<p>S2, at the age of 11, has become an animal rights activist. He gave up meat a while ago and, even though he loves it, he refuses to touch it. Fortunately, he will eat fish, because “fish don’t have feelings.” </p>
<p>Yesterday he told me that the bar soaps we use contain an animal product. He also checked the liquid soaps that we have, and only one of them was free of animal products. I told him that I would try to find substitutes. Right now, he is running to the downstairs powder room every time he needs to use the bathroom so that he can wash his hands with the animal-free liquid soap.</p>
<p>I have used Dove soap for many years, because other soaps irritate my skin. I even used it on my face until about 2 years ago, when a dermatologist recommended a “beautifying” face wash. My husband will only use Ivory, because he believes that other soaps irritate his skin.</p>
<p>Any recommendations for mild, animal-free bar and liquid soaps?</p>
<p>Try “Kiss My Face” olive oil and green tea soap. It’s not tested on animals and contains no animal products. They sometimes have it at Trader Joes.</p>
<p>Dr. Bonner’s is animal-free I believe. I think that most of the soaps at Trader Joe’s are. I usually look for a logo on the back that says that no animals were harmed/no animal testing/something like that. If you want to buy online, there are also a lot of vegan grocery websites that have stuff.</p>
<p>I’d also look for Foodfight and Herbivore Clothing. If you have a local food co-op or a Whole Foods, they should have plenty of animal-free soaps as well.</p>
<p>The soaps that are labeled Kosher will contain no animal product. Look for those. That goes for many other products as well such as Kosher gelatin.</p>
<p>Just an FYI, kosher does not mean animal free. Kosher gelatin is made with fish, not hooves or whatever conventional gelatin is made of. A vegan equivalent is probably agar. I don’t know much about other kosher products, and I know some of them are animal-free (tofutti products were originally made for kosher Jews and are widely used by vegans) but please check. I know I’ve studied ingredients on kosher marshmallows at Whole Foods only to be disappointed.</p>
<p>Kosher soaps don’t have animal products - they can be used for “milk” dishes as well as for “meat” dishes. If they had animal products, they could be used only for one or the other.</p>
<p>I second the Dr. Bronner’s soap. I have been using this soap for 35 years and I swear by it. It comes in liquid and bar soap and is animal free. I used the baby soap for my children when they were babies, switched to the lavendar as they got older. My husband and I use the peppermint soap, which I also use for cleaning and laundry. And we keep a small bottle of eucalyptus on hand for cold season.</p>
<p>"just"aMom, I didn’t mean to contradict you. I know very little about kosher, and didn’t even know that kosher soap existed, and I know that a lot of kosher products are animal free. I was just responding to your last statement about gelatin, because I do know that kosher gelatin is not animal free, unfortunately. I just wanted to make sure that people wouldn’t assume all products were. I’m sure you are much more of an expert than me in this, though!</p>
<p>And if you want to throw another wrench in the works … fish certainly know who feeds them! When I visit my tropical fish wholesaler to buy stock for the pet store, the fish ignore me walking up and down the aisles … but let the fish manager come out on the floor (he would be the guy that brings all the goodies 2x a day) and all the fish come to the front of the tanks. Fish have more going on than we think they do … and I bet they do have feelings!</p>
<p>My mom is dead now, but I did send an e-mail to her Rabbi who was quick to respond.</p>
<p>For gelatin to be kosher, it must come from a vegetarian source or be produced in a specific way. If a gelatin comes from a source that is neither animal-based nor dairy-based, it is pareve, meaning it is a neutral food and Jewish adherents, wanting to remain kosher, may consume this items. This type of gelatin comes from carob beans, agar-agar, guar gum and xanthan gum. Deep water fish may be used in the preparation of kosher gelatin. In short, gelatin may be kosher if the animal it came from was kosher but all forms of vegetarian gelatin are considered kosher. Look for the kosher label when buying gelatin products. This is the only absolute way to ensure your diet remains kosher. Unfortunately, without the determination on the product itself, you may not be kosher if you eat items prepared with gelatin, such as marshmallows, yogurt, fruit juices or gummy-type candy treats. If the ingredients list gelatin but do not list which type, chances are it is not a kosher product.</p>
<p>fish certainly know who feeds them!
Lawdy this is true- the other day we were at a pond shop and the * rather large* koi were perched on the edge of the pond on their pectoral fins thinking we were going to feed them.</p>
<p>( I buy kosher hotdogs- I know they have “meat” in them, but I feel more assured that the meat is listed on the label)</p>
<p>Toms of Maine products say no animal ingredients or testing. </p>
<p>My D has been involved with animal rights since before HS, and was thrilled that Skittles now has a gelatine(and gluten) free version. That’s what she got in her final exam care package!</p>
<p>cnp55, Please don’t tell S2 about your fish observations! Meal planning is hard enough around here without eliminating a major souce of high-quality protein!</p>
<p>Thank you all for the suggestions! I’ve checked out online reviews of Kiss My Face and Dr. Bronner’s products, and they seem to be good choices for us. I will pick up some KMF products today in Trader Joe’s (if they carry them), and also find some Dr. Bronner’s products somewhere, and then put our choices on Amazon’s subscription plan.</p>
<p>I’ll also look into Tom’s of Maine. I’ve bought their toothpastes, but didn’t realize that they also made soap.</p>
<p>On the subject of kosher food, S1 has food allergies. He’s outgrown most of them, but when he was younger he was allergic to many foods, including milk. A nutritionist suggested buying “kosher pareve” foods. I did this until he outgrew his milk allergy, but I have read since then that milk-allergic people have had reactions to supposedly milk-free, kosher pareve foods. Apparently the immune system is more sensitive than the kosher protocols!</p>
<p>I think Trader Joes also has Dr Bronners- but they also carry other soaps and liquid cleaners that aren’t tested on animals / use animal products.</p>