Olive oil Marseille soap block, for hands, face and body by Marius Fabre.
Made from vegetable oils –no colouring, no added fragrances and no synthetic products– this wonderful Marseille soap is gentle on the skin and on the environment.
Ingredients.
• Olive oil.
• Coconut oil.
• No colouring, preservatives or added fragrances.
• No palm oil.
Marseille Soap - A History Steeped in Tradition.
Marseille soap, Savon de Marseille, is a traditional hard soap made from vegetable oils and produced in Marseille, France, for over 600 years.
Authentic Marseille soap is made with vegetable oils (typically olive oil), soda and saltwater cooked in a cauldron. Marseille is an ideal location for traditional soap making; the Mediterranean climate gives local access olive groves, as well as close access to the sea allowing for the harvesting of soda and salt water.
Economical, ecological and biodegradable, Marseille soap is a natural product with a recipe that is both gentle on the skin and respectful of the environment. The soap works equally well as a hypoallergenic body soap, and a household product that will effectively clean, degrease, removes stains and whiten. The famous Marseille soap contains no more than seven ingredients with a vegetable oil base; with olive oil being the main vegetable oil. The inscription “72% vegetable oils" printed on the side of the soap confirms the oil composition. Also worth noting, the traditional Marseille soap recipe is a natural product with no preservatives and no colouring.
The Colour and Scent of Genuine Marseille Soap.
Marseille soap comes in different shapes and sizes: cubes, rectangular cuboid shapes, ovals, and large and small soap flakes. The vegetable oil content gives the soap its natural green, brown or beige colour. Any other colour will indicate a deviation from the traditional Marseille soap recipe.
Traditional Marseille soap is unscented, with a distinctive utilitarian olive oil aroma. Toilet soaps are typically scented with honey, lavender, almond, or enriched with nut butters and other ingredients. These are not traditional Marseille soaps, but rather are a new, modern take on the recipe.
The "green" Marseille soap is known for its nourishing properties and can help to reduce signs of skin dryness or irritation and is highly recommended by dermatologists. The "white" Marseille soap is based on copra oil and is ideal for the maintenance of your laundry. It is an ultra-effective stain remover that will take care of your linen on a daily basis, including the most delicate textiles such as wool and silk.
Geographic Origins & the Marseille Soap-Making Process.
Traditional Marseille soap is made in a large cauldron, in Marseille or the surrounding area. The special saponification process is known as the “Marseille process”. It takes place in five stages, lasting one week to ten days. Huge cauldrons are used to boil down olive oil and soda, which is then heated for ten days and washed with salt water daily. The soap is then poured and left to dry for a couple of days before being sliced and hand-stamped and ready for curing.
Because “Savon de Marseille” is not protected by an appellation, the Union des Professionnels du Savon de Marseille felt it important to lay out the features of a genuine “Savon de Marseille":
- Soap must be made in Marseille or the Marseille region
- Traditional process in a cauldron
- Plant oils exclusively
- Fragrance-free, no dyes, no preservatives
