Happy Bastille Day! I thought it would be timely to write about a French product this holiday. If you haven't discovered the wonders of Savon de Marseille, you are in for a real treat! It is an amazing soap, touted for a wide range of uses. Need a moisturing skin treatment? Check! Or a high-powered stain remover? Check, Check! Personally, I have found that a nice block of Savon de Marseille is the very best thing ever for
cleaning my paint brushes at the end of the day. It removes any excess paint, and leaves the bristles nice and supple. I suppose it is the oil in the soap that accomplishes this.
I discovered the miraculous properties of Savon de Marseille years ago when I was painting in Provence. I accidentally got Titanium White oil paint all over my pants. I was about to throw them away when a friend handed me her bar of Savon de Marseille and assured me that it would get the paint out. I was skeptical, but it did the trick. I've been sold ever since!
It's very fitting that I should have discovered this soap when in Provence, because its production is a traditional Provencal industry. It was first made in Marseille in the Middle Ages, using olive oil from local groves, marine ash and sea salted water. The soap became renowned around the world. I guess there were impostors, because in 1688 a decree was issued that only soaps made in the ancient methods using pure olive oil could bear the mark "Savon de Marseille". Anything that's been in production for hundreds of years must be good!
In the 18th century, there were 48 soap factories making this soap, Now I understand that there are only three families still producing it in the traditional way. Here's a link to one of them, with details about the process. Sometimes you can find Savon de Marseille in the local markets, looking a lot like the display pictured above. I don't know whether this is the "real thing", but it claims to be. I expect that there are many imposters.
In the 18th century, there were 48 soap factories making this soap, Now I understand that there are only three families still producing it in the traditional way. Here's a link to one of them, with details about the process. Sometimes you can find Savon de Marseille in the local markets, looking a lot like the display pictured above. I don't know whether this is the "real thing", but it claims to be. I expect that there are many imposters.
I have often used the soap by Le Petit Marseillais (pictured above) that is sold in department stores like Monoprix in France. It works quite well! The good news is that you don't have to go to France to get this soap. You can buy it on Amazon here. If you discover new uses for Savon de Marseille, let me know. I am adding it to my list of "Tools of the Trade"--can't live without it!
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