Soaps and soap making

Soap makers and importers — click to read our guide and answers to frequently asked questions

In Australia, ingredients in soaps are regulated as industrial chemicals by NICNAS.

Soap makers and/or importers must comply with requirements as set out in the Industrial Chemicals (Notification and Assessment) Act 1989 (ICNA Act).

Who needs to register with NICNAS?

You need to register with us if you do any of the following activities for commercial purposes:

  • make soaps in Australia by a process involving a chemical reaction such as saponification
  • import soaps into Australia from overseas manufacturers or suppliers
  • import chemical ingredients into Australia for soap making

What is saponification?

Saponification involves the hydrolysis reaction of an animal or vegetable fat with an alkali, such as sodium hydroxide, also known as lye or caustic soda.

The cold-process and hot-process methods of soap making both use saponification.

Saponification is regarded as the manufacture of an industrial chemical. If you use saponification to make soap, you must register with us.

Who does not need to register with NICNAS?

You do not need to register with us if you only make soaps in Australia without a chemical reaction by mixing or blending ingredients purchased from an Australian supplier.

What is mixing and blending?

Using products such as soap bases, glycerin blocks and melt and pour bases may not involve a chemical reaction because the saponification reaction has already occurred.

Soap-free cleansers such as syndet bars are generally made by mixing the ingredients without a chemical reaction.

Read more about the difference between blending and manufacturing chemicals

You should do your own research to understand whether a chemical reaction has occurred in your soap-making process.

Checking the chemical Inventory

All soap makers must check that every ingredient in their soap is on the chemical inventory Australian Inventory of Chemical Substances (the Inventory) and whether there are any conditions attached to the use of those ingredients.

Read these tips on searching the Inventory

Remember to check ingredients you think are 'natural' as they may not meet the definition of a 'naturally-occurring chemical' in the ICNA Act.

If an ingredient is not listed on the Inventory —or has a condition of use different to your intended use—it is considered a new industrial chemical to Australia.

You will need to inform us about the new chemical before you import and/or manufacture it for use in a soap to consumers. Read more about how to notify a new chemical.

What other laws apply to soap makers?

All soap makers and/or importers must also comply with other laws regarding cosmetics, including:

Depending on your soap you may also need to comply with:

  • the requirements of Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) if your soap is for therapeutic use.

Last update 8 February 2019