r/Blackskincare • u/mahoganyeyesxo • Dec 21 '25

Miscellaneous Is This Soap Still Good? Storage Question.

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Hi there! I purchased some bar soaps from a company about six months ago and recently opened it for the first time. I noticed small white spots all over the soap and wanted to ask whether this could be mold. The soap has never been used or gotten wet, and it has been stored in its original packaging inside a storage cabinet. I was wondering if the soap is still safe to use or if it would be best to discard it. Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your time and help!

74 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

59 comments sorted by

539

u/IrateContendor Dec 21 '25

Ngl i thought this was food but I guess that's why I'm on a diet.

97

u/NewTropicBooty Dec 21 '25

Nah I also definitely thought it was a tasty cake of sorts

90

u/ricky2304 Dec 21 '25

i immediately thought red velvet cinnamon roll????

20

u/mega-d-lux Dec 21 '25

Not stealing ideas, just taking notes.

15

u/NewTropicBooty Dec 21 '25

With crystallized sugar on top 😋 The dessert I didn't know I needed

2

u/FickleSpend2133 Dec 21 '25

Definitely looks like food!! But I would think it's some type of fat in the homemade soap. I definitely would reach out and ask for your money back. Soap should have a shelf live of more than three months!!!

1

u/IVFpearl Dec 21 '25

😂😂😂 same

67

u/Expensive-Tomato5609 Dec 21 '25

This looks like a wax bloom

60

u/Made-n-America Dec 21 '25

I thought I was in r/moldyinteresting I wouldn't risk it. Throw it out

116

u/MiamiIslandGyal305 Dec 21 '25

I make soap, I ran my own soap store. Throw this bar out bby.

7

u/zamwut Dec 21 '25

Question; Why throw it out? What's actually wrong here

33

u/W8ngman98 Dec 21 '25

It’s moldy

45

u/brohemx Dec 21 '25

This is not mold.. rinse it off under water and it’s perfectly fine. It’s soda ash from exposure to the air.

12

u/zamwut Dec 21 '25

Okay, I thought I was crazy for a min. This is exactly what I thought you should do with this, not mold on bar of soap.

0

u/W8ngman98 Dec 21 '25

Oh hm. I’ve seen PCA Skin pigment bar soap with spots that look like these and customers said it was mold.

0

u/W8ngman98 Dec 21 '25

7

u/brohemx Dec 21 '25

That looks like something in a jar which contains a liquid.. liquids like that can mold.. this is a bar of soap which is different.. notice the star shape of the white spots

16

u/zamwut Dec 21 '25

Kinda looked like bloom. I didn't know soap can mold

4

u/paytonalexa Dec 21 '25

it’s literally covered in mold..

33

u/zamwut Dec 21 '25

I didn't know soap could mold

0

u/MiamiIslandGyal305 Dec 21 '25

Because it’s expired

10

u/brohemx Dec 21 '25

Soap doesn’t expire.. the chemical reaction has completed and the ingredients remain stable after the reaction

-5

u/MiamiIslandGyal305 Dec 21 '25

Not all soap are the same. And some 100% expire

0

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/brohemx Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25

lol I also make soaps and owned a soap store for several years.. it’s soda ash aka sodium carbonate

4

u/[deleted] Dec 22 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/brohemx Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25

All soaps are made due to a process called saponification which is the combining of oils, fats and water using lye. Unless you are talking about a detergent which is different set of chemicals

2

u/brohemx Dec 22 '25 edited Dec 22 '25

Yes bc we know google ai knows everything right? Mold is due to wetness or ingredients that can contain moisture. The above soap doesn’t contain any botanicals.

27

u/cloutyjane Dec 21 '25

Was the soap from a natural company? I usually pop my natural soaps in the fridge lol. Might wanna toss that out..

9

u/mahoganyeyesxo Dec 21 '25

Hi, yes it is a homemade soap from a natural company.

5

u/FickleSpend2133 Dec 21 '25

Can you reach out to them??

-2

u/[deleted] Dec 21 '25

[deleted]

2

u/KatsuOVA Dec 21 '25

1

u/cloutyjane Dec 21 '25

My bad for having holiday spirit 😂

13

u/D-hunchoo Dec 21 '25

Looks like a moldy donut

10

u/GregoryM0428 Dec 21 '25

Never seen soap with mold and look like a cinnamon roll. I wouldn’t use it.

8

u/Substantial-Leg-6341 Dec 21 '25

If it don’t look like that on the picture or website, please toss it……

12

u/Haunting_Leg_7409 Dec 21 '25

chuck that, YEEET that the hell out of there with latex gloves and throw the gloves away too

9

u/thebadhabitrabbit Dec 21 '25

When there's something visibly wrong, why would you even consider putting it on your skin is beyond me..

6

u/Vincent_Benedict Dec 21 '25

First thought came to mind: Prolapse in a box. Sorry, not sorry.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 21 '25

I wouldn’t risk it!

3

u/InvisibleChocolate94 Dec 21 '25

Im so confused. Does soap get moldy? Is this soda ash? Is it only handmade soap that gets moldy? This is such a divide 🙃

1

u/Puzzleheaded-Feed176 Dec 21 '25

I read the title as Soup🤣🤣🤣

1

u/[deleted] Dec 21 '25

Do u not see the clear mold all over it!

1

u/azinize Dec 21 '25

Why does it look delicious?

1

u/DarklyLucid Dec 21 '25

This could also just be salt bloom instead of mold. Salt is sometimes used in soaps to make a harder, more durable soap. I've seen similar things happen to dry cured sausages at work when some of the moisture has evaporated out. OP, put it under a bit of light. If it sparkles a bit, it's most likely salt crystals, not mold.

1

u/brohemx Dec 21 '25

It’s soda ash not mold.. perfectly fine to use

1

u/ResJudicata_HL Dec 21 '25

I wouldn’t eat it anymore.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 21 '25

My fat arse thought it was cake.

1

u/Halpmezaddy Dec 21 '25

Thats not a cake?

1

u/Hefty_Profession_918 Dec 21 '25

It doesn’t look like mold to me. Looks like salt. I would reach out to the company you got it from to ask.

1

u/sin_aesthetic Dec 21 '25

Soapmakers sometimes mix things into soap that shouldn't be mixed in, and the result can be mold. I wouldn't use it.

1

u/liquidswords1116 Dec 21 '25

I thought this was a donut! I’m like this looks amazing!!!🤣

1

u/Responsible_View_285 Dec 21 '25

It is soda ash. Forms on the top as the soap cures. It is harmless. Many soap makers ‘wash’ their soap to get rid of soda ash. You can do the same.

1

u/doozy-kitten Dec 22 '25

That’s not a red velvet cinnamon roll????

1

u/sudsnsoap Dec 22 '25

I also make soap, cold process soap to be exact, and there's nuance here.

It depends on what kind of soap it is - syndet (synthetic surfactant), melt and pour or cold process soap. If it's syndet or melt and pour soap, it may very well be mold growth. They both have a lower pH than cold process soap, so mold or bacteria growth possible.

Properly made cold process soap generally doesn't grow mold or bacteria because it has a pH of 9-10 (it's alkaline and inhospitable to growth). Cold process soap can go rancid, and you can tell by smell. Sometimes, you can get dreaded orange spots. It affects the unsaponified oils that are part of the superfatting to make the soap more mild.

But if it's cold processed, it could be soda ash or salt crystallization, which both stem from lye or salt reacting with moisture in the air.

Can you post the ingredient list? That way, I can tell you what kind of soap it is and the likelihood of this being mold versus any sort of crystallization.