What if they just thought the little bubbles were cool, so they started playing with it, then one day like a thousand years later, someone was like, "Hey, my hands are cleaner now!"
Soap has long been the economic bedrock on which conglomerates like Procter & Gamble and Unilever have built their fortunes. They have thus been a major category in advertising and a force in shaping such vehicles as the radio/television daytime drama (hence the term "soap opera").
Animation on television is more my beat. My non-fiction books are on that.
Other people have written on soap operas, though, and I suspect, now that they are becoming a vanishing species on television, that their history might be written about more in the future.
Well, let me know if you want to put together a blurb on this. Maybe I could expand on it a bit. I'd probably shoot for like 900 or 1000 words max, not much longer than what I'd normally write here.
"Soap is salt" - at first I thought this was one of your "change a letter, change the meaning" shenanigans, but nope, turns out your meant if quite literally this time. Pretty fascinating.
One thing I know for sure is that it makes sense for public places, where sharing a bar of soap isn't practical for a variety of reasons. I'm sure that has some impact.
I think it's also a bit more convenient, and of course consumers would sell their actual soul for convenience.
Good point. Back to the comment about P&G, I know there is big maths at work on changing packaging to drive sales and consumer trends. I had a friend at Clorox and that’s all his group did. I attempted to research it a while ago because I figured it has to be economics and I like the bar. Liquid must be cheaper. My 5 minutes investigation did not prove that. The one thing I found that kinda made sense is hotels have switched wholesale because they aren’t wasting all those cute little bars and bottles.
So, it makes economic sense for hotels, restaurants, and so on.. I'm guessing the industrial side sets a floor on how little liquid soap will be made each year, and it wouldn't surprise me to learn that this total use of soap is greater than the total use of soap in homes.
TL:DR: could be an economy of scale, where industry demands so much liquid soap that it's just easier to sell that to folks, who are used to it. I'm not sure if it's more profitable per sale, but I would guess the volume for P&G, EG, is way higher as a result, and absolute profits are all a company like that is even remotely interested in.
It's interesting that the ancient world knew that soap could help with skin diseases, but it took modern western culture until the Civil War (maybe even after the Civil War) to learn that washing hands between patients could reduce infections. We seem to have to learn the same lessons over and over again.
Interestingly, my favorite show that I worked on was one where each episode dove into the various connections from something central to daily life and seemingly random advancements, an updated version of the old "Connections" series but with a bit of spinning an old yarn vibe. There was an episode each on both soap and whiskey. The series lasted six episodes total before being canceled. The other topics were chocolate, coffee, games, and, oddly, summer. The last was chosen by the network (Discovery Channel) because shows about that were rating well for them at the time.
My point in sharing this is to chide you for not including any reference to any of the songs with "soap" in the title including this classic De La Soul "skit" song based on a longer song made popular by The Jarmels.
I first learned from Little House on the Prairie how lye soap is made. Fascinating! For my own soap, since high school days, it's been Dr Bronner's. I even wash produce with their unscented soap, properly diluted.
I'll have to check the label, but I'd think the tea tree smell would overcome their other scents. I do like the eucalyptus, rose, almond, and citrus scents too.
Soap is so interesting in one of those, "Now how did they figure this out" sort of ways.
What if they just thought the little bubbles were cool, so they started playing with it, then one day like a thousand years later, someone was like, "Hey, my hands are cleaner now!"
All I could think about while I read this, was Fight Club. Which, I just recently rewatched with a friend who had never seen it.
That's a unicorn! Unless they're like Gen Z, which... well, that makes sense.
Haha she is 28… so I think she might be Gen Z 😂. She also had never seen Saved by the bell and I was like, I feel like I’m your mom. 😂😂
I use a lot of cultural references when I'm teaching, but some of the really good ones aren't working any more.
Soap has long been the economic bedrock on which conglomerates like Procter & Gamble and Unilever have built their fortunes. They have thus been a major category in advertising and a force in shaping such vehicles as the radio/television daytime drama (hence the term "soap opera").
David, have you written about soap operas yet, like a history? I'd be interested.
Animation on television is more my beat. My non-fiction books are on that.
Other people have written on soap operas, though, and I suspect, now that they are becoming a vanishing species on television, that their history might be written about more in the future.
Well, let me know if you want to put together a blurb on this. Maybe I could expand on it a bit. I'd probably shoot for like 900 or 1000 words max, not much longer than what I'd normally write here.
"Soap is salt" - at first I thought this was one of your "change a letter, change the meaning" shenanigans, but nope, turns out your meant if quite literally this time. Pretty fascinating.
Ever make soap as a kid for a school project or anything like that? I know some kids did, but I certainly never got to.
It was a real aha moment to realize that soap=salt.
I actually haven't. Missed opportunity.
Might be fun to make it with the kids?
I'm quite sure they've already made soap at school a few times, so maybe they can teach the old man some tricks.
Why has liquid soap replaced bar soap like … everywhere?
One thing I know for sure is that it makes sense for public places, where sharing a bar of soap isn't practical for a variety of reasons. I'm sure that has some impact.
I think it's also a bit more convenient, and of course consumers would sell their actual soul for convenience.
Good point. Back to the comment about P&G, I know there is big maths at work on changing packaging to drive sales and consumer trends. I had a friend at Clorox and that’s all his group did. I attempted to research it a while ago because I figured it has to be economics and I like the bar. Liquid must be cheaper. My 5 minutes investigation did not prove that. The one thing I found that kinda made sense is hotels have switched wholesale because they aren’t wasting all those cute little bars and bottles.
So, it makes economic sense for hotels, restaurants, and so on.. I'm guessing the industrial side sets a floor on how little liquid soap will be made each year, and it wouldn't surprise me to learn that this total use of soap is greater than the total use of soap in homes.
TL:DR: could be an economy of scale, where industry demands so much liquid soap that it's just easier to sell that to folks, who are used to it. I'm not sure if it's more profitable per sale, but I would guess the volume for P&G, EG, is way higher as a result, and absolute profits are all a company like that is even remotely interested in.
I like bar soap because it doesn't involve a plastic bottle, but there's always that awkward, barely usable shard left at the end.
That's gotta be a huge driving force for more liquid soap, Suzanne! I'm sure nobody likes dealing with that at the end (although I don't really mind).
It's interesting that the ancient world knew that soap could help with skin diseases, but it took modern western culture until the Civil War (maybe even after the Civil War) to learn that washing hands between patients could reduce infections. We seem to have to learn the same lessons over and over again.
Interestingly, my favorite show that I worked on was one where each episode dove into the various connections from something central to daily life and seemingly random advancements, an updated version of the old "Connections" series but with a bit of spinning an old yarn vibe. There was an episode each on both soap and whiskey. The series lasted six episodes total before being canceled. The other topics were chocolate, coffee, games, and, oddly, summer. The last was chosen by the network (Discovery Channel) because shows about that were rating well for them at the time.
My point in sharing this is to chide you for not including any reference to any of the songs with "soap" in the title including this classic De La Soul "skit" song based on a longer song made popular by The Jarmels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSD4_TE47Tw
Dang, great little ditty by DLS.
My grandmother made soap on the farm for 40 years.
Awesome! Did you ever help?
No but she used it on me when I got into poison ivy.
I first learned from Little House on the Prairie how lye soap is made. Fascinating! For my own soap, since high school days, it's been Dr Bronner's. I even wash produce with their unscented soap, properly diluted.
Good stuff. Does the unscented version also contain tee tree oil?
I'll have to check the label, but I'd think the tea tree smell would overcome their other scents. I do like the eucalyptus, rose, almond, and citrus scents too.
I like the antimicrobial properties of tea tree oil. I wonder if the unscented soap uses a different mechanism for that!
This is quite fascinating. Thank you.
Thanks, Jim!
You write about salt properties in soap the day I write about salt essentials in hydration
Nice! I've been pretty stoked about osmosis ever since I learned more about it.