How to recognize a real Marseille soap?

High purity raw materials

100% purified vegetable oils, soda, salt, water. Nothing more. These are the only ingredients used for the manufacture of theMarseille soap Rampal Latour.

One of the specificities of our know-how is preciselythe care and the requirement that we bring in the selection and the transformation at reduced temperatureof our raw materials, to preserve the original purity of Marseille soap. We have chosen to work only withcleanest vegetable olive pomace, copra and palm oils, meeting the most stringent regulations in terms of contaminants and toxicity (1)(2) (heavy metals and pesticides in particular). Thus, we offer our customersa product of exceptional puritywhich best respects the health of the skin and the body.

We also employa salt recognized for its exceptional purity: the rock salt of Salies de Béarnwhose source is protected from pollution by the thick clay layer that covers it. Finally, we arecommitted to a responsible palm oil supply chain –RSPO(3) – which reduces the impact of palm crops on the environment while respecting local populations and biodiversity.

(1) Huile végétale de coprah et de palme: respect du règlement CE 1881/2006
(2) Huile de grignon d’olive : respect du règlement CE 2002/32
(3) RSPO : Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil

All about the protection of real Marseille soap

An emblematic product of French craftsmanship and know-how, Marseille soap is today the target of multiple counterfeits.

The Rampal Latour soap factory actively campaigns to protect and promote traditional Marseille soap, while leaving it the possibility of evolving to meet the expectations of our contemporaries, particularly in terms of environmental footprint.
For the moment, no label exists yet.

All Marseille soaps signed Rampal Latour are real traditional Marseille soaps, made from A to Z in our factory in cauldrons and according to the traditional Marseille process.Fragrance-free, dye-free, additive-free and preservative-free, our Marseille soaps are naturally hypoallergenic. We are very proud to offer you genuine, exceptional Marseille soaps, handcrafted with respect for tradition.

Soon a Geographical Indication?

We are convinced that a Geographical Indication (GI) is necessary to promote Marseille soap, guarantee its quality and allow consumers to find their way around. Unfortunately, for the moment, the IG Savon de Marseille does not yet exist. Two specifications have been filed, but none has been validated for the moment. The INPI instructs the file. (National Institute of Industrial Property). In fact, today there is no guarantee of authenticity that has been certified by an independent inspection body.

Without a state label, how can you recognize a traditional Marseille soap?

Marseille soap is a cult product, a symbol of our heritage. Enjoying a very attractive image that crosses borders, the famous cube often suffers in spite of itself from identity theft. Indeed, the reason for this state of affairs is simple and implacable: the name “Marseille soap” does not benefit from any protection. This denomination is often misused and it is now common to find soaps of all shapes, all origins, all qualities and all provenances unduly stamped "Marseille soap". This can be misleading for the consumer who is looking for noble soap with impossible-to-counterfeit virtues.

– 100% of the oils that make up Marseille soap are vegetable.
The oils can come from different plants (often the olive) but must be exclusively vegetable. So you will find on the list of ingredients "Sodium Olivate" (from olive oil), "Sodium Cocoate" (from coconut oil) or "Sodium Palmate" (from palm oil ).

Tip: if you read on the label of your soap "Sodium Lardate" (pork fat) or "Sodium Tallowate" (beef fat), it is not the real Marseille soap.

– It must be composed of at least 72% oil.

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Tip: you can inquire with the manufacturer and check that the words 72% or Extra Pure are well molded on one of its 6 sides. Real Marseille soap is also stamped with the name of the soap factory that makes it.

– It is made from oils, water, soda and salt exclusively.

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Tip: Avoid labels with an extended list! Marseille soap does not contain more than “6 ingredients” in its recipe. It must be guaranteed without perfume, without preservatives, without any synthetic adjuvant...

– Marseille soap never contains dye.

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Tip: Authentic Savon de Marseille is made from oils that color it naturally. Savon de Marseille is green to brown in shade when it is made of olive oil, white to beige when it contains only palm oil and coconut oil.

– Its manufacturing process follows traditional manufacturing techniques.

This guarantee of authenticity guarantees that the soap is well produced in a cauldron according to the major traditional manufacturing steps.

The Rampal Latour approach

Protecting tradition...: manufacture in a cauldron, according to the traditional Marseille process, exclusively based on 100% vegetable oil, without perfume, without coloring, without additives, without preservatives.

…while leaving the process the possibility to continue to evolveespecially in terms of environmental impact. This is what we do with our unique process which consumes 4 times less water and 7 times less energy, while respecting the traditional method.

We are campaigning for a GI that protects Marseille soap while allowing it to evolve to adapt to today's challenges. We want to keep our freedom to offer superior quality products that are always better suited to the expectations of today's consumers.

Thus, for example,we filed 2 patentsto raise Marseille soap to the level of a soap of high dermatological and environmental quality. Thus we preserve the glycerin naturally produced in the heart of the soap for a soap that is very gentle on the skin. We wish to have the freedom to pursue this approach of quality, innovation and differentiation.

Historians prove it to us: Marseille soap has never stopped evolving.

Marseille soap has continued to evolve with the times, faithfully following the progress of science. The discoveries of Nicolas Leblanc (1790), Michel Chevreul (1813) and Ernest Solvay (1863) marked its history. The techniques for obtaining soda and the separation of fatty substances have enriched the soap-making process, and made the industry flourish in Marseille.

These discoveries were accompanied by explorations of new continents. We see a chance for improving the texture and virtues of Marseille soap. Then enter into its composition a mixture of oils including palm and coconut from Africa or the Middle East.

A Provençal innovation, Savon de Marseille is today the richness of French tradition.The Rampal Latour soap factory, whose know-how dates back to 1828, is still based in Salon-de-Provence. We are still carried by this tradition which likes to innovate.