Savon de Marseille (Marseille Soap) pure olive oil soap from France Traditional Method, All Hand-Made

In the Middle Ages, big blocks of gentle soap were first crafted in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille with olive oil from local groves, marine ash and sea salted water. The quality of these soaps were immediately famous throughout Europe and in 1688 French law declared that only soaps made according to certain ancient methods could bear the important mark Savon de Marseille. Now our Savon de Marseille is still crafted by hand, in Marseille, just as it has been for hundreds of years. It takes the Maitre de Savon (soapmaster) two weeks to make Marseille Soap. The purest ingredients are heated for ten days in antique cauldrons. The soapmaster knows just the right moment to pour the mixture into open pits where it slowly hardens.Our Savon de Marseille is then cut into cubes and stamped, without machines of any kind, then set out to dry in the sun and cool Mistral winds. Savon de Marseille ("Marseille Soap") is once again being rediscovered for its extraordinary purity, gentle skin care and ecological value. Savon de Marseille is recommended by dermatologists throughout the world for dry or sensitive skin, eczema and other ailments. In France it has been trusted for generations to cleanse everything from linens to little faces. Marseille Soap is totally biodegradable, requires little packaging and its manufacture is environmentally friendly. Authentic Marseille Soap is stamped with its weight in grams - a practice left over from years ago which allowed households to compare prices and plan their inventories. This gram weight is the weight of the soap "frais" or fresh in the factory. The soap will lose weight as it becomes drier. No soap is "greener." In France they are sold piled high on open-air market tables like produce, wrapped in craft paper. Your soap will be carefully wrapped in paper to absorb the moisture which may remain. Our Savon de Marseille is verified AUTHENTIC by the "Union des Professionnels du Savon de Marseille" in France. © French Soaps LTD