Marseille soap (savon de Marseille) is a soap named for the French port city of Marseille and traditionally made from vegetable oils, soda and sea salt. The name is not legally protected, so what is in a bar sold as Marseille soap varies. This guide explains the traditional method, what the trade group UPSM's standard says, and what is in our own two Marseille soaps.
We sell both soaps, so read this with that in mind. For the label-reading detail, see our guide to whether your Marseille soap is actually authentic.
Marseille soap is traditionally a hard soap made from vegetable oils, soda and sea salt in a five-step kettle process that, according to the UPSM trade group, takes about a week to ten days.
"Savon de Marseille" is not a protected geographical indication: the INPI database lists the UPSM's application as rejected, and the Aix appeal court dismissed the UPSM's appeal on 3 March 2025.
The UPSM's own standard is at most four ingredients, no perfume, colorant, preservative or additive, and at least 72% vegetable oil, which means vegetable oil generally, not olive oil alone.
Our two Marseille soaps differ: the Authentic Marseille Soap is a scented, palm-based bar, and the Cube is an olive oil soap. We do not claim either meets the UPSM standard.
What Is Marseille Soap?
It is a soap named for the port city of Marseille, traditionally made from vegetable oils, soda and sea salt. The UPSM (Union des Professionnels du Savon de Marseille), a trade association of soap makers, describes its members' soap as a hard, homogeneous soap and says the historic production area is the Marseille region, today the Bouches-du-Rhône department.
The name itself is a separate matter. It is not protected as a geographical indication in France: the INPI database lists the UPSM's application as rejected, and the Aix-en-Provence appeal court dismissed the UPSM's appeal on 3 March 2025. An earlier application by another association, covering all of France, was also refused, and the Cour de cassation upheld that refusal on 16 March 2022. So "Marseille" on a pack does not by itself tell you where or how a bar was made.
How Is Traditional Marseille Soap Made?
In five kettle steps that, according to the UPSM, take about a week to ten days. This is the UPSM's description of its own process:
- Saponification: soda lye and vegetable fats are heated to boiling in the kettle and gradually turn into soap.
- Salting-out: sea salt is added, and because soap does not dissolve in salt water, the glycerin-and-salt lyes are drawn off from the bottom while the soap separates from part of its water.
- Cooking: this step completes the transformation of the fats into soap.
- Washing: washes refine the soap paste, carrying away glycerol, impurities and unsaponified fatty acids. The UPSM says some traces of glycerin can remain.
- Liquidation: a last wash with pure water brings the soap to its final state, which the UPSM calls smooth and pure.
What Does the UPSM Say a Marseille Soap Contains?
At most four ingredients, and always without perfume, colorant, preservative or additive. The UPSM's page lists three criteria for a traditional Marseille soap:
- Ingredients: four at most, with no perfume, colorant, preservative or additive.
- Fats: only vegetable fats, for which the page names olive pomace oil and coconut oil as examples, and the soap must contain at least 72% vegetable oil.
- Origin: the Bouches-du-Rhône, the historic Marseille production area.
That is a trade-group charter, not a law, and the UPSM is one side of a dispute over the name. Note that the 72% refers to vegetable oil, not olive oil alone. Our authenticity guide sets each common ingredient against these criteria.
What Is Marseille Soap Used For?
People use it as a bar for washing skin and hands, and some also use it for laundry and household jobs. The product page for our olive oil Cube presents it as a multi-use soap, and we cover the common uses in separate guides: ten uses of Marseille soap, Marseille soap for laundry and Marseille soap for hair.
If you are weighing it against a similar soap, see our comparisons of Marseille soap vs castile soap and Aleppo soap vs Marseille soap.
What Is in Sampson's Marseille Soaps?
Two different soaps, both from Savonnerie Alpilles, the vendor listed on each product page. Their product pages list:
- Authentic Marseille Soap: a soap base of saponified palm and palm kernel oils (Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate) with shea butter and glycerin, sold in more than 30 scents. The full ingredient list includes Parfum, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate and CI 77891, and the page says ingredients vary by scent.
- Traditional Olive Oil Marseille Soap Cube: Sodium Olivate, Aqua, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride and Sodium Hydroxide. The list has no perfume, colorant or preservative.
We are not claiming either soap meets the UPSM's criteria or any other single definition of a traditional Marseille soap. The scented bar's list includes perfume, a colorant and two chelating agents, and the UPSM criteria say no perfume, colorant or additive, so compare the ingredient list, not the name.
Featured in this guide
Authentic Marseille Soap
Palm and palm kernel oil soap base with shea butter and glycerin, made by Savonnerie Alpilles in more than 30 scents. The full ingredient list is on the product page.
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Featured in this guide
Traditional Olive Oil Marseille Soap Cube
An olive oil soap cube from Savonnerie Alpilles. Ingredients: Sodium Olivate, Aqua, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Hydroxide.
Shop now → ✓ 30-day money-back guarantee · Free shipping over $75How Do You Read a Marseille Soap Label?
Read the ingredient list, not the name. It shows which oils are used and whether perfume, colorant or other additives are in the bar, and the maker named on the label or product page tells you more about origin than the word "Marseille" does. Our guide to telling the difference includes a table that decodes the common ingredient names.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Marseille soap made only from olive oil?
No. The UPSM standard requires at least 72% vegetable oil and names olive pomace oil and coconut oil as examples. Our Authentic Marseille Soap has a palm-based soap base, and our Cube is an olive oil soap.
Is Marseille soap unscented?
Under the UPSM standard a traditional Marseille soap has no perfume. Scented bars are still sold under the name, including our Authentic Marseille Soap, which comes in more than 30 scents.
Is the name Savon de Marseille protected?
Not as a geographical indication. The INPI database lists the UPSM's application as rejected, and the Aix appeal court dismissed the UPSM's appeal on 3 March 2025.
How long does it take to make Marseille soap?
According to the UPSM, its five-step kettle process takes about a week to ten days.
Where is traditional Marseille soap made?
The UPSM says the historic production area is the Marseille region, today the Bouches-du-Rhône. Because the name is not protected, a bar labelled Marseille may be made elsewhere, so look for the maker on the label. Both of our Marseille soaps come from Savonnerie Alpilles.
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