Have you ever heard about the Marseille soap ? A traditional soap made in the Marseille city area, in the south of France ?

Nearly all French households have used it at least once ! It can be used for home, laundry and body cares !

The story of the soap goes back as far as the Mesopotamian times (2800 B.C). In the VIII century, the Alep soap’s recipe started spreading around the Mediterranean sea. Of course, it arrived in the south of the France. The Massalia city (Massilia during the Roman times and Marseille city now) was initially a  Greek Colony and a major trading port. It was the perfect place for the soap activity to implement. The recipe’s main ingredients were easy to find in this area : the oil (extracted from the olive harvested), the natural ash (derived of plants grown in saline environnement), the salt. The city climate (hot weather and strong wind) was also perfect for drying the soaps.

The soap activity had thus been expanding there,  from the Middle Age (XII century) to the early XX century (with nearly 100 soap work-shops in the area). The Marseille heavy bars of soap became famous and were sold in Europe and in the Mediterranean region.

Through times, production process had been also regulated. In 1688, Colbert (Minister of Louis the XIV) regulated the manufacture and the ingredients. In 1812, Napoleon established a trademark logo and specifications (soap manufactured in the Marseille city area only…).

But with the 2 World Wars and the competition of the synthetic detergents, the Marseille soap industry suffered a sharp decline.

Luckily, since the 1980s there is a revival of the Marseille soap ! Thanks to the consumer demand for natural, authentic and French products !

3 criteria define the most traditional manufacture of Marseille soap:

1/ the soap composition : 4 ingredients only! Vegetable oils (72% at least), ash, sea-salt and water…no perfumes, dyes, preservatives

2/ the geographical origin : Marseille city and/or the Bouches du Rhône department (13) only

3/the manufacturing process in 5 steps (NB: Oil and ash are cooked in a cauldron)

In 2011, four manufacturers gathered together under a professional guild (the “Union des Professionnels du Savon de Marseille (UPSM)”). They intend to preserve the quality and the manufacturing process of the traditional Marseille soap.

• The Marius Fabre brand (e-shop in UK, retailers shops in Paris + the Marius Fabre boutique,26 rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris).
• The Savonnerie du Midi brand (e-shop in UK)
• The Savonnerie Fer à Cheval Brand (e-shop in UK, retailers shops in Paris available)
• The Savonnerie Le Sérail (e-shop in French only)

They are also waiting for a draft legislation from the French government to define a Geographical Indication (GI) for their soap.

These four companies already benefit with the “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV)/ Living Heritage Label)”. It is awarded by the French Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Employment, for the excellence of the traditional and industrial skills.

No doubt, this is a perfect true French gift !