Dettol - The very name brings to mind a brand synonymous with health and hygiene. Most of us would have used the antiseptic lotion at sometime or the other, be it as an additive in water with our daily bath, cleaning the floor of the house, as an after-shave or simply to clean wounds/burns. Indeed such is the top-of-the-line recall of this brand that it’s been unfailingly named as one of the 20 most popular brands in India for the last 2 decades or so. While we are more familiar with the anti-septic liquid, I wish to cover it in it’s soap form in this review.

Ingredients

It contains “Triclosan” – an excellent chemical that aids in cleaning germs and bacteria. I have no idea what percentage of Triclosan it contains because it’s not mentioned anywhere on the cover. Unfortunately, even though I was an excellent chemistry student, I have neither the apparatus nor the knowledge base to “dissect” soaps (I was always more comfy with the roaches and rats).

I wouldn’t have bought this soap under normal circumstances had it not been for the non-availability of my favourite brand “Liril”. My friends jokingly call me a “micro-biologist” because I have this tendency to check out the ingredients of all cosmetics that I purchase. Irrespective of the other ingredients, what I look for when buying a cake of soap is the amount of Total Fatty Matter (TFM) content in it. It only forms the basic and largest ingredient in any bathing soap. Our bio teacher had once told us at school that the more the TFM content, better the soap. TFM is a mixture of natural plant fats and artificial chemical fats and is the compound that’s responsible for all the lather that comes into view when the soap is made wet and rubbed against the body. It is common knowledge that more lather leads to better cleansing. A Dettol soap contains 73% TFM as against an average of 70% across all other soaps. Incidentally, disclosure of the TFM content is a mandatory requirement in India and is therefore mentioned on the hind cover of all bathing soaps. Do check it out when you buy a cake of bathing soap next!

My experience

I’ve been using this soap for the last one week now and as the days pass, I’m feeling guilty that my hitherto unflinching loyalty towards “Liril” is on the wane. I’ve been blessed with highly sensitive skin and have faced no problems even when I used this soap during winter. Many other soaps have this effect of inducing my skin to peel off during winters which was not the case with Dettol. Apart from being usable for different kinds of skins, I’m convinced that it can also be used safely during different seasons without any negative effects. It exudes a pleasant smell unlike the sometimes-nauseating smell that the Dettol antiseptic gives off. In effect, it not only does a good job of cleaning the bacteria and germs on the body but also gives out a nice smell that gives a feeling of freshness. As for longevity, I’ve had 14 baths so far and a little more than half the soap is visible now.

Other Information

The soap is orangish in colour (I know a lot of people who buy a soap because they like it’s colour!) and fits well into the hand while (sc)rubbing the body. Manufactured by Godrej Soaps Limited, the soap weighing 125 grams is priced at Rs. 22, which is a decent enough price when compared to other bathing soaps of the same weight.

Purchase Price (INR):	Rs. 22.00
Your Skin Type:	Sensitive skin
Skin Tone:	Very fair
Skin Compatibility:	No Comment
Duration of Use:	No Comment