Reconnaître le Savon de Marseille

Recognizing Marseille Soap

Did you know that the name “Savon de Marseille” was not protected?

This means that anyone, anywhere and anywhere can produce a soap and call it that. Thus, the majority of Marseille soaps that you come across in supermarkets, in specialized stores or in Provençal markets are not made in France and even less in Marseille.

Authentic Marseille soap
Here are our tips for recognizing a real Marseille soap:

Its color: the color of authentic Marseille soap is that of the oils that compose it. In fact, it must not contain any coloring.

Its smell: the scent of traditional Marseille soap must be that of its ingredients, particularly the oils. This is why the smell of green Marseille soap, made from olive pomace oil, is so characteristic! Real Marseille soap does not contain any perfume.

Its composition: the simplest and safest method to recognize a Marseille soap is to refer to the list of ingredients. The latter must be composed of only 4 ingredients: vegetable oils, soda, water and salt. Sometimes there are two different oils used in the same soap, in which case it is possible that the list is 5 ingredients.

The Savon de Marseille logo: To preserve our ancestral know-how and the reputation of Marseille soap, we have joined forces with the last 3 Marseille soap makers to create the UPSM (union of Marseille soap professionals): a collective brand to be certain of the origin, composition and respect for the soap manufacturing process.

The UPSM logo is present on our soaps or their packaging. This is a guarantee of the origin and manufacturing of the soaps!

UPSM logo