Palm Oil - Is one of the most commonly used hard fats for soap making. Palm oil is extracted from the fruit pulp of the oil palm. This accounts for between 30 and 75 percent of the total oil blend.

Coconut Oil - Is pressed from dried coconut meat (copra). Accounts for 10 - 35 percent of the total oil blend.

Castor Oil - Is a thick and viscous oil extracted from the castor bean and is the traditional soft oil choice for transparent soap. It has the additional virtue of acting as a humectant: it draws and holds moisture from the air to the skin.

Ethanol - Alcohol is the primary solvent used in transparent soap.  Ethyl alcohol (Ethanol) is colourless and extremely flammable. It is naturally produced by the fermentation of sugars and canes. This is the ingredient used to turn opaque soap transparent.  All of the alcohol is evaporated during the curing period.

Glycerine - Is an excellent solvent and like castor oil, acts as a humectant and emollient. Glycerine is usually an alcohol. Sweet and very viscous, it is a naturally occurring by-product of saponification. The reaction of a fatty acid and an alkali creates soap and glycerine, the percentage of glycerine being between 10 and 13 percent. Commercial soap manufacturers extract it and sell it as a raw material. (That is why your skin always feels dry after showering). Handmade soap retains its naturally formed glycerine; handmade transparent soap retains and includes more glycerine. The glycerine used is derived from a vegetable base.

De-mineralised Water - Distilled or soft water is always used in transparent soap. Tap or rainwater can contain dissolved salts and other mineral impurities that may impart 'cloudiness' in the soap.

Sodium Hydroxide - Also called Lye or caustic soda. It is a constant ingredient in all soaps. In the past, it was made by running water through wood or plant ashes. Commercially, caustic soda is produced by the electrolysis of brine (seawater). After it has gone through the chemical reaction of saponification, it is no longer sodium hydroxide.

Refined Sugar - Ordinary table sugar or sucrose dissolved in de-mineralised water is another solvent used in transparent soap. It is derived from cane sugar.

Stearic Acid - Or Stearin is a fatty acid naturally derived from palm oil. As it is a free fatty acid, it provides an easy way to adjust the soaps pH if it too alkaline. It hastens saponification and makes a harder bar of soap.