FAQ

The name "Marseille soap" is not currently protected. For our soap factory, a true Marseille soap is: a soap made exclusively from saponified vegetable oils, with no chemical additives, preservatives or perfumes, manufactured in cauldrons according to the 5-stage Marseilles process, with a geographical origin in the Marseilles region.

 You can recognize it by the "Savon de Marseille" logo of the Union des Professionnels du Savon de Marseille (UPSM).

Le Fer à Cheval is one of the founding members of this association, which promotes the certification of genuine Savon de Marseille.

There are two types of Marseille soap: green Marseille soap and beige Marseille soap. Both are saponified in cauldrons by our Master Soapmakers using the same process. The difference between the two lies in their composition in vegetable oils.

Green soap is made from 100% olive pomace oil for its nourishing properties.

The beige cube is made from 20% RSPO palm kernel oil and 80% RSPO palm oil, which have been used for over 200 years and were imported via the French colonies. They improve the soap's solid consistency for more practical use. The two soaps (green and beige) are recommended both for cleansing and for household maintenance (floors...).

We have removed the coconut oil from our Marseille Soap formula and use only olive oil. The properties of Savon de Marseille remain unchanged. This historic formula in no way changes the detergent or cosmetic properties of genuine Marseille Soap. So it's still recommended for washing hands, removing stains from clothes, making laundry detergent and washing surfaces. It remains multi-purpose.

We take great care in our choice of vegetable oils, to offer you a Marseille Soap of the highest quality. We've been using the same manufacturing process and the same varieties of oils for over two centuries, which is what makes our Marseille Soap so authentic, sought-after and appreciated for generations. We source our olive oil from the Mediterranean region (Greece, Spain, Italy and Morocco), and our copra, palm kernel and palm oil (RSPO certified) mainly from South-East Asia (Philippines, Malaysia among others) and Latin America (Colombia, Honduras among others).

The soap contains a minimum of 72% active ingredients made from oil or oil extracts, and a maximum of 28% water. The 72% oil content is written on the top of the soap.

Savons de Marseille olive have a distinctive scent. The Savonneries have always used olive pomace oil from a second pressing of olives, the first being used to supply the food industry. This oil gives Savon de Marseille its characteristic scent.

The scent also depends on the percentage of olive pomace oil in the soap. The higher the percentage, the stronger the scent. And the fresher the soap, the stronger the scent. Our Vegetable Marseille Soaps with palm oil do not have this specific odor.

Our Marseille soaps have a PH of around 10, unlike PH-neutral soaps which are closer to PH 7. Generally speaking, PH-neutral soaps are formulated without a cleansing base, and often contain numerous preservatives and other synthetic products. Our Marseille soaps, on the other hand, have a higher PH and are renowned for their hyper-washing properties.

What's more, made exclusively from 100% natural plant oils, our soaps are extra pure and hypoallergenic, as they contain no preservatives, perfumes, colorants or other synthetic products.

Marseille Soap is a living material with a unique color and shape that can vary over time, and according to its exposure to air and light. Nevertheless, it retains all its qualities and effectiveness. Our grandmothers used to leave it to dry for many months in their cupboards, so that it would become extra-dry and last longer with use. Soap consists of active ingredients made from oils or oil extracts and a maximum of 21% water.

As they lose this water, they lose some of their weight. This is why we indicate "Net weight in packaging" on the packaging. Our quality department makes sure that the weight is respected at the end of production.

Stain-removing soap is made from recycled soap scraps and the ends of the olive oil or palm oil Marseille soap pots we recover. The composition is the same as any other Marseille soap, i.e. only vegetable oils and no chemical additives such as perfume, colorants, preservatives or animal fats. However, as we mix different formulas to make a Household Soap, we are unable to indicate the exact percentage of each oil variety.

This is not the case for other soaps produced in cubes, bars or bars, for which we dedicate specific cauldrons.

First of all, we'd like to assure you that we take great care in the composition and manufacture of our Marseille Soaps to offer you an authentic product of excellent quality. The soap is saponified in a cauldron using the traditional Marseilles process handed down from generation to generation by our Master Soap-makers. Its composition is based on vegetable oils, with no added preservatives, perfumes or colorants. Among these oils is palm oil, which has been used for over 200 years and was imported via the French colonies; it not only gives the soap its vegetable beige color, but also improves its consistency for practical use. Fully aware that there is a great deal of questioning in public opinion about its environmental impact, and although this mainly concerns the food industry, since April 2019 we have been sourcing RSPO (Certified Sustainable Palm Oil) palm oil in line with our values of sustainable and responsible development. We would also like to inform you that our range of Olive Soaps does not contain palm oil.

At present, we can only await the official response from INPI (Institut national de la propriété industrielle) concerning the creation of a PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) to protect genuine Marseille soap.

In fact, three specifications have been submitted to this institute concerning the definition of a genuine Savon de Marseille. If their verdict is positive in relation to our specifications, this will enable us to obtain an IGP.

Marius Fabre, le Sérail, la Corvette and our Savonnerie are the founders of the UPSM (Union des Professionnels du Savon de Marseille).

In our opinion, a genuine Marseille soap should be :

- Made exclusively from vegetable oils

- fragrance-free

- colorant-free

- preservative-free

- additive-free

- manufactured according to a Marseilles process defined by Colbert's Edict of 1688

- made in the Marseilles region.

 A year ago, in support of our application to INPI, a petition was posted on the UPSM website. UPSM association. However, the petition is now closed. The INPI was due to give its verdict a few months ago, but unfortunately we still haven't received an answer to date.

If you find this symbol on a Marseille soap, it means that it has all the characteristics mentioned above.

Our Marseille soaps and shavings are not certified glycerin-free. When Marseille soap is made using the Marseilles process, glycerine is naturally formed from the mixture of oils and soda. We remove this glycerine by washing the soap paste. Once molded, our Marseille soaps contain almost no glycerine (less than 1%).

Our Vegetable Oil Soaps and Olive Oil Soaps can be used as they both have the same cleansing properties.

After grating your soap, simply dilute 20 grams of shavings to make 1 liter of detergent. We also remind you that it's advisable to use between 75 and 100ml of detergent for 5kg of laundry.

We recommend Marseille soap for your laundry because it's ideal for skin with allergy problems.

Our Marseille soap contains no fragrances, colorants, preservatives or additives. You can buy soap shavings in various sizes, or grate a cube or other bar of soap yourself (you need 20g of shavings to make a 1L wash).

Our Marseille Soaps are formulated exclusively with vegetable oils, with no added preservatives, colorants, perfumes or animal fats. Made with 100% natural ingredients and COSMOS Natural certified, they are guaranteed hypoallergenic.

If you prefer liquid soap, we recommend the fragrance-free version, which is also hypoallergenic and ideal for gently washing sensitive skin.

As babies' skin is particularly delicate, we recommend that you seek the advice of a pediatrician.

However, you can use Marseille Soap cubes or shavings for baby linen care. Our soaps are formulated exclusively with vegetable oils, and contain no preservatives, colorants, perfumes or animal fats.

With its 100% natural ingredients, our Marseille Soap is generally recommended for allergy-prone skin. However, we advise you to seek the advice of a dermatologist to find the product best suited to your skin.

We recommend you use a wire or a large, sharp, toothless knife that has been run under hot water.

Savon de Marseille never goes out of date, so you can use it decades later without any problems. Our Marseille Soap is a living material with a unique complexion and shape that can vary over time, and according to its exposure to air and light. It will nevertheless retain all its qualities and effectiveness.

Our grandmothers used to leave it to dry for many months in their cupboards, so that it would become extra-dry and last longer in use.

However, when buying a bar, we generally advise our customers to slice it as soon as they receive it, using a wire or a knife without teeth that has been run under hot water beforehand. Over time, the water in the soap evaporates and the bar hardens. As for Marseille soap crumbs, we advise you not to throw them away.

In fact, you'll find plenty of uses for them on our blog.

Although we are not vegan-certified, we can confirm that our Marseille soaps comply with European directive 1223/2009. In fact, we do not carry out any tests on animals. What's more, we don't use animal fats, only vegetable oils.

Soap-free cleanser for sensitive skin:

Less drying and with a pH close to that of the skin, soap-free cleansers are recommended for fragile and reactive skin: ideal for children's skin and dry skin, they can be used daily without the inconvenience of traditional soaps.

It can be used for skin prone to all kinds of skin reactions such as eczema. Its cleansing agents are natural surfactants that produce a generous lather.

Surgras, cleansing without drying:

The cleanser is surgras, enriched with nourishing surgras agents such as sweet almond oil or shea butter, for example, enabling it to cleanse the skin without ever drying it out. It moisturizes and softens the skin, enabling it to retain its natural moisture.

By keeping the skin moisturized, it soothes and prevents itching. And contrary to popular belief, surgras cleansers can be used on the body as well as the face.

Marseille soap is made from vegetable oils, water, salt and soda. The oils are hot-saponified in a cauldron. Under the action of the soda and heat, the fats gradually transform into soap.

Even though it has the shape of a classic bar, solid cleanser does not contain soap. In fact, it is not a product of saponification, and therefore does not qualify as soap. In this sense, solid cleansers are closer to liquid shower gels than to soap.

The solid cleanser is formulated with vegetable oils.

Mild surfactants are then added to thicken the formula and create a solid texture. The composition of a solid cleanser is more concentrated and contains less water.

Eau fraîche has a low alcohol content and is therefore less irritating to the skin. It is comparable to a mist for its lightness and more diffused, invigorating scent. More recommended in spring or summer, its concentration is 5% maximum and lasts over 2 hours on the skin. 

Eau de toilette, which is softer and less concentrated than a perfume, is ideal if you're looking for a discreet, more subtle scent than perfume or eau de parfum. It has an alcohol concentration of 5-15% and lasts an average of 2-3 hours on the skin.

Eau de parfum is half the strength of classic perfume, but still the most concentrated version after perfume (10-20% concentration). It penetrates skin and tissues more easily, for a scent that lasts all day.

Perfume or perfume absolute is the most concentrated substance (20% pure perfume) in existence.

Alcohol is the essential ingredient for fresh waters. Our beetroot-based alcohol is painless to use, helping to fix the fragrance concentrate and enhance the essences.

In perfumery, alcohol-based fragrances use ethanol, which is denatured by synthetic and chemical ingredients. Our alcohol is a more natural alternative to the alcohol more commonly used in perfumery.

Sugar beet alcohol is produced by fermenting and distilling sugar beet syrup.

sugar. This alcohol is used in spirits (vodka, eaux de vies, liqueur), as a preservative in vinegar production, and as a solvent for colorants and flavorings. It is also used in pharmaceuticals, medicines, perfumes and cosmetics.

At very low temperatures, particularly in winter, liquid soap may freeze due to its high vegetable oil content. This crystallization is only temporary, and in no way alters the soap's qualities.

Black soaps are made from olive pomace oil, coconut oil, potash, water, salt and preservatives. Liquid and soft black soaps are made in cauldrons and have the same cleansing qualities. Soft black soap, on the other hand, is more concentrated (around 36% soap versus 20% for liquid soap), making it more economical to use.