughout as well. If you have a nut allergy, message us before ordering and we will go through a specific product with you.
Animal-derived ingredients
Tallow, goat milk and lard — listed above with the exact products they’re in, and only in items badged Non-Vegan. Filter the shop to Vegan and you won’t see them at all.
Essential oils & fragrance
Essential oils are natural but not automatically gentle — for example peppermint and tea tree can be stronger and harsh to some people's scent preferences. Although synthetic, all our fragrance oils are phalate and paraben free. This means you are not exposing your skin to unnecessary plastics.
Dairy
Goat milk is a creamy additive used in Unmasqued and Heather & Thyme. Coconut milk — not dairy — is in Simple & Clean.
Like with all new skin products, test anything new on your inner arm in a small patch before using it on your face, and stop using it if your skin has any reactions. Our soaps are healthier than the detergent-filled soaps in the stores, but we are not meant to treat or cure any skin-related health issues. You must see a physician to treat those.