Discover the manufacturing process of the traditional Savon de Marseille

Manufacturing process.

Traditional Marseille soap is made in large open-air cauldrons from oils of exclusively vegetable origin, without colouring agents, perfumes or preservatives. These oils are mixed and cooked in the cauldron, under the action of soda, and are gradually transformed into soap. Only the master soap-maker has the know-how passed down over several centuries to obtain authentic Marseille soap. He guarantees that the five stages of the "Marseille process" are respected.

The stages of the "Marseilles process":

The 5 key steps:

1. THE EMPATHY

In a cauldron, the vegetable oils are successively added to the soda lye under moderate heat; the whole is brought to the boil and the mass is transformed into an emulsion.

2. RELOCATION

As soap is insoluble in salt water, this operation consists of adding sea salt in order to drag the excess soda lye to the bottom of the cauldron. The soap will thus separate from some of the water it contains.

3. COOKING

This operation is known as saponification and allows the complete transformation of vegetable oils into soap.

4. WASHING

The soap paste is refined by successive washings to remove glycerol, impurities and unsaponified fatty acids from the cauldron.

5. THE LIQUIDATION

This operation ensures the transition from the crystalline structure of the soap to its smooth phase by adding fresh water.