Social media users have pointed out that Dove, a product of Unilever, is using Sodium Tallowate, an ingredient derived from animal fats. It had sparked concern among animal lovers as well as vegan people.
In the viral video, a man can be heard saying, “Dove uses animal fats to produce soaps and the company itself agreed to this. You can see an ingredient called Sodium Tallowate. Most people do not know what sodium tallowate is. To produce a soap Saponification process is followed in which fats undergo reaction with sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. These fats can be of any animal. It is surprising that these animal fats soaps are being sold in India as well. I have confirmed the presence of the ingredient from the Amazon website.”
https://archive.org/details/20-video-facebook_20251024
Fact Check-
We found that the user had shared a link to the Amazon website containing the list of Dove Sensitive Skin beauty bars. The product contains “Sodium Tallowate or Sodium Palmate” written in the list of ingredients.
When “sodium tallowate or sodium palmate” is listed on a product, it means the manufacturer may use either ingredient, but not necessarily both. The presence of one of the ingredients depends on availability, cost and region where it is targeted to be sold.
What is Sodium Tallowate?
When fats/tallow from animals are mixed with sodium, magnesium, or potassium, it forms salts called Sodium Tallowate, Magnesium Tallowate, and Potassium Tallowate. These are used in bath soaps, detergents, shampoos, and other cleaning products.
The FDA had declared Tallow as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). It had concluded that Tallow is safe to use in small amounts. Its salts like Sodium, Magnesium, and Potassium Tallowate are also approved for use in things like adhesives, paper, and defoaming agents. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Panel studied tallow and tallow glycerides and found them safe to use in cosmetics
What is Sodium Palmate?
Sodium Palmate or Sodium palmitate is a common saturated fatty acid found in fats and waxes including olive oil, palm oil, and body lipids. It is commonly obtained by the saponification of palm oil.
According to the National Institute of Health, the CIR Expert Panel concluded that the ingredient is safe in the present practices of use and concentration described in the safety assessment when formulated to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing.
From the above facts, it is clear that both Sodium Tallowate and Sodium Palmate are safe in use of soaps.
Does the Dove beauty bar contain Sodium Tallowate?
We checked the ingredients of the random soaps of Dove. We found that the list of ingredients in the labels mentioned either “Sodium Tallowate or Sodium Palmate” or Sodium Palmate only. You can check it here and here.
Further, we contacted Unilever for more clarification on the use of the ingredient Sodium Tallowate. Unilever clarified that all the Dove bars are now plant based. PETA had approved the products and did not contain any animal by-products.
Conclusion:
Fact Crescendo found the claim to be false. Dove beauty bars do not contain Sodium Tallowate which is derived from animal fats. All the Dove products are now plant based.
Title:Do Dove beauty bars contain sodium tallowate derived from animal fats?
Fact Check By: Siddharth SahuResult: False
