The color difference you are seeing is completely normal. There is always a variation in color from batch to batch, and it's the normal variation of a natural product. Some cloudiness may appear if exposed to extreme cold for long. The liquid may become a little bit thinner if exposed to extreme heat for long.

The Hand Soap has technically been designed as a hand wash product, but because it has been tested and passed for skin and eye irritation it can also be used as a face and/or body wash. Our hand soap will not irritate your eyes or skin. As with any product, we recommend testing on a patch of skin first before using it for a different purpose. It should be rinsed off immediately after applying it on your skin or face. You can also use the hand soap to remove makeup, but again rinse off immediately. For babies, it is better to use only as a hand wash. It can be used for washing your pets.

Our hand soap is fragrance free, which means we don't add any fragrance or any masking chemicals to cover the natural scent from our ingredients. If you detect a scent, that is the smell of our base (main) ingredients. 

You can add essential oils to Branch Basics without adversely affecting how it works. A small drop in the bottle will do. We recommend using only wildcrafted or high-quality, organic essential oils processed without solvents. However, if there is anyone chronically ill or immune-challenged in the home, it is best to go without, as the scent can trigger an immune response. If you choose to add essential oils, be aware that the products may now be irritating to the eyes, skin, and lungs. Also, do not be alarmed if the solution turns slightly cloudy. Most importantly, some essential oils should not be used around children, pets or pregnant women so be sure to keep out of reach.

You only need to use a very small amount for each hand wash, about the size of a dime, so this Gel Hand Soap can produce over 200 hand washes per bottle.

The refill pouch will fill the bottle twice and we know from testing that the Gel Hand Soap is good for 2 years.