Bare Naked Soap products are all palm oil free.
Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil which is high in saturated fat, presenting health concerns. It is derived from the palm fruit, grown on the African oil palm tree. Oil palms originated in West Africa, but can flourish wherever heat and rainfall produce tropical rainforests. Today, almost all palm oil is produced in, and exported from, Indonesia and Malaysia and most of the time not using sustainable measures.
Thousands of kilometers of pristine rainforest are slashed and burned in order to make way for oil palm plantations. Many orangutans and other animals are killed in the process, for the production of palm oil used in many of our everyday foods and products. This large-scale deforestation and widespread loss of these irreplaceable and biodiverse rich forests is pushing orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinos to the brink of extinction. Along with many other native species of Borneo and Sumatra.
Palm oil is an extremely popular vegetable oil amongst manufacturers. It is used in over 50% of products, including: baked goods, confectionery, cosmetics, body products and cleaning agents. But in many countries, there is no law on the mandatory labelling of palm oil. Consequently, companies will usually hide palm oil under the name of ‘vegetable oil’, or over 170 other names. Some you might find are:
INGREDIENTS: Vegetable Oil, Vegetable Fat, Palm Kernel, Palm Kernel Oil, Palm Fruit Oil, Palmate, Palmitate, Palmolein, Glyceryl, Stearate, Stearic Acid, Elaeis Guineensis, Palmitic Acid, Palm Stearine, Palmitoyl Oxostearamide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Kernelate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Sodium Lauryl Lactylate/Sulphate, Hyrated Palm Glycerides, Etyl Palmitate, Octyl Palmitate, Palmityl Alcohol.
One argument is that we need palm oil in today’s society, and that palm oil is a key ingredient in many foods and body products. 30 years ago palm oil wasn’t used in nearly as many products as today, it was almost non-existent in much of the Western-world. So why does there need to be such a high demand for it in the modern world? We don’t need palm oil. There are many alternatives to palm oil, but unfortunately none as cheap and efficient, which is why companies are reluctant to switch.
Another alternative option for companies is ‘sustainable palm oil’. The only issue with sustainable palm oil is that currently, this ‘eco-friendly’ vegetable oil is sourced through RSPO - Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, an organisation which is considered unreliable and untrustworthy by many, with links to slave labour and the confiscation of migrant workers passports.
Because palm oil isn’t labelled in many countries, consumers are blinded to the fact that many of the products they are buying contribute to this unprecedented disaster.
Global production of palm oil has doubled over the last 10 years and is expected to double again by 2050 :(