BS 1715 discusses the analysis of soaps. BS 1715-2.3 belongs to the BS 1715 multi-series and discusses the determination of free caustic alkali content.
BS 1715-2.3 specifies two methods of determining free caustic alkali in commercial soaps, excluding compounded products:
BS 1715-2.3 on free caustic alkali in commercial soaps is useful for:
As soaps usually contain a small amount of unsaponified neutral fat, there is no perfect procedure for determining free caustic alkali because, when the sample of soap is dissolved, a neutral fat is saponified by any free caustic alkali that is present.
BS 1715-2.3 guides you in determining the free caustic alkali in commercial soaps using two methods and those are method A ethanol method and method B barium chloride method. BS 1715-2.3 helps you manufacture high-quality commercial soaps.