Marti’s Blog

NO ORDINARY SOAP

Marseille soap, or savon de Marseille as it is called in the original French, is as much a part of the French culture as are baguettes and romantic love affairs. Visit any local market in France and you are sure to find stacks of this artisanal, hand-cut soap, made exclusively with vegetable oils. It was a few years ago that I first stumbled upon this renowned soap during a visit to Paris and decided to take a trip to a family-owned soap factory in Provence to see for myself what savon de Marseille is all about. I returned a complete convert and have been importing it ever since.

As with most things French, Marseille soap has a rich cultural history. The original recipe (dating back to the 15^th century) is attributed to soap makers in the Marseille area. Olive oil from the many olive tree groves along with Mediterranean Sea water, soda ash and lye formed the only ingredients. The traditional square-shaped blocks of soap were cream or green in colour. In 1688, in order to avoid inappropriate fat mixtures, the famous Colbert edict declared that only pure olive oils should be included in the manufacture of Marseille soap. However, the harsh winter of 1709 destroyed large numbers of olive trees and Marseille soap makers were forced to improvise and introduce other oils.

Today, the Association des Fabricants de Savon de Marseille allows soaps made with a wide variety of vegetable oils, but still no animal fat, to be sold under this name. The association furthermore allows Marseille soap makers to stay abreast of technological advancement and introduce modern products such as liquid soap. Only 11 soap producers (including Masquerade’s supplier) belong to this association and together produce 8 000 tons of soap annually.

Over the last two decades, savon de Marseille has been rediscovered as the ideal soap for cleansing both linen and the body. Its producers have managed to reinvent the soap to meet modern tastes without sacrificing its original qualities. Its pure ingredients and moisturising properties make it ideal for dry, sensitive skin and its natural ingredients make it completely biodegradable. When I use this soap, I like to think that I am doing both myself and Nature a favour.

My supplier hand-crafts this artisanal product in the traditional way, using a base of olive oil enriched with palm and/or coconut oil. Shea butter and other plant oils like almond, argan and calendula oil are added to leave your skin soft and moisturised. The soap is further enriched with mineral pigments and natural fragrances from Grasse.

Many of my customers regularly spoil themselves with this little taste of luxury, experimenting with the different fragrances on offer. On your next visit to Masquerade, make sure to come have a sniff and find your favourite, or simply order from our online shop –

I guarantee you’ll never return to using supermarket soap!

Products featured in this article:

Fig Soap

Olive Liquid Soap

French Soap Gift Box

Stain removing soap