Assessment of the Quality of Some Toilet Soaps Sold in Cameroon

This work aims to evaluate the quality of ten (10) toilets soaps (Carimo Metiss, Keje, Derma Délice, Nature Claire Prestige, Bof Love, Pafic, Terminator, clear plain soap, Carimo nature Moringa soap) sold in Cameroon. The analytical method used to achieve this is the dosage and parameters such as: total free alkali, pH, moisture level, total fat, foam height and water-insoluble matter have been measured. It appears from the results obtained that the pH of our soaps varies from 7.5 to 10. Compared to the values of the international standard, these results confirm the alkaline nature of the soaps used, as for the content of insoluble materials in water, it varies from 1.25% to 7.35%. The latter being much higher, this implies the presence of impurities in these soaps. In addition, the total free alkali content, on the other hand, varies from 2.6% to 8.5% reflecting the complete or incomplete saponification of these soaps. Regarding the moisture content of the soaps used, the latter varies between 12.4% and 75.8% thus reflecting the strong presence or absence of water in these soaps. Moreover the foam height results obtained are of the order of 25 to 600 mL, which can be reflected in the use of active strains when formulating soaps with a high foam height and the use of certain oils for soaps with a low foam height. Furthermore, the total fat content of the soaps used varies from 26.064% to 74.670%, these values reflect that among the soaps used seven (7) soaps (Carimo Metiss, Keje, Derma Délice, Nature Claire Prestige, Bof Love, Nature Love, Pafic) are suitable for dry skin and the other three are intended for oily and normal skin. To conclude, the results obtained show that parameters such as fat and pH are key factors to be taken into account when determining the quality of a soap.