The history of Marseille soap
A long history
With an abundance of raw materials - olive oil, soda ash and salt from the Camargue - Provence has been the region par excellence for soap-making since the Middle Ages.
At the crossroads of trade, Marseille became France's leading soap manufacturer in the 17th century, followed by Salon-de-Provence and then Toulon.
In 1688, Louis XIV issued an edict from Colbert institutionalising Marseille soap by laying down the rules for its manufacture: in addition to cooking in large boilers, only pure olive oils were to be used as vegetable oils, and all animal fats were to be banned. This edict enabled Marseille soap to acquire a reputation that would never leave it.
The industrial revolution
Under the influence of industrial and colonial development in the second half of the 18th century, production doubled and the impact on maritime traffic permanently linked an initially regional product to the name of Marseille.
The 19th century was marked by advances in hygiene, technology (steam, electricity, mechanisation), chemistry and the railway.
Despite these advances and the beginnings of advertising at the dawn of the 20th century, international competition took hold, heralding the decline of the industry over the coming decades.
The golden age of Marseille soap
The 19th and early 20th centuries saw the golden age of Marseille soap, "72% oil, extra pure". Marseille and Salon-de-Provence prospered thanks to the soap and oil industries, which were key drivers of the regional economy.
The 1940s marked the end of the boom: the soap industry continued to decline in the Marseille region.
There were a number of reasons for this decline, including the advent of synthetic detergents and the widespread use of washing machines, the development of supermarkets, the creation of new soap factories in regions outside the south, and the fall of the French colonial empire.
The return to ecology
The return to natural and ecological values in the 1970s and 1980s heralded the revival of Marseille soap, although it will never regain the importance it once enjoyed. Of the 108 soap factories in Marseille and 14 in Salon in 1924, only three remain in Marseille and two in Salon in 2018.
Loaded with history, Marseille soap has also become a heritage item.
Today, consumers are rediscovering the virtues of this natural, biodegradable product, an alternative to products derived from the chemical and petroleum industries.