Home >> Savon de Marseille
Authentic "Savon de Marseille",
from one of the last three Marseille-based tradional soap
manufacturers
For
centuries, Provence has been connected to the history of
soap and is recognized as one of the most prestigious soap
producing areas in the world. Dating as far back as the
ninth century, master soap makers in Marseille have handmade
traditional, gentle soaps using home-produced olive oils.
A French law, first introduced in 1688, has allowed
only soaps that
are manufactured according
to prescribed traditional soap-making methods, using pure
soap ingredients, can use
the famous
“Savon de Marseille” mark.
The main Savon de Marseille ingredients are olive and vegetable
oils, salted water from the Mediterranean Sea and alkaline
ash derived from sea plants. Over a period of about two
weeks, these ingredients are heated in traditional cauldrons
and refined a number of times, before the final solidifying
process takes place. Just prior to packaging, following a practice going
back generations, authentic Marseille Soap is stamped with
its weight in grams. Traditional
Marseille Soap colours are green and beige, depending on
whether they are based on olive oil (green soap) or palm
oil (beige soap). The purity and gentle moisturizing properties
of both varieties make them ideal for sensitive skins and,
for this reason, they are recommended by dermatologists
all over the world. There are currently only three companies
still making Marseille soap: le Sérail, la Savonnerie du
Midi et la Compagnie du Savon de Marseille. Here we present
a range of authentic Marseille soaps from la Compagnie
du Savon de Marseille, established in the mid nineteenth
century.
See also: Natural Sea Sponges , Luxury Shaving Accessories
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