What is the Best Goat Milk Lotion for Healthy Skin?

I am a big believer in the goodness of goat milk. I think it's wonderful stuff. The whole reason I got my first goats in 2005 was because I wanted raw goat milk for my children to drink. I wanted to raise healthy goats so that I could trust that their milk was very healthy and full of enzymes, vitamins, and minerals.

Because of my defense and promotion of the value of raw goat milk, many people are surprised by the fact that I don't add any liquid goat milk to my Solid Goat Milk Lotion.

"I absolutely love your Lavender Solid Goat Milk Lotion. I carry it in my purse everyday as it absorbs in about two minutes! It has a beautiful lavender scent and works better than any lotion I have tried especially during the dry winter elements. I use it all over, especially on my chapped face, lips and hands. I have received so many compliments on my soft skin without the greasy feeling." - Deb T.

There are many good reasons why. Keep reading to find out everything you might want to know about goat's milk lotion.

Types of Goat Milk Lotion

Let's start by clarifying the two types of goat milk lotions that are readily available.

Liquid goat milk lotion is similar to regular, everyday drugstore lotions in that it is creamy and liquid-like. It usually comes in a squirt bottle or a pump bottle. Makers of liquid goat milk lotion use liquid goat milk (possibly raw but usually pasteurized) when formulating their product.

Solid Goat Milk Lotion has the consistency of a lip balm and melts when applied to the skin. Goat Milk Stuff makes Solid Goat Milk Lotion available in both a small stick and a large stick. There is no liquid goat milk in our formula. Instead, we use dehydrated raw goat milk in a powdered form.

"I love the solid Almond lotion. The scent is wonderful. I keep it at my desk while working. It's so compact and no mess when applying it to my hands. I LOVE IT!!" - Sue W.

We use dehydrated goat milk for safety reasons, which we will discuss in more detail below.

Goat Milk Lotion Benefits

Over the years, I have learned more about the amazing benefits of goat milk. And I've discovered that goat milk contains many nourishing components such as lactic acid, selenium, Vitamin A, and others. These components promote balanced, healthy skin and are a great addition to skincare products.

With this knowledge, it was an easy and natural decision to begin formulating my own goat milk-based bath & body products. After all, I already had healthy goats and lots of healthy goat milk!

In 2009, I started Goat Milk Stuff with the intention of creating safer, healthier options to commercially available bath & body and skin care products. The result is a wonderfully moisturizing, all-natural line of goat milk products that our customers can’t get enough of.

"I LOVE the Lavender lotion stick. I have trouble with my elbows becoming rough and cracked. Within one week of using this, my elbows are smooth and pain-free!! The fragrance is lovely!" - Grace B.

So, why have I chosen to make a Solid Goat Milk Lotion instead of a liquid one? After all, there are lots of other liquid goat milk lotions available on the market. Why not make one to compete?

I have a very good reason for not adding liquid goat milk to my lotion - I do not believe that liquid goat milk lotion is a safe product.

The Dangers of Liquid Goat Milk Lotion

What happens when you leave milk sitting out on the counter?

Bacteria begin to grow in it. Whenever you have a liquid-based product, germs and other pathogens will begin to grow. Unless, of course, you use chemical preservatives to block the growth of that bacteria.

Even if you pasteurize the goat milk before adding it to lotion, bacteria can still grow in liquid goat milk lotion. And even if you sterilize all of the other ingredients, bacteria can still grow in liquid goat milk lotion.

And even if you sterilize all the packaging, bacteria can still grow in liquid goat milk lotion.

For all of these reasons, liquid goat milk lotion is unsafe and unhealthy without the addition of natural or chemical preservatives, which we prefer not to use in our goat milk lotion recipe.

Are Natural Preservatives Effective?

There are several ingredients out there that claim to be natural preservatives. Ingredients like Vitamin E and grapeseed oil may have some preservative qualities.

But there simply are no studies that show that natural preservatives are effective at preventing bacterial growth in liquid goat milk lotion. This is a huge concern because if the natural preservatives you are relying on don't work, you are then potentially applying bacteria and other unhealthy organisms to your skin.

And so, to try to create safe liquid goat milk lotion, your final option is to use chemical preservatives.

"I hope to never be out of Oatmeal Milk and Honey lotion stick. If I am feeling stressed or I wake up at night, I use the OMH to moisturize my hands but more importantly to enjoy the rich and calming scent of OMH. It is true aromatherapy! It’s not a subtle scent, but strong and pleasingly sweet enough to drive all negative thoughts from my mind, and I immediately relax. Love it!!" - Melissa B.

The Dangers of Chemical Preservatives

Chemical preservatives may be more effective, but they are not natural. They often contain ingredients such as parabens that have been linked to endocrine disruption and possibly carcinogenic activity.

So while they may prevent bacterial growth, many question the safety of the preservatives themselves.

Many artisans who make liquid goat milk lotion prefer a chemical preservative called Phenonip. It has three main benefits. It can chemically prevent bacteria growth in milk, it doesn't leave an odor, and it doesn't affect the consistency of lotion. It quickly became a very popular chemical preservative for liquid goat milk lotion. However, there is a big problem.

Phenonip contains parabens. And parabens were scientifically linked to retained estrogen in human tissue. This makes it a potential endocrine disrupter.

When this news came out, many artisans stopped using Phenonip in favor of other chemical preservatives that weren't necessarily as effective. My understanding is that most (if not all) of the available approved preservatives (for milk) are known to be irritating to the skin and possibly carcinogenic.

Do Preservatives Actually Work in Liquid Goat Milk Lotion?

When I first started Goat Milk Stuff, I began researching the safety of liquid goat milk lotion. As part of my research, I spoke with someone online who was making her own goat milk lotion. She decided to send her lotion to a lab for microbiology testing.

She was pretty upset when she got back the results.

Despite her best efforts to make her lotion in a sterile environment and despite putting in the recommended dosage of chemical preservatives, the results showed that her lotion was contaminated with nasty microbiology she didn't want on her skin.

She decided then that she was going to purchase some other liquid goat milk lotions and have them tested. She wanted to see which preservatives other lotion makers were using actually worked.

Again, the results were shocking. Despite using chemical preservatives, each of the liquid goat milk lotions that were tested came back positive for nasty bacteria and contaminants such as staph, strep, mold, fungus, and e-coli.

The product testing lab shared some interesting facts with her as well. According to them, milk is the perfect environment for growing bacteria. And because of this, most chemical preservative manufacturers do not guarantee that the preservatives work in milk environments. And so, most goat milk lotion makers use higher concentrations of preservatives than are recommended. And even then, most liquid goat milk lotion still grows bacteria.

According to the product testing lab, the goal of most liquid milk-based lotion makers is to use enough preservatives to make the lotion "pass" testing. This is done by testing the lotion as soon after it is made as possible. Testing is time sensitive because the bacteria count continues to grow over time. Determining a safe shelf life is, therefore, a real problem with liquid goat milk lotions.

I kept in contact with her and kept an eye on her website for several years. She never did offer goat milk lotion for sale.

Why We Do Not Make Liquid Goat Milk Lotion

Now, I have to admit, I didn't run these tests myself, and I have no idea the conditions under which the liquid goat milk lotions were made. I do know, however, that every one of the liquid goat milk lotions she tested listed a preservative on their ingredient list because she shared photos of their labels and the lab results.

And after speaking to several chemists myself, I am convinced that liquid goat milk lotion is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. It is not a product I would be proud to make.

The end result of all my studies was my decision that making a liquid goat milk lotion was not worth the risk. As the producer, it is my responsibility only to sell safe products.

And I simply don't believe that liquid goat milk lotion is safe.

Yes, raw goat milk itself is wonderful. Goat milk is wonderful to drink. And goat milk is wonderful when added to your bath. And goat milk is wonderful for your skin when used in Goat Milk Soap.

Goat milk is safe in soap because, unlike lotion, soap goes through the saponification chemical reaction. This reaction transforms the milk molecules into soap, so the milk does not grow unsafe bacteria.

Liquid goat milk lotion, on the other hand, creates an environment that is perfect for growing bacteria. This makes it unsafe for me to use on my skin or on my family's skin. If I won’t use liquid goat milk lotion on our skin, I refuse to make it and sell it for you to use on your family’s skin.

"I have been wanting to tell you how much I love my GMS lotion sticks. Black Raspberry is a necessity. I keep it in my makeup bag so I remember to use it every day. For me, it is perfect tattoo care. I keep the skin smooth and have the aroma therapy of your amazing scent at the same time." - Tara P.

Because the risk of contamination is so high with a liquid goat milk lotion, the only safe way, in my opinion, to formulate it is to add very high levels of chemical preservatives. And I feel that such high levels of chemical preservatives required to keep liquid goat milk lotion safe outweigh the benefit of any liquid goat milk that is added.

And so, despite my love of goat milk, I won't ever be making a liquid goat milk lotion (unless they discover a miracle natural preservative).

For these reasons, it was an easy decision to make a Solid Goat Milk Lotion instead. Solid lotions are wonderful and completely safe to use on my skin, my family’s skin, and for you and your family as well.

"Hi PJ, I am really enjoying the unscented soap. I have struggled with my skin for several years. I’m 59 and hormones have really messed with my complexion. The unscented soap has helped to clear my skin, along with your Unscented lotion. I love them both!! Thank you for your research in making such a great product." - Cindy M.

Why I Love Solid Goat Milk Lotion

It’s important to understand that I'm not saying that all liquid goat milk lotions available are unsafe. I do believe that there are levels of chemical preservatives that prevent the growth of unwanted microbiology in liquid goat milk lotion. At least for a short time period. But those chemical preservatives are not something that I want to use on my children's skin.

Besides, there’s a wonderful, safe alternative available!

Bacteria grows in a liquid environment. If you do not provide a liquid environment, you do not provide favorable conditions for bacteria and other pathogens to grow.

And so at Goat Milk Stuff, we make a Solid Goat Milk Lotion using dehydrated goat milk.

"I feel so blessed that I found your site when I did. I have very itchy eczema on my arms, neck and face. Prescriptions made it much worse - like my skin was burning. I thankfully tried Almond lotion stick on my arms and it felt so soothing. It took about 2 days gradually redness itchy burning skin on my arms was feeling so much better. I rubbed it all over my face and neck. My skin loves Goat Milk Stuff and they smell so yummy. I have loved and used everything I have received and can’t wait for my next shipment to arrive." - Lisa T.

Our Solid Goat Milk Lotions have no toxic ingredients, no artificial preservatives, and no harmful chemicals. We’ve developed two different formulations of our Solid Goat Milk Lotion so that those with allergies can have a lotion option as well. Our Solid Goat Milk lotion comes unscented and is also available in a variety of scents.

Solid Goat Milk Lotion is moisturizing without being messy. It’s easily portable and, because it’s solid, won’t spill in your car or purse. Solid Goat Milk Lotion has all of the benefits of goat milk without preservatives or unwanted bacteria.

Over the years, I've had many people challenge me on my stance that liquid goat milk lotion is unsafe. I've also had business people encourage me to just add chemical preservatives because I could make a lot of money selling liquid goat milk lotion.

But I can't do it.

When I started Goat Milk Stuff, one promise I made was that I would NEVER make a product that I was not willing to use on my own children. And I'm sticking to that promise. So, if you don't want to use my Solid Goat Milk Lotion because you're looking for a lotion with liquid goat milk in it, I respect your right to your opinion, but I believe it is unwise.

I would still encourage you to try our Solid Goat Milk Lotion because it's wonderful stuff and the benefits of Goats Milk Lotion are fantastic.

"Gave this to a friend at work who suffers from dry skin on her hands and really enjoyed using my lotion stick I keep in my drawer. She was so thrilled when I gifted it to her and uses it daily. She especially loves the Black Raspberry scent as she enjoys fruit scents." - Ruth H.

Switching from a liquid to a solid goat milk lotion may require an adjustment period. Because Solid Goat Milk Lotion isn't diluted, it only takes a little bit to work really well. Be careful not to use too much at first. Once you adjust to a solid lotion, you'll be amazed at what a wonderful job it does to promote and maintain healthy, balanced skin.

Are you convinced of the benefits of choosing a Solid Goat Milk Lotion over a liquid one? Let us know in the comments below.