Feeling slightly overwhelmed by the choice? You're not alone.
At first glance, French soap can seem surprisingly complicated; there are olive oil cubes, Aleppo soaps, black soaps, liquid soaps, colourful Provence soaps, laundry soaps and household cleaners. Some are made in Marseille, some are made elsewhere in Provence, some are fragranced, others contain no added fragrance at all. Our range is extensive because we bring centuries of different soap-making traditions together in one place.
Soap was traditionally a multipurpose product, used for washing ourselves, our clothes and our homes. French soap has never lost that principle. Traditional Savon de Marseille can be used for washing, laundry, stain removal and household cleaning. Alongside these there are many different formulations of soap found across Provence, where the oils remain the defining characteristic, while the method and other added ingredients give us a wide variety of soaps for different.
If you don't want to read on and would rather simply try some of our core range, start with our Trial Sizes here.
Below we explain the main categories, what makes them different and the products we most often recommend to customers discovering French soap for the first time. Whether you are looking for a traditional everyday soap, a fragrance-free option, a household staple or the scents of Provence, we'll help you find your way around.
Savon de Marseille - Probably The Most Versatile Soap in the World
If there is one product most closely associated with French soap, it is Savon de Marseille. Traditionally made by cooking vegetable oils in large cauldrons, this remarkably simple soap has been used for generations for washing, laundry, stain removal, travel and household cleaning.
If you only buy one soap today, buy this.
Aleppo Soap - One of the World's Oldest Soap-Making Traditions
Long before Marseille became famous for soap, Aleppo was already producing olive oil soap using methods that continue today.
Made each winter and traditionally aged for at least nine months, Aleppo Soap remains one of the oldest surviving soap-making traditions in the world. Popular with those looking for traditional soap, those with particularly challenging skin types, or a richer bar than Savon de Marseille. Just as versatile and also more targeted for individual needs, start with the standard strength laurel oil and move on from there.
Provence Soaps - The Soaps Found on Market Stalls Across Southern France
These are the colourful soaps many people first discover whilst travelling in France. Inspired by the flowers, fruits and aromatic plants of Provence, they celebrate fragrance, colour and everyday pleasure.
Produced in a variety of formulations including shea butter, olive oil, sweet almond oil and other plant-based recipes, these are the soaps that often spark a lifelong interest in French soap. For many customers, they are the scents, colours and memories of holidays in southern France.
Fragrance-Free - The Simplest Formulations in Our Collection
Many customers find us whilst looking for fragrance free soap products, if that's you, welcome and thank you for reading. Others simply prefer products with fewer ingredients and a more traditional approach and this is where French Soap excels.
This collection brings together our fragrance-free Savon de Marseille, Pure Aleppo Soap and selected liquid soaps, providing a straightforward place to begin for those who prefer or require a soap without scent.
Black Soap - The Traditional Household Staple Most Customers Wish They Had Discovered Sooner
One of France's most versatile household products, Black Soap has been used for generations throughout the home and garden. Made primarily from olive oil, it is valued for cleaning floors, kitchens, bathrooms, outdoor spaces and countless everyday tasks.
Customers love that one product can tackle so many cleaning jobs. From degreasing kitchens and cleaning floors to garden furniture and outdoor spaces, Black Soap is often the product that transforms how people think about household cleaning.
If you only buy two products from us today, make this one of them.
Laundry - The Category Most Customers Never Knew They Needed
Once upon a time, before modern detergents, traditional soap was caring for everything from everyday linens to delicate fabrics and treasured household textiles.
Today, Marseille Soap Flakes, laundry soaps and stain removers remain some of the most practical products we stock. Valued for their economy, versatility and impressive stain-removing abilities, they are used on everything from everyday laundry to wool, silk, antique lace and heirloom textiles. Whilst many customers first arrive looking for soap for themselves, it is often the laundry products that earn the strongest loyalty and long term recommendations. Read our guide on where to start with laundry here.
Savon de Marseille is not a brand or a company name
You will see we use Traditional Savon de Marseille throughout our website to distinguish the fragrance-free, cauldron-cooked soaps made using the Marseille process, which arguably should have protected status in much the same way that names such as Champagne and Parmesan are protected, from the wider family of soaps carrying the Savon de Marseille name.
All of which is why the savonnerie matters, different makers have different specialisms, formulations and methods, and we work with a number of them rather than expecting one maker to do everything particularly well.
There is always more to learn
This page is intended to help you find your way around French soap, but there is much more behind the products we sell.
Since 2012, we've spent a great deal of time talking to savonneries, asking questions, comparing formulations, understanding different methods and, of course, using the products ourselves. Just as importantly, we've learned from the thousands of questions customers have asked us along the way.
We've brought much of that knowledge together in The French Soap Library, where you'll find our guides to ingredients, formulations, makers, methods and the history behind the soaps, alongside practical advice on choosing and using them.