Savon De Marseille

The first soap maker in Marseilles, France was recorded around 1370. The Crusaders brought the soap manufacturing process to Marseilles from their travels in the Middle East. the techniques used by the French to create Marseille soaps were adapted from Middle Eastern soap making methods. these soaps quickly gained popularity throughout Europe and beyond.

By the beginning of the 17th century, production could barely meet the demand of the city and the outer regions. Marseilles had become an important production center for soap. To protect the “Marseille soap” name, a royal edict had been proclaimed stating only olive oil soaps produced in the Marseille area can be classified as “Marseille soap”. In 1660, there were 7 factories in the city with an annual production of nearly 20,000 tons. This green “Marseilles soap” became a common household name. The number of soap factories grew to 48 in 1786.

At the beginning of the 19th century, soap production was modernized with the use of new vegetable oils such as: coconut oil, palm oil or peanut oil from Africa and the Middle East. After WWII, the artisanal methods have been replaced by synthetic ingredients. and the emergence of many soap factories producing cheaper, lower grade soaps flooded the global soap market. this led to a decline in demand for Marseilles soaps.

Insert Text

In the 2000s, a movement to restore the traditional method of making Marseille soap emerged, with a return to natural ingredients and artisanal manufacturing. Currently, “Marseille soap” is not protected by a Controlled Designation of Origin or by a Protected Geographical Indication. The master soap makers are grouped into professional associations at most.

There is no guarantee that soaps bearing the name “Marseille soap” are made according to traditional methods, with natural ingredients and without synthetic additives. Unfortunately, the term is widely used by mass producing countries producing “Marseille soap” counterfeits. It is important to check the ingredients and the origin before buying the so-called “Marseille” soap.

Today, genuine Marseille soap remains a symbol of Provençal craftsmanship and tradition, as well as an environmentally friendly and beneficial product for the skin. In 2011, the Union des Professionnels du Savon de Marseille (UPSM) association was created by 4 historical local soap factories namely, Savonnerie Marius Fabre, Savonnerie Le Serail, Savonnerie Fer a Cheval, Savonnerie du Midi. A trademark was registered to guarantee constant quality, to defend and to distinguish the traditional Marseille Soap.

Authentic Marseilles soaps will bear the “Savon de Marseille” round logo. This logo ensures the soaps are made in Marseille or the Marseille region, are manufactured traditionally by cooking the soap in a cauldron for 7-10 days, made with only plant oils (no animal fat), are fragrance-free, dye free and no preservatives, and adhere to the 5-step soap making technique known as the “Marseille Process”.

1st step: Mashing, The oils or fatty acids and lye are successively added to the cauldron (most often made of metal presently) under moderate heat, then brought to a boil, and the mass transforms and emulsifies,

2nd step: Salting-out, Since soap does not dissolve in salty water, this operation consists in adding sea salt so as to wash out the salty glycerine effluents. In this step the soap loses part of its water content.

3rd step: Boiling, This operation characterizes the saponification and leads to the complete transformation of the vegetable fats into soap.

4th step: Washing, This is a refining step which refines the soap paste by washing it to remove the glycerol, any impurities, and the fatty acids which did not turn into soap

5th step: Liquidation, In this operation, water is added to cause the crystalline structure of the soap to transition to the smooth phase.

Marseille soaps are required to have a minimum of 72% vegetable oil. Authentic Marseilles soaps are stamped “Savon de Marseilles” and “72%” on the soap.