Since 1688, French soapmasters have been creating this extraordinarily pure and anti-bacterial soap. Traditionally, there are two different types of Marseille Soap: with vegetable oils of coprah and palm which is light beige in color, and the second contains an additional amount of olive oil (40-50%) giving this soap its natural green color.
Coprah oil is derived from the coconut and has the following natural properties: moisturizes skin, embellishes hair, and creates a natural mousse effect. Palm oil is extracted from the Elaeis Guineensis, Palm Tree, and boasts virtues of restructuring and protecting the skin. It also has an excellent natural detergent effect. Olive oil is renowned for exquisite nourishing qualities.
These ingredients, along with a delicate mixture of alkaline ash from sea flora and Mediterranean sea salts, follow a process of fabrication beginning with the natural filtering of the oils, then a boiling process in antique iron cauldrons during which excess water and impure elements are eliminated.
This process is followed by a final heating and purifying phase during which the mixture is rinsed with pure water. It is this final procedure that awards the name "Extra Pure" to Marseille Soap. The mixture is poured while hot into large recipients and dried for 48 hours in sunshine and fresh air, allowing for evaporation and solidification before being compressed into molds and lovingly stamped.
