We've spent an extraordinary amount of time thinking about soap.
Since 2012, French Soaps UK has specialised in traditional French and Mediterranean soaps. Based in North Yorkshire, we focus on Savon de Marseille, Aleppo soap and Provençal vegetable-oil soaps produced using established soapmaking methods. What we call Proper Soap.
What began with a small collection of traditional soaps has grown into the UK's only dedicated multi-brand specialist focused on traditional French and Mediterranean soap traditions. Today our range includes Marseille soap, Aleppo soap, liquid soaps, soap flakes, household soaps and carefully selected products that sit naturally alongside them.
Traditional soap remains one of the simplest and most effective forms of cleansing. Made from oils, water and alkali, it has been used for generations for washing, laundry and household cleaning. Its value lies in its simplicity: reliable soap made from straightforward ingredients and designed for everyday use.
Our role is to make these traditional products more widely available in the United Kingdom while preserving the knowledge that surrounds them.
A Focus on Traditional Soap
Savon de Marseille and Aleppo soap are among the world's most recognisable soapmaking traditions.
Made from simple plant oils and produced using established methods, they were never designed to be fashionable. They were designed to work.
For generations these soaps were used throughout homes for personal washing, laundry, stain treatment and household cleaning. Their reputation was built not on marketing claims, but on practicality, reliability and versatility.
That practical approach continues to appeal today.
While formulations, fragrances and formats have evolved, traditional soap remains one of the simplest and most effective forms of cleansing. Well-made soap does not need to be complicated to be useful.
Product, Process & People
We believe products become more interesting when you understand the processes behind them and the people who make them.
Whether it is a master soap maker overseeing a traditional Marseille batch, a family business producing Aleppo soap or a perfumer in Grasse creating a fragrance inspired by Provence, there are always skills, decisions and traditions behind the finished product. Understanding those differences is part of what makes the subject so fascinating.
Working with Established Makers
Our range is sourced from established savonneries and specialist producers, many of whom continue traditions that have been refined over generations.
Some specialise in traditional Marseille soap cooked in large cauldrons. Others focus on Aleppo soap maturation, Provençal fragrance traditions or modern interpretations of historic formulations.
Each maker brings something distinctive.
Some are recognised for preserving centuries-old soapmaking methods. Others are known for artisan production, natural colourants, specialist ingredients, fragrance expertise or a particular regional tradition.
Rather than searching for a single interpretation of traditional soapmaking, we work with makers whose different strengths complement one another and help represent the breadth of the traditions we specialise in.
We value these relationships because they allow us to learn directly from the people making the products. Conversations about ingredients, manufacturing methods, fragrance composition and regional traditions often provide insights that never appear on packaging.
Those conversations help us better understand the products we sell and allow us to share that knowledge with our customers.
A North Yorkshire Business
French Soaps UK is proudly based in North Yorkshire.
We employ locally, dispatch orders from our Yorkshire warehouse and work with regional service providers throughout our business. While the products we specialise in come from France and the wider Mediterranean, we are a UK company serving customers throughout the United Kingdom.
We welcome telephone orders, customer enquiries and visits to our warehouse by appointment. Whether you need help choosing a product, comparing options or simply finding your way around the range, we're always happy to help.
Beyond Soap
Traditional soap remains at the heart of French Soaps UK, but many of the makers we work with have extended their collections into complementary products.
Hand creams, body lotions and balms for example, using the same fragrance and philopsphy that made their soaps popular in the first place, allowing customers to enjoy familiar scents across a wider range of everyday products.
Other additions have been introduced because customers repeatedly asked for them. Soap dishes, wall-mounted dispensers and accessories help people get the best from the soaps they already use.
Occasionally, customer questions lead us in new directions. Interest in laundry fragrances and linen sprays introduced us to Collines de Provence and its concept of whole-home fragrance, where a single fragrance can extend through the home, laundry, linen and body care.
At other times we simply encounter something exceptional. That was our experience with Geodesis, whose distinctive fragrance creations earned a place in our range through the originality and quality of their compositions.
Over the years we have tested hundreds of products, introduced new collections and occasionally moved on from products that simply were not the right fit for our customers. Some products perform exceptionally well in one country or environment but prove less suited to another.
Years of customer feedback have taught us as much as years of product sourcing. While no single product is right for everyone, those conversations help us understand where particular products excel and which options are most likely to suit different needs.
Learning & Sharing
Some of the most valuable things we have learned have come from conversations with customers and our team.
Questions about ingredients, fragrance, laundry, soapmaking and product choice have shaped many of the conversations we have every day.
Some remain one-to-one. Others have grown into guides, maker profiles and educational resources that help more people understand the products they use.
The French Soap Library grew naturally from those conversations and continues to evolve as we learn more.
Today we supply both individual customers and trade partners throughout the UK, but our purpose remains unchanged: to champion proper soap in the UK and help people discover, understand and choose it with confidence.