faq

Yes, definitely. All the soaps are effective against SARS-CoV-2 and most viruses and bacteria. Just lather up, agitate for 20 seconds and rinse off the bubbles, and you will effectively deactivate them!

In its oirginal form, lye, or Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) is corrosive and should be handled with care. It's used in the most traditional form of soap-making and also in our soap bars. However, with my extensive scientific training and precision in measurements, all the lye is completely reacted in the chemical reaction called saponification where oils and lye react to form fatty acid salt (soap) and glycerin: At the end of the reaction, there would be zero lye leftover. The end products are soap and glycerin. What's really convenient is that glycerin is actually a natural humectant that draws moisture to surround its molecule, and thus a great moisturizer that helps keep your skin soft.

Yes, I am. I have a B.S. in Biochemistry from Northeastern University and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from UCLA. I've spent many years in school studying Analytical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry among other things. I've worked at Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School, Cambridge University (UK) and have published numerous scientific papers. I've even co-published a paper with a Nobel Laureate. I take science very seriously. I read up on literature and keep my information updated as I create my products.

All the soap bars and products we carry are either Vegetarian or Vegan. No animal testing has been used in any part of our product development.

All of the products here are only made of ingredients free of phthalates.

All the soaps are made using cold process here at BARRED FROM LA. If we expand the product line to hot process soap in the future, we will be sure to indicate and announce it.

In short, yes, all the soaps we carry here ARE antibacterial. Soaps are inherently incredibly effective in killing bacteria and deactivating viruses. It works by forming micelles in a soapy solution as you agitate, and the hydrophobic tails of the soap molecules will hunt down the lipids found on the membrane of viruses and bacterial and disassemble their "shells". As you rinse the lather off, the broken bacteria and viruses will just go down the drain, losing their ability to infect from that point on. I never add additional antibacterial agents (such as Triclosan) in my soaps because my science background tells me that it's a really bad idea. The reasoning is 2-fold: 1. It's as unneccessary as buying a marketed product that boasts that it's "hydrated water". If the product inherently does that job perfectly, there is absolutely no need to put a fancy spin on it to make more sales. That's just exploitational to prey on people's trust in the company. As a scientist I feel a strong moral obligation to inform and educate, and call out on questionable practices. 2. Adding antibacterial and antifungal reagents for no reason is bad for our ecosystem, because those germs will evolve to become resistant to these agents over time, and it creates an evolutionary pressure against just the regular germs with no resistance. There will be more strains of germs that become resistant to antimicrobials, due to the exposure to the product run off in the soil and the ocean, and the medical community would have less tools to treat people with severe infections due to the abuse of these agents. I pledge to never support unneccesary overuse of microbial/ antifungal agents in my products.

Depending on my schedule, I may be able to develop a custom order with you with a 40-bar minimum order of the same design. I love to be creative and challenged. Please contact me if you have a certain project in mind!