Sapophagia: A Case of Irish Spring Soap Pica

[...]although diet soda is non-nutritive, it is culturally appropriate to consume it, and thus it is not considered a pica.3,4 The causes of pica, including cultural practice, nutritional deficits, obsessive-compulsive disorder, stress, addiction, or a combination of these, are debated.5 Pica is associated with certain high-risk groups: children, immigrants or refugees, persons with autism, and pregnant women. The ingredients in Irish Spring soap are (soap) sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate, and/or sodium palm kernelate, water, hydrogenated tallow acid (skin conditioner), coconut acid, glycerin (skin conditioner), fragrance, sodium chloride, pentasodium pentetate, pentaerythrityl tetra-di-t-butyl hydroxyhydrocinnamate, titanium dioxide, D&C green No. 8, and FD&C Green No. 3.11 As this list denotes, Irish Spring soap is made from the salt of fatty acid, with the addition of fragrance and green dye.