Brief History of Soap - The Skinny on Clean
May 27, 2008
‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’. Not so to the ancients it seems, who used what we now know as soap more than 3,000 years ago, but then mainly as a hair dressing or to apply as a medicinal aid to a wound. Bathing was popular to our early forbears, but more as a social or religious function rather than for cleansing. When cleansing was the goal, oil was applied to the body directly, then scraped away with abrasive stones - hopefully carrying away the dirt and grime.
It was not until the 13th century A.D. that soapmaking became a trade. Greece and France led the way, becoming the first soapmaking centers, and this because of olive oil.
‘Castilian’ means ‘soap made from olive oil’ and this oil remained at the heart of soap making for several centuries thereafter.
Colonists in America brought new innovation to the ancient art. Resourceful settlers combined animal fats (tallow) with lye (made with ashes from the fireplace) and soapmaking became a household chore. Only in 1830 was soap commercially manufactured and offered for sale. In the late 1800’s ‘Castille Soap’ was reintroduced in the U.S.A. made from palm and olive oils. Though still sold under the original name it was not the same product. Additives were included to decrease body odor, make bars float and even cut grease and cause suds to dissolve. The word ‘Castille’ became the stuff of lawsuits, as olive oil importers tried to stop local manufacturers from using that word for soaps made with lesser oils and fats.
World War II and shortages of soap making materials brought further invention. Chemists used oil substitutes, combining mineral oils with petroleum chemicals and fatty acids. Enter the word ‘detergent’. These have remained in prominent use where the standard formula for almost all soap is 80% tallow and 20% coconut oil.
With all the changes over the centuries, soaps made with an olive oil base remain the most sought after. Soap making, it seems, has come full circle.. but now ‘cleanliness’ is the norm and our planet is awash in suds..