Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition that occurs in cycles known as flare ups, which means the condition triggers symptoms for a few weeks or months, then goes into remission with no apparent symptoms for a period of time. Common symptoms of plaque psoriasis include red patches of skin, called plaques, that are covered with thick and silvery scales; dry or cracked skin that bleeds or itches excessively; itching or burning sensations; thickened or pitted fingernails; swollen or stiff joints; and extremely sensitive skin near plaques.
One effective way to avoid psoriasis symptoms is to avoid using soaps that trigger or exacerbate psoriasis symptoms. Let’s take a look at a few common soap products that can cause psoriasis triggers or exacerbate psoriasis symptoms:

1. Fragrance soaps
Fragrance soaps contain ingredients such as sodium salicylate that triggers an allergy-like response on your skin. This response can cause psoriasis symptoms such as excessive itching, burning sensations, and body soreness.

2. Lotions with alcohol
Many lotions contain alcohols such as ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and ethanol that are used as preservatives. They can make psoriasis symptoms feel worse by drying your skin too quickly. They can also trigger an allergic response in people who are allergic to these alcohols.

3. Soaps with methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone
Methylisothiazolinone (MI) and methylchloroisothiazolinone (MCI) are two common preservatives found in soap products. Common trade names for these preservatives include Kathon®, Kathon CG® and Kathon 886®Euxyl K100. They can trigger many common psoriasis symptoms including cracked skin, skin inflammation and excessive itching that are difficult to relieve.

4. Propylene glycol soap
Propylene glycol is a common base for many shampoos. It is designed to let a shampoo’s cleaning agent travel deeper into your scalp for faster cleaning. It can trigger psoriasis symptoms by irritating and drying your scalp out in such a way that invites plaques to form on your scalp.

5. Antibacterial soaps
Antibacterial soaps contain cleaning agents such as triclosan and triclocarban that can make your skin feel itchy and flaky. To make matters worse, many of these soaps also include propylene glycol that irritates skin further.

6. Soaps with strong fragrance
Strong fragrance soaps contain sodium hydroxide and other sodium-based ingredients that make psoriasis symptoms feel worse by reducing the natural oils in your skin. These ingredients can also cause unwanted inflammation in areas near skin plaques.

7. Soaps with cocamidopropyl betaine
Cocamidopropyl betaine is a coconut oil-based cleaning agent that is found in many soap products. It can cause unwanted itchiness near skin plaques, skin soreness, and pitting of your fingernails. It can also cause unwanted burning sensations near skin plaques.

8. Botanical oil-based soaps
Soaps with botanical oils contain skin-drying ingredients that can make psoriasis symptoms feel worse. Some of these soaps also contain phototoxic ingredients that can cause blisters to form on sensitive skin near skin plaques. As a result, these soaps are not recommended to treat psoriasis symptoms.