Reference number  
DRS 360: 2017  
© RBS yyyy 
© RSB 2017  
 
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS 
360 
 
First edition  
2017 -mm-dd 
 
Herbal soaps — Specification  
 
  DRS 360: 2017  
©RSB 2017  All rights reserved                  ii 
 
 In order to match with technological development and to keep continuous progress in industries, 
Standards are subject to periodic review. Users shall ascertain that they are in possession of the latest 
edition  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© RSB 2017  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise spec ified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized 
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without 
prior written permission from R SB. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document shou ld be addressed to  
Rwanda Standards  Board  
P.O Box 7099 Kigali -Rwanda  
Tel. +250 252 586103/ 582945  
E-mail: info@rsb.gov.rw  
Website: www.rsb.gov.rw  DRS 360: 2017  
iii                 ©RSB 2017 A ll rights reserved  
 
 Contents  Page 
Foreword  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  iv 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4 Requ irements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  2 
4.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4.2 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...........................  2 
4.2.1 Herbal toilet soaps  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  2 
4.2.2  Herbal laundry soap  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  2 
4.2.3  Herbal liquid soap  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 2 
5 Packaging and labelling ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  3 
5.1 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...............  3 
5.2 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .................  3 
6 Sampling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ................  4 
7 Test methods  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  4 
Annex  A (normative)  Determination of pH  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 5 
 DRS 360: 2017  
©RSB 2017  All rights reserved                  iv 
 
 Foreword  
Rwanda Standard s are prepared  by Technical Committees and approved by R wanda Standards Board (RSB) 
Board  of Directors in  accordance with the procedures of RSB, in compliance with Annex 3 of the WTO/TBT 
agreement on the preparation, adoption and application of standards.  
The main task of technical committees is to prepare national standards.  Final Draft Rwanda S tandards 
adopted by Technical committ ees are ratifie d by me mbers of RSB Board of Director s for publication and 
gazettment  as Rwanda Standards.  
PD xxx  was prepared by Technical Committee RSB/TC 11, Cosmetics, Toiletries and Surface Active Agents . 
In the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the  following standard s: 
1) TZS 1009 , Herbal Soap - Specification  
2) KS 1795 , Neem herbal soap — Specification  
3) TZS 883 , Neem Herbal Soap — Specification  
4) TZS 894 , Jatropha herbal s oap— Specification  
5) IS 15735 , Herbal Cosmetics — General guidelines  
The assistance de rived from the above source is hereby acknowledged with thanks.  
Committee membership  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee on Cosmetics, toiletries and 
Surface Active Agents (RSB/TC 011) in the preparation of this standard.  
ALYVO Rwanda Ltd  
Better Home Ltd  
EDEN BUSINESS CENTER Ltd  
Health Care Pharmacy  
Kacyiru Hospital (KH)  
Ministry of Health (MoH)  
National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA)  DRS 360: 2017  
v                 ©RSB 2017 A ll rights reserved  
 
 Pharmacie Conseil  
Pharmacie Nova  
Private Sector Federation/Beauty Makers Association (PSF)  
Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC ) 
Rwanda Dermatology Society (RDS)  
Rwanda  National Police (RNP ) 
SULFO Rwanda Industries Ltd  
The Ihangane Project (TIP)  
University of Rwanda — College of Science and Technology (UR — CST)  
ZIRUMUZE  Cooperative  
Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) — Secretariat  
 DRS 360: 2017  
1                 ©RSB 2017 A ll rights reserved  
 
 Herbal Soaps — Specification  
1 Scope  
This Draft  Rwanda Standard pr escribes requirements and test method s for herbal soap s.  
Considering that herbal product  properties vary in accordance with the intended application , the standard 
cover s different types as follows:  
a) herbal toilet soap ; 
b) herbal laundry soap ; and  
c) herbal liquid soap . 
This document does not apply to products intended to be used for medicinal purpose.  
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.  
DFRS 333, Herbal cosmetic products – General requirements  
RS EAS 377 , Cosmetics and cosmetic products (all parts)  
RS E AS 346 , Labelling of cosmetics — General requirements  
RS 278 , Cosmetics – Methods of sampling  
RS ISO 457 , Analysis of soap — Determination of Chloride content — Titrimetric method  
RS ISO 456 , Surface active agents — Analysis of soaps — Determination of free caustic alkali  
RS ISO 684 , Analysis of soap — Determination of Total free alkali  
RS ISO 685 , Analysis of soap — Determination of alkali content and total fatty matter content  
RS ISO 673 , Analysis of soap — Determination of ethanol insoluble matter  
RS ISO 862 , Surface active agents — Vocabulary  
RS ISO 1067 , Analysis of soap — Determination of unsaponifiable, unsaponified and unsaponified  
saponfiable matter  
  
©RSB 2017  All rights reserved                  2 
 
 3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitions appl y  
3.1 
herbal soap s 
any laundry,  toilet or liquid soap, which contains herbal oil and/or herbal extracts  
NOTE  Terms and definitions quoted in DRS 333 should be applied on this document.  
4 Requirements  
4.1 General requirements  
4.1.1  To ensure the quality of the product and the well being of the consumer, herbal soaps shall conform 
to requirements prescribed in DRS 333 . 
4.1.2  All the ingredients used shall conform to the requirements in RS EAS 377 (all parts) . 
4.2 Specific requirements  
4.2.1  Herbal toilet soaps  
4.2.1.1  Herbal toilet soap shall be high graded, thoroughly saponified milled soaps or homogenized soap 
or both, white or coloured and compressed in the form of firm cakes and shall possess good cleaning and 
lathering properties.  
4.2.1.2  In addition to perfumes an d moisture, herbal toilet soap may contain only colouring matter, 
preservatives, and superfatting agents and such additional substances shall be declared on the label. All the 
foreign materials shall be non -injurious in use with soap . 
4.2.2  Herbal laundry soap  
The soap shall be of firm texture, shall be free from objectionable odour and shall posses s good lathering . 
4.2.3  Herbal liquid soap  
4.2.3.1  The herbal liquid soap shall be in a form of a liquid or emulsion. It shall be opaque or transparent, 
coloured or colourle ss and perfumed or unperfumed. It shall be of uniform consistency, free from sediments 
and suspended particles. It shall be easily spreadable. It shall have good lathering and rinsing properties. It 
shall be non -toxic and non -irritant . 
4.2.3.2  It may conta in up to 2% appropriate synthetic detergents . DRS 360: 2017  
3                 ©RSB 2017 A ll rights reserved  
 
 All types of herbal soaps shall comply with requirements specified in table 1 . 
Table 1 — Requirements for herbal soap  
S/No  Characteristic  Requirements  Test 
methods  Herbal 
toilet soap  Herbal 
laundry soap  Herbal liquid 
soap  
1 Herbal content , % by mass, min  2 1.5 2 - 
2 Total fatty matter % by mass, min  70 45 15 ISO 685  
3 Matter insoluble in alcohol % by mass, max  2 20 0.5 ISO 673  
4 Matter insoluble in water % by mass, max  - 5 - ISO 6839  
5 Total free fat (unsaponified and unsaponifiable 
fatty matter), % by mass, max  0.5 2 - ISO 1067  
6 Free caustic alkali as (NaOH), % by mass, max  0.1 0.4 0.03 ISO 684  
7 Total free alkali as Na 2O/ K 2O, % by mass, max  - 0.25 0.03 ISO 29456  
8 Chlorides, % by mass, max  
 0.8 1.5 - ISO 457  
9 pH at 27ºC  
 - - 7.5 – 9.5 Annex A  
Note 1 In the case of super fatted soaps, this limit shall not exceed 1.5% by mass and should be declared by manufacturer.  
Note 2 Coloured items are proposed for discussion if we should include  
 
5 Packaging and labelling  
5.1 Packaging  
All herbal soaps shall be packed in suitable materials that do not allow any damage of the product or its 
contamination.  The containers shall be securely closed . 
5.2 Labelling  
In addition to the labelling requirement s of RS EAS 346, the following information shall be indelibly and legibly 
marked on the container:  
a) product name that is “Herbal soap”;  
b) percentage of herbal preparations used;  
NOTE 1 In case of antibacterial soaps, the antibacterial agent used and its concentration in the product shall be declared 
on the label.   
©RSB 2017  All rights reserved                  4 
 
 6 Sampling  
For the purpose of this Rwanda Standard, general precaution, scale of sampling and preparation of test 
samples shall be done as prescribed in RS 278 . 
7 Test methods  
The requirements enumerated in this specification shall be determined in accordance with the ISO methods 
indicated in table 1 . 
 
 
 DRS 360: 2017  
5                 ©RSB 2017 A ll rights reserved  
 
 Annex  A 
(normative)  
 
Determination of pH  
Use the pH meter equipped with glass electrode. Determine the pH directly.  
 DRS 360: 2017  
ICS 71.100.70  
 
 
©RSB 2017  All right s reserved