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The Marseille soap can be used in all kinds of ways and has many different shapes, scents and colors. But still, despite its credited amazing effects on skin, laundry, rheumatism, hair, teeth… it is the object of a great deal of counterfeiting.
"90% of Marseille soaps are fake", Annabelle Giraud, Marseille Soap Museum manager, explains.
Astonishing ! TourMaG, of which the headquarters have always been at the heart of the Phocaean City, headed to the 15th arrondissement, within Savonnerie du Midi’s premises, which shelters a museum, dedicated to the « true » Savon de Marseille (Marseille soap), since 2018.
It was built all around the « salle des chaudrons » (cauldron room) : five in total, 7 meters high, each being able to contain 10 to 20 tons of soap paste.
When entering the building, visitors are struck by the scent of the soap being cooked, but also by the heat that comes from the tanks (rather ideal for winter visits).
They can watch the master soap maker at work and thus discover the 5 steps of a traditional soap production.
"90% of Marseille soaps are fake", Annabelle Giraud, Marseille Soap Museum manager, explains.
Astonishing ! TourMaG, of which the headquarters have always been at the heart of the Phocaean City, headed to the 15th arrondissement, within Savonnerie du Midi’s premises, which shelters a museum, dedicated to the « true » Savon de Marseille (Marseille soap), since 2018.
It was built all around the « salle des chaudrons » (cauldron room) : five in total, 7 meters high, each being able to contain 10 to 20 tons of soap paste.
When entering the building, visitors are struck by the scent of the soap being cooked, but also by the heat that comes from the tanks (rather ideal for winter visits).
They can watch the master soap maker at work and thus discover the 5 steps of a traditional soap production.
Savon de Marseille, an unprotected brand
In total, about ten days are necessary to get a traditional Savon de Marseille.
Everyday, 5 to 6 tons of soap leave the Savonnerie du Midi’s warehouse, meaning that 8 million soaps a year are stamped under different brands.
One of them has been part of it since the 1894 launch : la Corvette. In 2022, its own shop was opened at the heart of Marseille, Place aux Huiles, where soap makers once used to buy oils to make their soap. “It’s the only shop around the Old Port that sells traditional Marseille soaps”, Annabelle Giraud adds.
Her insistance on the soap’s origin and production is due to her will to see that savoir-faire finally recognized and protected !
Indeed, currently, the name « Savon de Marseille » can be appended on any kind of soap, whatever their origin, manufacturing process and composition could be.
In order to fight against that, Savonnerie du Midi and three other soap factories (Marius Fabre, Fer à cheval, Le Sérail) gathered in 2011 under the banner of UPSM (Union des Professionnels du Savon de Marseille).
Together, they claim the ancestral manufacturing process and demand the Geographical Indication Protection for Craft and Industrial Products just like Porcelaine de Limoges. To do so, they have drawn up specifications, submitted since 2016 to the INPI (Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle). But at the present time, they still haven’t heard from them.
Everyday, 5 to 6 tons of soap leave the Savonnerie du Midi’s warehouse, meaning that 8 million soaps a year are stamped under different brands.
One of them has been part of it since the 1894 launch : la Corvette. In 2022, its own shop was opened at the heart of Marseille, Place aux Huiles, where soap makers once used to buy oils to make their soap. “It’s the only shop around the Old Port that sells traditional Marseille soaps”, Annabelle Giraud adds.
Her insistance on the soap’s origin and production is due to her will to see that savoir-faire finally recognized and protected !
Indeed, currently, the name « Savon de Marseille » can be appended on any kind of soap, whatever their origin, manufacturing process and composition could be.
In order to fight against that, Savonnerie du Midi and three other soap factories (Marius Fabre, Fer à cheval, Le Sérail) gathered in 2011 under the banner of UPSM (Union des Professionnels du Savon de Marseille).
Together, they claim the ancestral manufacturing process and demand the Geographical Indication Protection for Craft and Industrial Products just like Porcelaine de Limoges. To do so, they have drawn up specifications, submitted since 2016 to the INPI (Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle). But at the present time, they still haven’t heard from them.
What is a « true » Marseille soap ?
But what is a « true » Marseille soap ?
“ It must meet three criterias, Annabelle Giraud comments.
First of all, it must be produced in Marseille and its region and not in China or Türkiye.
Then, the Marseille soap must be composed only by vegetable oil, while most of the soaps you find on sale are made with animal fat. It is fragrance free, has no preservatives nor artificial colors, no chemical additive nor essential oil.
In a true Marseille soap, you’ll only find vegetable oil, water, soda and salt. It is green if it is produced with olive oil, or beige if it is palm oil.
Finally, it must be cooked in a large open-air cauldron for approximately seven to ten days, in accordance with the five steps of the Marseille’s method ”.
“ It must meet three criterias, Annabelle Giraud comments.
First of all, it must be produced in Marseille and its region and not in China or Türkiye.
Then, the Marseille soap must be composed only by vegetable oil, while most of the soaps you find on sale are made with animal fat. It is fragrance free, has no preservatives nor artificial colors, no chemical additive nor essential oil.
In a true Marseille soap, you’ll only find vegetable oil, water, soda and salt. It is green if it is produced with olive oil, or beige if it is palm oil.
Finally, it must be cooked in a large open-air cauldron for approximately seven to ten days, in accordance with the five steps of the Marseille’s method ”.
Almost 300 m2 dedicated to exhibitions
Annabelle Giraud expects a lot from INPI for her action with other members of UPSM (Union des Professionnels du Savon de Marseille).
In the meantime, the Savonnerie du Midi keeps receiving and informing the public.
Since the end of November, the opening hours of the Marseille soap Museum have been revised (see the box below).
Free guided tours are available without reservation to individuals from Monday to Friday at 11 : 30 a.m and 2 p.m (outside school vacation) and at 10 a.m, 11 :30 a.m, 2 p.m and 3 :30 p.m during school vacation.
Guided tours in groups are only available by reservation. You can write to musee@savonneriedumidi.fr (single rate : 50 €).
The tour begins with the observation of huge cauldrons used for the baking of the soap. Interactions are possible with master soap makers who have been passing down trade secrets for decades.
There is no course. All of them are trained on the job. Taking turns everyday, they look after the soap putty like milk on fire. Indeed, all you have to do is to increase the temperature to see the soap resurface.
Around the room, visitors can walk along the 285 m2 of permanent exhibition hall that have 250 different object : advertising posters, photographs, old soaps, washing machines, washerwoman's wheelbarrow, washboards, battledore, video and pedagogical areas, but also the famous « tulip », a casting tool that allows you to model the six sides of a soap at the same time.
The tour route is a way to discover the industrial process of saponification, from soap paste to bar soaps, and to understand the different steps in the production of the famous and so precious « Savon de Marseille ».
In the meantime, the Savonnerie du Midi keeps receiving and informing the public.
Since the end of November, the opening hours of the Marseille soap Museum have been revised (see the box below).
Free guided tours are available without reservation to individuals from Monday to Friday at 11 : 30 a.m and 2 p.m (outside school vacation) and at 10 a.m, 11 :30 a.m, 2 p.m and 3 :30 p.m during school vacation.
Guided tours in groups are only available by reservation. You can write to musee@savonneriedumidi.fr (single rate : 50 €).
The tour begins with the observation of huge cauldrons used for the baking of the soap. Interactions are possible with master soap makers who have been passing down trade secrets for decades.
There is no course. All of them are trained on the job. Taking turns everyday, they look after the soap putty like milk on fire. Indeed, all you have to do is to increase the temperature to see the soap resurface.
Around the room, visitors can walk along the 285 m2 of permanent exhibition hall that have 250 different object : advertising posters, photographs, old soaps, washing machines, washerwoman's wheelbarrow, washboards, battledore, video and pedagogical areas, but also the famous « tulip », a casting tool that allows you to model the six sides of a soap at the same time.
The tour route is a way to discover the industrial process of saponification, from soap paste to bar soaps, and to understand the different steps in the production of the famous and so precious « Savon de Marseille ».
Practical information
LA SAVONNERIE DU MIDI
72, rue Augustin Roux
13015 Marseille
04 91 60 54 04
www.savonneriedumidi.fr
Opening hours
Outside school vacation :
- Individual guided tours from Monday to Friday at 11 : 30 a.m and 2 p.m, without reservation (free).
- Guided tours in groups at 10 a.m or 3 :30 p.m only by reservation : musee@savonneriedumidi.fr
(single rate : 50 €)
During school vacation :
- Individual guided tours from Monday to Friday at 10 a.m, 11 : 30 a.m, 2 p.m and 3 : 30 p.m without reservation (free)
- Guided tours from Monday to Friday at 10 a.m, 11 : 30 a.m, 2 p.m and 3 : 30 p.m, only by reservation (single rate : 50 €)
72, rue Augustin Roux
13015 Marseille
04 91 60 54 04
www.savonneriedumidi.fr
Opening hours
Outside school vacation :
- Individual guided tours from Monday to Friday at 11 : 30 a.m and 2 p.m, without reservation (free).
- Guided tours in groups at 10 a.m or 3 :30 p.m only by reservation : musee@savonneriedumidi.fr
(single rate : 50 €)
During school vacation :
- Individual guided tours from Monday to Friday at 10 a.m, 11 : 30 a.m, 2 p.m and 3 : 30 p.m without reservation (free)
- Guided tours from Monday to Friday at 10 a.m, 11 : 30 a.m, 2 p.m and 3 : 30 p.m, only by reservation (single rate : 50 €)
Let’s focus on Savonnerie du Midi
Located at the heart of the Aygalades district in the 15th arrondissement of Marseille, the Savonnerie du Midi employs 40 workers.
It got the certification label Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV), token of recognition of the French government meant to distinguish French companies that make excellence traditional savoir-faire last.
It is part of the Prodef group, of which other production units, based near Dijon and Nice are also committed into the production of disinfection, maintenance and cleaning products.
Its soaps are Ecocert certified and respect the historical norms of Marseille soap production.
In 2022, the Savonnerie du Midi obtained the certification label Qualité Tourisme for its exceptional rate of 92 % of compliance with required criterias for a factory tour route open to the public.
Turnover : 10,7 M€ - 2,2 M due to export (38 countries).
It got the certification label Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV), token of recognition of the French government meant to distinguish French companies that make excellence traditional savoir-faire last.
It is part of the Prodef group, of which other production units, based near Dijon and Nice are also committed into the production of disinfection, maintenance and cleaning products.
Its soaps are Ecocert certified and respect the historical norms of Marseille soap production.
In 2022, the Savonnerie du Midi obtained the certification label Qualité Tourisme for its exceptional rate of 92 % of compliance with required criterias for a factory tour route open to the public.
Turnover : 10,7 M€ - 2,2 M due to export (38 countries).
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