Development and Evaluation of Herbal Neem Soap

Abstract

Azadirachta indica, or neem leaves, have demonstrated efficacy in medical and consumer goods because of the bioactive substances they contain. It is today regarded as a valuable source of distinctive natural materials for the creation of both industrial items and medications to treat a variety of ailments. The objectives of this research were to extract neem leaves by using the Soxhlet method, and to produce bath soap from the extract. The obtained neem oil was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy. Four types of soaps were used; soap based, aloe vera soap, neem soap and commercial soap. After one month of storage at room temperature, it can be concluded that all of the soap types experienced weight loss over the one-month period, which may be due to water evaporation and the biodegradation of soap components when exposed to air. In thermal stability analysis, the soap sample were found to be stable after one-month of storage at room temperature without any sign of change. Overall, all soaps showed no changes after one month storage at room temperature but a little bit drier at 45 ˚С. Only neem soap maintained the moisture behaviour, among others, throughout analysis. The level of the soap's ability to cleanse the skin was tested using the foam test. The longest time of foam disappearance was shown by commercial soap, which was 87 minutes. However, a quick disappearance of foam, as observed with aloe vera and neem soaps, which were 54 minutes and 56 minutes, respectively. The pH-alkalinity level of the soap was 8, proving that it is suitable for human skin. A survey analysis of the effectiveness of soap on consumers was done based on skin condition, skin moisture, soothing effects, smell, and sizing. Up to 80% of the ratings the neem soap was good and excellent.