FOR COMMENTS ONLY FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS EAS 186 
 Second  Edition  
2013-mm-dd 
 
 Reference number  
FDUS EAS 186: 2013 
© UNBS 201 3 
  
Toilet soap — Specification  
 FOR COMMENTS ONLYFDUS EAS 1 86: 2013 
ii                © UNBS  2013 - All rights reserved 
 Compliance with this standard does not, of itself confer immunity from legal obligations  
A Uganda Standard does not purport to include all necessary provisions of a contract. Users are 
responsible for its correct application  
© UNBS 2013 
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any 
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without prior written 
permission from UNBS. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to 
The Executive Director 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards 
P.O. Box 6329 
Kampala 
Uganda 
Tel: 256 41 505 995 
Fax: 256 41 286 123 
E-mail: unbs@infocom.co.ug  
Web: www.unbs.go.ug  
 FOR COMMENTS ONLYFDUS EAS 1 86: 2013 
© UNBS  2013 - All rights reserved                iii National foreword 
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) is a parastatal under the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and 
Industry established under Cap 3 27, of the Laws of Uganda. UNBS is mandated to co-ordinate the elaboration 
of standards and is  
(a) a member of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and  
(b) a contact point for the WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius Commission on Food Standards, and  
(c) the National Enquiry Point on TBT/SPS Agreements of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). 
The work of preparing Uganda Standards is carried out through Technical Committees. A Technical 
Committee is established to deliberate on standards in a given field or area and consists of representatives of 
consumers, traders, academicians, manufacturers, government and other stakeholders. 
Draft Uganda Standards adopted by the Technical Committee are widely circulated to stakeholders and the 
general public for comments. The committee reviews the comments before recommending the draft standards 
for approval and declaration as Uganda Standards by the National Standards Council. 
This Final Draft Uganda Standard, FDUS EAS 1 86: 2013, Toilet soap — Specification , is identical with  and 
has been reproduced from an East African  Standard, EAS 186: 2013, Toilet soap  — Specification , and is 
being proposed for adoption as a Uganda Standard.  
This standard was developed by the Chemicals and environment Standards Technical Committee (UNBS/TC 
5). 
This standard cancels and replaces US EAS 1 86:2011 Toilet soap — Specification , which has been 
technically revised. 
Wherever the words, “ East African Standard" appear, they should be replaced by "Uganda Standard." 
 FOR COMMENTS ONLY EAS 186: 2013 
ICS 71.100.40 
© EAC 2013                                                                                                                         Third Edition 2013  
 
EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
Toilet soap — Specification 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY FOR COMMENTS ONLYFOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 186: 2013 
ii © EAC  2013  – All rights reserved  
 Copyright notice 
This EAC document is copyright-protected by EAC. While the reproduction of this document by 
participants in the EAC standards development process is permitted without prior permission from EAC, 
neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form for 
any other purpose without prior written permission from EAC. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document for the purpose of selling it should be addressed 
as shown below or to EAC’s member body in the country of the requester:  
© East African Community 2013  — All rights reserved 
East African Community  
P.O.Box 1096 
Arusha 
Tanzania 
Tel: 255 27 2504253/8 
Fax: 255 27 2504481/2504255 
E-mail: eac@eachq.org 
       Web: www.eac-quality.net 
Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement. 
Violators may be persecuted 
 FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 186: 2013 
© EAC 2013  – All rights reserved  iii 
 Foreword 
Development of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are encountered when goods and services are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
In order to achieve this objective, the Community established an East African Standards Committee mandated 
to develop and issue East African Standards.   
The Committee is composed of representatives of the National Standards Bodies in Partner States, together 
with the representatives from the private sectors and consumer organizations. Draft East African Standards 
are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standards Bodies in the Partner States. The comment s 
received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in accordance with the procedures 
of the Community. 
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advances. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
EAS 186 was prepared by Technical Committee EAS/TC 0 74, Surface active agents . 
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (EAS 186: 2011 ) which has been technically 
revised. 
 
 FOR COMMENTS ONLYFOR COMMENTS ONLYEAST AFRICAN STANDARD  EAS 186: 2013  
 
© EAC 2013  – All rights reserved  1 
 Toilet soap — Specification 
1 Scope 
This East African Standard specifies requirements, sampling and test methods for toilet soap. It does not 
apply to carbolic soap or specialty soaps such as medicated soap, transparent soap, floating soap, liquid soap 
or sea-water soap. 
2 Normative references 
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated 
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced 
document (including any amendments) applies. 
EAS 377-1 , Cosmetics and cosmetics products — Part 1: List of substances prohibited in cosmetic products  
EAS 377-2, Cosmetics and cosmetics products — Part 2: List of substances which cosmetic products must 
not contain except subject to restrictions laid down  
EAS 377-3 , Cosmetics and cosmetics products — Part 3: List of colourants allowed in cosmetic products 
EAS 377-4 , Cosmetics and cosmetics products — Part 4: List of preservatives allowed in cosmetic products 
EAS 377-5 , Cosmetics and cosmetics products — Part 5: Use of UV filters in cosmetic products  
ISO 457, Analysis of soap — Determination of chloride content — Titrimetric method  
ISO 456, Surface active agents — Analysis of soaps — Determination of free caustic alkali  
ISO 684, Analysis of soap — Determination of total free alkali  
ISO 685, Analysis of soap — Determination of alkali content and total fatty matter content  
ISO 673, Analysis of soap — Determination of ethanol insoluble matter  
ISO 862, Surface active agents — Vocabulary  
ISO 1067, Analysis of soap — Determination of unsaponifiable, unsaponified and unsaponified saponfiable 
matter  
3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this East African Standard the terms and definitions given in ISO 862 and the following 
apply. 
3.1 
soap 
product formed by the saponification or neutralization of fats, oils, waxes, rosins or their acids with organic or 
inorganic bases FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 1 86:2013 
2 © EAC  2013  – All rights reserved  
 3.2 
toilet soap 
soap which is intended for use in bathing 
3.3 
saponification 
chemical reaction in which a fat is converted into a soap by the action of a base  
3.4 
colouring matter 
any safe dyestuff that may be used to colour toilet soap 
3.5 
free caustic alkali 
uncombined caustic alkali present in a soap 
3.6 
total fatty matter 
water-insoluble or ether soluble fatty matter under the specified conditions of test 
3.7 
total free alkali 
sum of the free caustic alkali and the free carbonate alkali contents 
4 Requirements 
4.1 General requirements 
4.1.1  Toilet soap shall not cause skin irritation and shall have good lathering and cleansing properties.  
4.1.2  Toilet soap shall be firm and of uniform texture and colour and shall be  free from objectionable 
(disagreeable) odour.  
4.1.3  Perfumes and colouring matter may be added. 
4.1.4  Toilet soap shall remain hard and smooth and shall also not crumble when tested in accordance with 
Annex A. 
4.1.5  All the substances used in toilet soap shall comply with the requirements of all parts of EAS 377.  
4.2 Specific quality requirements  
Toilet soap shall comply with the specific quality requirements specified in Table 1. FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 1 86:2013 
© EAC 2013  – All rights reserved  3 
 Table 1 — Specific quality requirements 
S/No.  Characteristic  Requirement  Method of test  
i.  Total fa tty matter content, % by mass, min 76.0 ISO 685  
ii.  Content of matter insoluble in ethanol, % by mass, max  2 ISO 673  
iii.  Free caustic alkali content as NaOH, % by mass, max  0.1 ISO 456  
iv.  Free fatty acids content as oleic acid, % by mass, max  0.3 Annex B 
v.  Chlorides content as NaCI, % by mass, max  0.8 ISO 457  
vi.  Unsaponified fatty matter content, % by mass, max  0.5 ISO 1067  
NOTE  Toilet soap is liable to lose moisture on storage. The results of analysis in respect to free caustic alkali, free 
carbonated alkali and matter insoluble in alcohol should be recalculated in relation to the minimum specified total fatty 
matter by means of the following equation:   
matterfatty  total actualmatterfatty  total specified minimum  result  actualresult Corrected
 
The corrected results should  be used to determine whether the product is up to standard.  
 
5 Pack aging and marking  
5.1 Pack aging  
Toilet soap shall be so wrapped as to protect them from damage and excessive loss or gain of moisture.  
5.2 Marking 
Toilet soap shall be marked legibly and indelibly with the following information:  
a) name of product as “Toilet soap” ; 
b) manufacturer’s name and physical address;  
NOTE The name, physical address of the distributor/supplier and trade mark may be added as required. 
c) batch number or lot number;  
d) Total Fatty Matter content (TFM); 
e) net content;  
f) country of origin; 
g) list of ingredients in descending order of quantity; and 
h) date of manufacture and best before date.  
6 Sampling 
Sampling shall be done in accordance to Annex C. FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 1 86:2013 
4 © EAC  2013  – All rights reserved  
 7 Criteria for conformity 
The lot shall be deemed to comply with the requirements of this standard if, after inspection and testing, the 
requirements of Clause 4 and 5 are satisfied.  FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 1 86:2013 
© EAC 2013  – All rights reserved  5 
 Annex A 
(normative) 
 
Texture and stability test 
When immersed in 1 L of distilled water for 1 h at 25 °C – 30 °C, toilet soap shall not show signs of 
disintegration, and when dried at room temperature for 25 h thereafter, it shall not crumble, crack or break. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 1 86:2013 
6 © EAC  2013  – All rights reserved  
 Annex B 
(normative) 
 
Determination of free fatty acids content as oleic acid 
 
 
B.1  Barium chloride method 
 
B.1.1 Apparatus 
 
B.1.1.1  500 mL conical flask. 
 
B.1.1.2  Reflux condenser to fit the flask. 
 
B.1.2 Reagents 
 
B.1.2.1 Distilled water or water,  of at least equivalent purity, free from carbon dioxide. 
 
B.1.2.2 Ethanol,  95 per cent (V/V), free from carbon dioxide and distilled over potassium hydroxide. 
 
B.1.2.3 Ethanol,  aqueous solution 60 per cent (V/V), neutralized. 
 
Mix 125 mL ethanol (B.1.2.2), 75 mL distilled water (B.1.2.1) and 1 mL of indicator (B.1.2.7). Neutralize to a 
violet colour with an aqueous solution of potassium or sodium hydroxide (B.1.2.4). Heat under ref lux for 10 
min. Allow to cool to room temperature. Add 1 mL of indicator (B.1.2.7). Neutralize with the hydrochloric 
acid solution (3.5.6) until the violet colour disappears. 
 
B.1.2.4. Potassium or sodium hydroxide,  0.1 N aqueous solution. 
 
B.1.2.5 Barium chloride,  aqueous solution. 
 
Dissolve 10 g of barium chloride dihydrate (BaCl 2. 2H20) in 90 ml of distilled water (B.1.2.1). Neutralize with 
potassium or sodium hydroxide (B.1.2.4) in the presence of indicator (B.1.2.7) until a violet colour appears. 
 
B.1.2.6. Hydrochloric acid,  0.1 N aqueous solution, accurately standardized. 
 
B.1.2.7 Indicator mixture,  phenolphthalein-thymol blue, ethanolic solution. 
 
Dissolve 1 g of phenolphthalein and 0.5 g of thymol blue in 100 ml of hot ethanol (B.1.2.2). Filter. 
 
B.2  Procedure 
 
Weigh, to the nearest 0.01 g, about 5 g of soft soap into a conical flask (B.1.1.1). Add 200 ml of ethanol 
(B.1.2.3). Connect the reflux condenser (B.1.1.2). Bring to the boil for 10 min . Add an excess of 0.1 N 
ethanolic potassium hydroxide solution of exactly known normality. 
 
Add to this boiling solution 20 mL of barium chloride solution (B.1.2.5) in small portions shaking thoroughly. 
Cool with running water to room temperature. 
 
Add 1 mL of the indicator mixture (B.1.2.7 ). Titrate immediately with the hydrochloric acid solution (B.1.2.6 ) 
until the violet colour disappears. 
 
 
 
 
 
 FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 1 86:2013 
© EAC 2013  – All rights reserved  7 
 B.3  Expression of results 
 
The free fatty acids as oleic acid, expressed as a percentage (m/m) of potassium hydroxide, is given by the 
formula 
 
mTV6.5
 
 
Where 
 
V  is the number of ml of hydrochloric acid solution (B.1.2.6) used; 
 
T  is the exact normality of the hydrochloric acid solution (B.1.2.6) used; 
 
m  is the mass, in g, of the test portion. FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 1 86:2013 
8 © EAC  2013  – All rights reserved  
 Annex C 
(normative) 
 
Sampling  
C.1 Procedure  
C.1.1 In a single consignment, all packages (cartons) containing toilet soap cakes drawn from the same 
batch of production shall constitute a lot. For ascertaining the conformity of the lot to the requirements of this 
standard, tests shall be carried out on each lot separately. The number of packages to be selected for drawing 
the sample shall be in accordance with Table C .1.  
Table C .1 — Scale of sampling 
Number of packages (cartons) in 
the lot  
N Number of packages (cartons) to be 
selected  
n Numb er  of samples  
4 to 15  3 3 
16 to 40  4 4 
41 to 65  5 2 
66 to 110  7 2 
111 and above  10 1 
 
C.1.2 The packages shall be selected at random, using tables of random numbers. If these are not 
available, the following procedure shall be applied:  
Starting from any package, count all the packages in one order as 1, 2, 3.... N, selecting every k th package, 
where k is the integral part of N  n.  
C.1.3 From each package thus selected, draw at random an equal number of cakes so as to obtain a total 
mass of at least 2 kg.  
C.2 Preparation of test samples 
C.2.1 Composite sample  
Weigh each cake separately (including any material that may have adhered to the wrapper), and calculate the 
average mass. Cut each of the remaining cakes into eight parts by means of three cuts at right angles to each 
other through the middle. Grate finely the whole of two diagonally opposite eighths of each specimen. Mix the 
gratings and place in a clean, dry, airtight glass container.  
C.2.2 Samples for testing 
Immediately after preparation of composite sample (C .2.1), take at one time all test samples required for the 
tests in 4.2. Weigh out the test sample required for determination of free alkali or acid content, and use it 
immediately.  
 FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 186: 2013    
 
© EAC 2013  – All rights reserved