FOR COMMENTS ONLY FINAL DRAFT UGANDA 
STANDARD  
  FDUS EAS 790 
First  Edition  
2013-mm-dd 
 
 Reference number  
FDUS EAS 790: 2013 
© UNBS 201 3 
  
Liquid soap — Specification  
 FOR COMMENTS ONLYFDUS EAS 790: 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 790: 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 790: 2013, Liquid soap  — Specification , is identical with  and 
has been reproduced from an East Afr ican Standard, EAS 790: 2013, Liquid 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). 
Wherever the words, “ East African Standard" appear, they should be replaced by "Uganda Standard." 
 FOR COMMENTS ONLY EAS 790: 2013 
ICS 71.100.40 
© EAC 2013                                                                                                                              First Edition 2013  
 
EAST AFRICAN STANDARD 
Liquid soap — Specification 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY FOR COMMENTS ONLYFOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 790: 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 790: 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 comments 
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 790 was prepared by Technical Committee EAS/TC 0 74, Surface active agents . 
 FOR COMMENTS ONLYFOR COMMENTS ONLYEAST AFRICAN STANDARD  EAS 790: 2013  
 
© EAC 2013  – All rights reserved  1 
 Liquid soap — Specification  
1 Scope 
This East African Standard specifies requirements and methods of sampling and test for liquid soap for 
general purposes.  It does not cover shampoos and products intended for specific purposes, such as those for 
industrial and surgical uses. 
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 456, Surface active agents — Analysis of soaps — Determination of free caustic alkali  
ISO 673, Soaps — Determination of content of ethanol insoluble matter 
ISO 685, Analysis of soap — Determination of total alkali content and total fatty matter content  
ISO 862, Surface active agents — Vocabulary 
ISO 4316, Surface active agents — Determination of pH of aqueous solutions — Potentiometric method  
3 Terms and definitions 
For the purposes of this East African Standard the terms and definitions given in ISO 862 apply. 
4 Requirements 
4.1 General requirements 
4.1.1 The liquid soap shall consist essentially of an aqueous solution of potassium soaps, sodium soaps or 
both, made from oils, fatty acids or their mixture. It shall be a homogeneous, clear, translucent or opaque 
liquid with good lathering and cleaning properties. It may contain permissible synthetic detergents. FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 790: 2013 
2 © EAC  2013  – All rights reserved  
 4.1.2 The liquid soap shall quickly form a satisfactory lather while in use.  
4.1.3 The liquid soap shall remain a homogeneous stable product and shall show no sign of separation or 
sedimentation when kept at 5 °C for 24 h. 
4.1.4  All substances used in liquid soap shall comply with the requirements of all parts of EAS 377. 
4.2 Specific requirements 
The liquid soap shall comply with the specific quality requirements specified in Table 1. 
Table 1 — Specific quality requirements for liquid soap 
Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
Total fatty matter, % by mass, min. 15.0 ISO 685  
Matter in soluble in alcohol, % by 
mass, max.   0.5 ISO 673  
Free caustic alkali (as K 2O), % by 
mass, max.  0.03 ISO 456 
pH  5 - 9 ISO 4316  
5 Sampling 
Sampling shall be done in accordance with Annex A. 
6 Criteria for conformity 
A lot shall be declared as conforming to this standard if each sample inspected and analysed for quality 
requirement conforms to the provision of this standard.  
7 Pack aging and marking 
7.1 Pack aging  
The liquid soap shall be packed in protective containers that will not allow for damage of the product or its 
contamination. 
7.2 Marking  
The container shall be securely closed and marked legibly and indelibly with the following information:  
 
a) name of the product as “liquid 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) net content of each container; 
d) batch number or lot number;  FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 790: 2013 
© EAC 2013  – All rights reserved  3 
 e) date of manufacture and best before date;  
f) list of ingredients in descending order of quantity; 
g) country of origin; 
h) instructions for use (which shall be in either English, Kiswahili or French or in combination as agreed 
between the manufacturer and supplier); and 
i) date of manufacture and best before date. FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 790: 2013 
4 © EAC  2013  – All rights reserved  
 Annex A 
(normative) 
 
Sampling procedure  
A.1 General requirements 
A.1.1  In drawing preparing, storing and handling samples, the precautions in A.1.2 – A.1.7 shall be 
observed.  
A.1.2 Samples shall not be taken from places exposed to damp air, dust or soot. 
A.1.3 The sampling instruments shall be clean and dry when used. 
A.1.4 The samples, the material being sampled, the sampling instruments and the containers for samples 
shall be protected from adventitious contamination. 
A.1.5 The samples shall be placed in clean and dry glass containers. The sample containers shall be of 
such a size that they are almost completely filled by the sample. 
A.1.6 Each container shall be sealed airtight after filling, and marked with full details of sampling which 
include, date of sampling, batch or code number, name of manufacturer, and other important particulars of the 
consignment. 
A.1.7 The samples shall be stored in such a manner that the temperature of the material does not vary 
unduly from the normal temperature, and that they are protected from light. 
A.2 Scale of sampling 
A.2.1 In a single consignment, all the packages containing non-soapy detergents of the same type and 
form, and drawn from the same batch of manufacture, shall constitute a lot. If the consignment consists of 
packages containing non-soapy detergents of different types and forms, then the packages containing non-
soapy detergents of the same type form and batch of manufacture shall be grouped together, and such group 
shall constitute a separate lot. 
A.2.2  For ascertaining the conformity of the lot to the requirements prescribed in this standard, tests shall be 
carried out on each lot separately. The number (n) of packages to be selected for drawing the samples shall 
depend upon the size (N) of the lot and shall be in accordance with Table A.1. FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 790: 2013 
© EAC 2013  – All rights reserved  5 
 Table A.1 — Scale of sampling 
No. o f packages in the lot  
(N) No. of packages to be selected  
(n) 
4 to 15  3 
16 to 40  4 
41 to 65  5 
66 to 110  7 
111 and above  10 
NOTE  When the size of  the lot is 3 packages or less, the number of containers to be selected and the 
criteria for judging the co nformity of the lot to the specifications should be as agreed on between the 
purchaser /inspector  and the supplier.  
 
A.2.3  The packages shall be selected at random and to ensure randomness of selection, a random number 
table shall be used. In case such tables are not available, the procedure given below may be adopted. 
Starting from any package, count all the packages in one order as 1, 2, 3,…, up to r and so on, where r is the 
integral part of N/n, (N being the lot size and n the number of packages to be selected). Every rth package thus 
counted shall be withdrawn to give a sample for the purposes of test. 
A.3 Preparation of gross samples, test sample and reference sample 
A.3.1 Gross sample 
From each one of the packages selected as in A.2, draw at random one or more containers. The material in 
the containers so chosen shall be nearly thrice the quantity required for purpose of test as indicated in A .4. 
The powder from the containers selected shall be disintegrated, if aggregated, and mixed thoroughly to give 
the gross sample for the package. 
A.3.2 Test sample 
A.3.2.1  Segregate carefully the gross samples of powders. From the gross representing each form of 
synthetic detergent take a small but equal quantity of material and mix thoroughly into a composite sample 
which should be of a size sufficient to carry out triplicate testing for all the characteristics specified under C.4. 
The composite samples representing each form and type of synthetic detergent shall be divided into three 
equal parts, one for the purchaser/inspector, another for the supplier, and the third for the referee. 
A.3.2.2  The remaining portion of the material in each of the gross samples shall be divided into three 
equal pans, each forming an individual sample. One set of individual samples, representing the n selected 
packages shall be for the purchaser/inspector, another for the supplier, and the third for refere nce. 
A.3.2.3  A ll the composite and individual samples shall be transferred to separate containers. These 
containers shall then be sealed airtight with stoppers, and labelled with full particulars of identification given in 
A.1.6. 
A.3.3 Refere nce samples 
A.3.3.1 The refere nce samples shall consist of a composite sample and a set of individual samples. All 
the containers shall bear the seals of both the purchaser/inspector and the supplier, and shall be kept at a 
place agreed to between the two parties. FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 790: 2013 
6 © EAC  2013  – All rights reserved  
 A.3.3.2  Refere nce samples shall be used in case of any dispute between the purchaser/inspector and the 
supplier. 
A.4 Number of tests 
A.4.1  Tests for the determination of active ingredient shall be performed on each of the individual samples. 
A.4.2 Tests for the determination of other requirements specified in Table 1 shall be conducted on the 
composite sample. 
A.5 Criteria for conformity 
A.5.1 For individual samples 
A.5.1 .1 For the characteristic, which has been determined on the individual sample, the mean (X) and the 
range (R) of test results shall be calculated as follows: 

resultstestof Numberresultstestof SumMean X
 
Range ( R) is the difference between the maximum and the minimum value of test results. 
A.5.1 .2 If the specification limit for the characteristic is given as a minimum, the value of the expression 
(
X- KR) shall be calculated from the relevant test results (see also A .5.1.5). If  the value so obtained is greater 
than or equal to the minimum limit, the lot shall be declared as conforming to the requirement for the 
characteristic. 
A.5.1 .3 If the specification limit for the characteristic is given as a maximum, the value of the expression 
(
X+ KR) shall be calculated from the relevant test results (see also A.5.1.5) . If the value so obtained is less 
than or equal to the maximum limit, the lot shall be declared as conforming to the requirement for the 
characteristi c. 
A.5.1 .4 If the characteristic has two-sided specification limits, then the values of the expression (
X  ± KR) 
shall be calculated from the relevant test results (see also A.5.1.5).  If the value so obtained lies between the 
two specification limits, the lot shall be declared as conforming to the requirement for the characteristic. 
A.5.1 .5 The value of the factor K referred to in A.5.1 .2 - A.5.1 .4 shall be chosen in accordance with Table 
A.2, depending upon the acceptable quality level, that is, the percentage, of non-conforming packages that 
may be tolerated reasonably. 
Table A.2 — Value of 'K' for achieving different acceptable quality levels 
Acceptable quality level  Value of 'K'  
Not more than 3.0 % defectives  0.4 
Not more than 1.5 % defectives  0.5 
Not more than 0.5 % defectives  0.6 
 FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 790: 2013 
© EAC 2013  – All rights reserved  7 
 A.5.2 For composite sample 
For declaring the conformity of the lot to the requirements of all the remaining characteristics determined on 
the composite sample, the test results for each one of the characteristics shall satisfy the relevant requirement 
given in Table 1 of this standard. FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 790: 2013 
8 © EAC  2013  – All rights reserved  
  FOR COMMENTS ONLYEAS 790: 2013    
 
© EAC 2013 – All rights reserved