First soap recipes dated back in 2800 BC and were found on Mesopotamian clay tablets, and ingredients fluctuated between water, ashes from burned wood, animal fat, cassia oil and alkali. On the clay tablet recipes, the procedure started with boiling water, ashes and fats together. Being a cumbersome process made the soap a luxury good, only used in medical and textile industries.
In ancient Egypt the use of soap for hygienic purposes dated since 1550 BC. Soap became more widely used after 100-400 AD and coincided with the rise of the Roman Empire. A soap factory was found while excavating Pompeii. Hygienic habits declined with the fall of the Roman Empire around 467 AD which might have contributed also to the numerous plagues and disease during the Middle Ages.
Soap rose again in popularity in the 7th century AD in Europe, where beech trees aches and animal fat were used in soap production in Italy and Spain. Later on, the French added olive oil to their soap recipes making Marseille a French soap hub for more than six centuries. Marseille soap recipe was officially recognized under King Louis XIV which lead to the diversification and specialization of soap: shaving, laundry, bathing, shampoo, and incorporating fragrances.
The English joined the soap making industry in the 12th century, when King Charles I awarded Westminster’s soap making society a 14th year monopoly in 1633. Demand for soap in England increased drastically during Queen Elizabeth I’s reign when the English used more soap than the other European citizens did. Queen Elizabeth, I set the trend on soap bathing every 4 weeks, while normal English people bathed around three time per year.
During the Victorian Era soap became more affordable and accessible to people when Prime Minister Gladstone lifted restrictive taxes on soap producers.
The soap industry was revolutionized by Nicholas Leblanc who made soda ash, alkali used in soap making, from sodium chloride (kitchen salt), and Chevreul who discovered in 1811 the link between glycerine and fatty acids. These discoveries contributed immensely to the soap mass production. Louis Pasteur further increased demand for soap by emphasizing the importance of personal hygiene which contributes to fighting disease and contamination.
Commercial soap started being produced after Wordl war I, when German scientists came up with a synthetic solution to soap. Artificial ingredients started being used in soap manufacturing which led to the discovery of detergents which exceeded soap sales in the US during 1950s. As unbelievable as it sounds mots commercial soaps out on the market are not soap but detergents, and by law it cannot be labelled as soap.
In 1930 Procter & Gamble discovered “the continuous method” which enabled them to produce vast amounts of soap in less than a day, this process is still used today by large soap manufactories. Another discovery was found by soap factory workers who made it possible to eliminate glycerine from soap, to use it in creams and/or sell it separately.
Latest discovery was liquid soap which makes people more conformable in using soap in public places. While no germs grow on soap, hence the reason we wash and clean with soap, many people are reluctant in using the same bar of soap as others. This made liquid soap preferred amongst consumers and Palmolive and Johnson & Johnson have been capitalizing on it since 1898.
Since 2021, however, people started to be increasingly aware and /or concerned with the environmental impact of the products used, which made natural soap bars the next focus. Soap is the most important item one owns, and today no one can picture their life without soap. Mayn people are still sceptic about hard soap bars but additional innovations such as shower soap bags or traveling soap boxes make it easy to carry along natural soap bars, reduce waste, wash anywhere anytime with your favourite soap which doesn’t dry out your skin, and be environmentally friendly.
Source: " Soap_amking Business Startup" by Christie Greene