BIS to restrict the use of heavy metals in Soap Noodles

On June 21, 2023, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) published a revised draft standard for soap noodles. BIS will take comments on the draft till August 31, 2023. The draft is an updated version of IS10513, which was first issued in 1983, has been approved by BIS for use with soap noodles. The standard covers requirement for “soap noodles” used as an intermediate product for subsequent conversion into marketable soaps. The phrase "Sodium oleostearate noodles" has been changed to "Soap noodles" in this revision, since soap noodles presently are made from different blends of oils and benefit ingredients.

The 1983 version of the standard did not differentiate between soaps used for personal care, laundry, or other purposes, like those used in the industry. In this revision 3 categories of soaps are included: Type 1 personal care soaps (pure soap noodles), Type 2 laundry soaps, and Type 3 is “other soap noodles” which covers different combinations of soap and other beneficial ingredients as agreed between the manufacturer and supplier.  According to Cosmetic Rules 2020, all ingredients used in cosmetic products, such as personal care soap, must adhere to Indian Standards (IS) 4707 (Part 1 and Part 2), the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 & Rules 1945.

The revision gives the following restrictions for heavy metals and other chemicals for the three product categories:

The draft furthermore addresses ingredients like fatty acids, oils, and electrolytes that are used in the manufacturing processes.

In addition, the manufacturer's name, the date of manufacture, the name and type of substance, the lot and batch number, and other requirements have been standardized for packaging and labels.