Soap vs. Detergent — What's the Difference?

Natural cleaner used for centuries.

Created to overcome soap's limitations in certain conditions.

A cleansing product made from fats or oils and lye.

Comes in various forms, including liquid, powder, and pods.

A substance that aids in removing dirt and grime.

Often used in laundry and dishwashing.

Often formed into bars for personal hygiene.

Designed to clean without leaving residues.

Result of a saponification process.

A synthetic cleansing agent with diverse chemical compounds.

Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping.

A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties in dilute solutions. These substances are usually alkylbenzene sulfonates, a family of compounds that are similar to soap but are more soluble in hard water, because the polar sulfonate (of detergents) is less likely than the polar carboxylate (of soap) to bind to calcium and other ions found in hard water.

A cleansing agent, manufactured in bars, granules, flakes, or liquid form, made from a mixture of the sodium salts of various fatty acids of natural oils and fats.

A water-soluble cleansing agent which combines with impurities and dirt to make them more soluble, and differs from soap in not forming a scum with the salts in hard water

A metallic salt of a fatty acid, as of aluminum or iron, that is not water soluble and may be used as a lubricant, thickener, or in various coating applications, ointments, or disinfectants.

Relating to detergents or their action

(Slang) Money, especially that which is used for bribery.

A cleansing substance that acts similarly to soap but is made from chemical compounds rather than fats and lye.

A soap opera.

Having cleansing power.

To treat or cover with or as if with soap.

Any non-soap cleaning agent, especially a synthetic surfactant.

(Informal) To softsoap; cajole.

Syn of cleansing.

(Slang) To bribe.

Cleansing; purging.

(chemistry) A metallic salt derived from a fatty acid, commonly used in cleaning products.

A surface-active chemical widely used in industry and laundering

Some other substance, often a detergent or another surfactant, able to mix with both oil and water, used for cleaning.

A cleansing agent that differs from soap but can also emulsify oils and hold dirt in suspension

(slang) Money, specially when used as a bribe.

Having cleansing power

A soap opera.

(countable) A solid masonry unit or brick reduced in depth or height from standard dimensions.

(transitive) To apply soap to in washing.

To cover, lather or in any other form treat with soap, often as a prank.

To be discreet about (a topic).

To flatter; to wheedle.

A substance which dissolves in water, thus forming a lather, and is used as a cleansing agent. Soap is produced by combining fats or oils with alkalies or alkaline earths, usually by boiling, and consists of salts of sodium, potassium, etc., with the fatty acids (oleic, stearic, palmitic, etc.). See the Note below, and cf. Saponification. By extension, any compound of similar composition or properties, whether used as a cleaning agent or not.

To rub or wash over with soap.

To flatter; to wheedle.

A cleansing agent made from the salts of vegetable or animal fats

Money offered as a bribe

Street names for gamma hydroxybutyrate

Rub soap all over, usually with the purpose of cleaning

Mild soaps are often recommended for sensitive skin, but there are also hypoallergenic detergents available.

Many detergents are formulated to activate and clean effectively in cold water.

Soap can react with minerals in hard water, reducing lather and leaving a residue.

Many "liquid soaps" are indeed detergents, but there are genuine liquid soaps as well.

Typically, true soaps are made from natural ingredients like fats or oils and lye.

Soaps typically have a basic pH due to the saponification process.

Soaps help in removing bacteria but may not necessarily kill them. Some antibacterial soaps claim to kill bacteria.

"Soap-free" cleansers are typically detergents formulated to be gentle, often for specific skin types or conditions.

Yes, many brands now produce eco-friendly detergents that are biodegradable.

Detergents are made using a combination of synthetic chemical compounds.

While most detergents are synthetic, some formulations incorporate natural ingredients.

It's best to use detergents in washing machines as soaps can leave residues.

Detergents are generally not recommended for personal hygiene; it's best to use products formulated for the body.