Pharmaceutical, food or household bicarbonate? What are the differences?

March 5, 2025

You may have wondered what the difference is between pharmaceutical bicarbonate and food or household bicarbonate.

These three sodium bicarbonates differ according to their use and quality:

The technical bicarbonate is designed for household products. It's easy to find and inexpensive.
The "food" bicarbonate is used in cooking and for body care.
bicarbonate"officinal" or "pharmaceutical" is considered purer and is only used for medical purposes. It is used in some medicines.

But can baking soda also be used in home care products? Is it possible to cook using household bicarbonate? In this blog post, we tell you all about these three bicarbonates.

Household bicarbonate

Also known as technical bicarbonate, it contains the same concentration and molecules as edible bicarbonate. However, it is considered less "pure". For this reason, it should never be consumed. Wearing gloves is recommended, as it can be irritating. It is mainly used in products forhome maintenance, gardening and DIY. However, you can also use it to clean your vegetables, in particular to remove pesticides.

Where can you buy household baking soda? ?

You'll find Cire d'étoile and Briochin brands in any supermarket.

Baking soda

Baking soda is 100% ecological and non-toxic. It can be used for a variety of purposes: gardening, home, laundry and cooking, as well as body and oral care products. In the kitchen, you can use it to prepare your dishes and to whip up your concoctions, as well as for washing up.

Baking soda is also great for improving digestion and relieving heartburn. It is also recommended in oral care to improve breath and whiten teeth. You can also use it as a natural cosmetic product in dry shampoo or deodorant.

It's a magical product!

Where to get it ?

It is sold in supermarkets, especially in the grocery section.

Pharmaceutical-grade bicarbonate

This product is 100% mineral and natural. It is considered to be the purest and highest quality bicarbonate. Its manufacture involves additional steps, such as analysis and refining, than the other two bicarbonates. As a result, it is more expensive.

Mainly for internal use, it's safe to use. You can also use it for your body or to make mud baths.che.

Where can I find it?

You can buy it in pharmacies.

The sodium bicarbonates we use!

At BeautyMix, we offer two different sodium bicarbonates on our online store :

From pharmaceutical grade : it can be used in home cosmetics recipes such as toothpaste, whitening care, deodorant, as well as in bath bombs.
From household soda : you can use it in recipes for homemade cleaning products such as laundry, multi-purpose cleaner or washing-up liquid.