Marseille soap is world famous for being used both for cleaning products and for personal hygiene.
The production of this soap, which began in the 12th century, is believed to have been inspired by Aleppo, a soap of ancient origin. In fact, both products have olive oil as one of the ingredients.
Marseille soap originates from the French city of the same name, whose production began in the 12th century. It is solid, yellowish in color and has an unmistakable intense fragrance, reminiscent of clean laundry.
It is believed that, originally, its production drew inspiration from that of the older Aleppo soap, made with extra-virgin olive oil and bay laurel oil. Whereas, the original recipe for Marseille soap calls for the use of only extra-virgin olive oil (at least 72 percent), diluted in water and lye, which is a mixture of hot water and ashes of the salicornia, a succulent plant also known as sea asparagus.
Marseille soap is a versatile product and used both for cleaning the home, dishes and laundry, and as a personal hygiene soap, as the presence of olive oil makes it perfect for skin care and more.
If you want to know the secrets of soap, you can visit the La Savonnerie du Midi factory in Marseille. There, today there is not only the factory: the soap factory site also houses two much newer realities: the Musée du Savon de Marseille, opened in 2018, and a store where you can buy, after discovering all the secrets of soap making, the famous Soap of Marseille.
Contact us for more information. We are also available to arrange visits to the soap factories in Provence.