Savon de Marseille Specialists - Since 2012

Proper Soap - Packed and Dispatched from North Yorkshire

For Washing, Laundry & Cleaning
Traditional Savon de Marseille Cubes

Savon de Marseille Cube Soaps 

The Savon de Marseille cube is the original and most recognisable form of traditional Marseille soap. Defined by its simple shape and stamped surfaces, the cube reflects the practical origins of French soapmaking, where soap was produced for everyday washing, laundry, and household use rather than presentation. 

Dating back to the 17th century, the cube format was the easiest way for soap makers to cut, dry, store, and stack for transport. These large soap blocks could also be sliced efficiently into smaller pieces.  

Today the cube soap remains the defining form of genuine Savon de Marseille; a simple, functional soap whose shape reflects the practical role it has long played in homes across southern France. 

Today the cube remains the defining form of genuine Savon de Marseille - a simple, functional soap whose shape reflects the practical role it has long played in homes across southern France.

Unlike decorative soap bars developed primarily for fragrance or cosmetic positioning, Marseille soap cubes were designed as practical household staples. Their compact structure made them easy to store beside sinks, cut into portions, grate into laundry flakes, or dissolve into cleaning solutions.

  • Cutting from the Soap Slab

    Savon de Marseille is traditionally poured into large open basins after cooking. As the soap begins to set it is marked and cut using long wires, first dividing the slab into large blocks and then into individual bars.

    The cube form reflects this method of production. Cutting the soap into regular cubes allowed the freshly made bars to be separated, handled and moved easily during the early stages of drying.

  • Drying and Maturation

    After cooking and cutting, Savon de Marseille cubes are traditionally stacked in ventilated towers to dry and mature. This curing stage allows excess water to evaporate and the soap to harden before it is sold.

    The cube shape supports this process. With multiple exposed faces, air can circulate around the soap more easily, allowing it to dry evenly throughout the bar. Over time the exterior hardens while the interior retains the characteristic texture of Marseille soap.

    For this reason the cube became the practical form for drying and storing traditional Savon de Marseille.

  • Weight and Trade

    Savon de Marseille was historically sold by weight rather than by fragrance or cosmetic purpose. Regular cube sizes made the soap straightforward to weigh, stamp and transport.

    Standard weights such as 300g, 400g and 600g became widely recognised commercial units of Marseille soap. The cube therefore served not only as a practical drying form but also as a convenient format for trade and distribution.

Proper soap, since 2012
Packed and dispatched from North Yorkshire.

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