Persimmon Soap Side Effects: What to Know Before You Try It

Persimmon soap has been sold in Japan for years as an everyday soap. Like any skin care product, it will not suit everyone. Here is what to watch for, what is in our bar, and how to try it with confidence.

What is in the Persimmon Body Bar

Our bar's key extracts are persimmon fruit extract (Diospyros Kaki Fruit Extract) and green tea leaf extract (Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract). They sit in a base of coconut oil, olive oil and shea butter, with glycerin, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and hydrolyzed collagen. It is made without sulfates or parabens. You can read the full list on the product page.

A few points worth knowing before you buy:

• Hydrolyzed collagen is usually sourced from animals. If you avoid animal-derived ingredients, ask us before you order.
• Scent: the bar has a soft green tea and citrus scent. If you know you react to fragrance, check the full ingredient list first.
• Known allergies: if you are allergic to any ingredient on the list, choose a different soap.

Possible side effects

Dryness or tightness

All soaps remove some of the skin's natural oils. Lambers and colleagues found that washing with soap, and even with tap water, raises the skin's naturally acidic surface pH for a while, and Ananthapadmanabhan and colleagues describe how cleansers can affect the skin barrier. If your skin feels tight after washing, shorten your shower, use warm water and moisturize straight after, as the American Academy of Dermatology recommends.

Irritation

Irritation is a direct reaction to something that is too much for your skin at that moment. It shows up as stinging, redness or dry patches where you washed, and it usually settles once you stop using the product or use it less often.

Allergic reaction

An allergy is an immune response to a specific ingredient. It can cause itching, redness, swelling or a rash, and it may appear a day or more after you use the product. Fragrance is a frequent cause: in a 2020 review, de Groot estimated that up to 4.5 in every 100 adults may be allergic to fragrance ingredients.

Natural ingredients can still cause reactions

Plant extracts are made of chemicals like everything else, and some people react to them. The American Academy of Dermatology points out that natural products can cause skin reactions too, which is why it recommends testing new products first.

Persimmon soap is a cosmetic soap, and its possible side effects are the same as for any soap.

How to patch test

The AAD suggests a simple test for any new skin care product:

1. Apply a little of the product, about the size of a quarter, to the inside of your arm or the bend of your elbow. For a soap, work up a small lather and wash that spot as you normally would.
2. Repeat twice a day for seven to ten days.
3. If your skin stays calm, you should be able to use the product.
4. If the spot turns red, itchy or swollen, wash it off and stop using the product.

Other sensible precautions

• Keep lather out of your eyes, and rinse with plenty of water if it gets in.
• Give broken, sunburned or freshly shaved skin a break until you know how your skin responds.
• The bar is made for the body. If you want to try it on your face, patch test first.
• Soaps sold as "nonenal soap" or "kareishu soap" are cosmetic products like any other, so the same advice applies. Read more in What Is Persimmon Soap?

When to see a doctor

Stop using the soap and see a doctor or dermatologist if a reaction spreads, blisters or swells, or if it has not settled a few days after you stop. Get urgent help for swelling of the face, lips or throat, or any difficulty breathing.

No soap suits everyone, including ours. If the Persimmon Body Bar does not work for your skin, you are covered by our 60-day money-back guarantee.