UPEI’s April 2025 Media Release on the Spuds2Suds Project Led by Maggie McNeil and Samuel Harding Included Claims About Potato-Based Soap Properties
The April 2025 University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) media release describing the Spuds2Suds student project — subsequently republished by PotatoPro.com and no longer available on UPEI’s website — included several statements regarding the properties and composition of potato-based soap, including:
- Potato starch described as “rich in vitamins and minerals”
- Claims that the soap promotes “collagen production”
- Potato starch identified as a “key ingredient”
These statements were presented in a promotional context and do not appear to have been accompanied by supporting scientific references within the release itself.
Under the Food and Drugs Act and Health Canada’s cosmetic advertising guidance, responsibility for ensuring that cosmetic claims are truthful and substantiated rests with the party making the claims prior to publication.
In the absence of cited scientific support within the materials reviewed, these representations raise questions regarding alignment with established cosmetic advertising and labeling principles, particularly where claims may imply physiological or dermatological effects.
From a Cosmetic Science Perspective
Potato starch composition
Potato starch is primarily composed of carbohydrates (amylose and amylopectin). While it may serve a functional role in texture or formulation structure, it is not a meaningful source of bioavailable vitamins in a rinse-off soap product. In standard soap chemistry, its role is typically secondary rather than active in a biological sense.Vitamin stability in soap
Many vitamins are unstable in high-pH environments such as soap (typically pH ~9–10). As a result, any vitamin-related claims require careful substantiation regarding stability and bioavailability in the finished product.Collagen-related claims
Claims relating to stimulation of collagen production generally require controlled scientific studies demonstrating dermal penetration and measurable biological effects. A rinse-off soap product containing starch-based ingredients would not, on its own, meet this evidentiary threshold without supporting clinical data.
Summary
The statements included in UPEI’s April 2025 media release regarding potato-based soap reflect claims that, in the absence of supporting citations in the materials reviewed, raise questions about alignment with established cosmetic science and regulatory communication standards.
These issues relate not only to individual phrases, but to how the product’s properties and functions were characterized in a public-facing university communication.
Under Health Canada’s cosmetic advertising framework, such claims would ordinarily be expected to be substantiated prior to publication.
Although the original UPEI media release is no longer publicly available on UPEI’s website, its content was republished by PotatoPro.com and the claims documented here are drawn from that third-party record. Source: Enactus UPEI’s Spuds2Suds — PotatoPro.com.
