I was born in the Marseille region, and I've known Marseille soap since my earliest childhood. Here, using this product is truly a way of life; regardless of generation, everyone knows it and uses it daily and throughout the house.
From the very beginning of the My Better Way adventure, I naturally wanted to distribute and promote this authentic and versatile product with its many qualities.
But beware, the UPSM (professional union of Marseille soap) warns, “Most soaps labeled ‘Marseille soap’ are not actually Marseille soap!” Indeed, the name has never been protected, and the majority of products on the market are counterfeit.
So how do you tell the real thing from the fake? I went to visit the artisanal Marseille soap factory, Le Sérail, and I'll tell you all about it! 
Before getting into the heart of the matter, let's look together at why this product is so popular, and what its qualities are.
An authentic and environmentally friendly product
This natural and eco-friendly soap is 100% biodegradable in just 28 days. With no packaging or bottles, it is perfectly environmentally friendly. Its ingredients are readily available locally, and it has a wide range of uses.
It's a must-have for zero waste.
How to use Marseille soap?
It can be used for body care: Without perfumes or colors, this natural soap is hypoallergenic and recommended by dermatologists to treat skin conditions, including oily skin, acne and excess sebum.
You can brush your teeth with it, wash your body and hair with it, and even make shaving foam with it.
In household cleaning, diluted in water to make a liquid soap, it can be used as a cleaner or stain remover for windows, floors, laundry, furniture and dishes.
It contains very little glycerin (only 1% residue), so it can be used for laundry without risk of damaging your washing machine or absorbent fibers (provided you respect the dosages of course). 
The debate is open, but Marseille purists will say that you can recognize an authentic Marseille soap by its composition, its geographical origin, and its method of manufacture.
The composition of Marseille soap
The traditional recipe for Marseille soap and its manufacturing process must remain faithful to tradition. Without additives, this green gold is composed of only four natural and locally sourced ingredients:
All heated in a cauldron... Nothing more and nothing less!
Regardless of the type of fat used, a true Marseille soap must ultimately contain no less than 72% vegetable oil, and this information must be stamped on the finished product.
Geographical origin: Who makes real Marseille soap?
The UPSM has only 4 artisanal and authentic soap factories, which continue to work in the cauldron in respect of tradition: Le Fer à Cheval, Marius Fabre, La Savonnerie du Midi and Le Sérail.
For this union, it is self-evident that true Marseille soap must be made in Marseille or its region, and therefore demands the granting of a PGI to protect this know-how and avoid the numerous imitations.
But all the other manufacturers of Marseille soap, sometimes located outside the Bouches du Rhône, do not share this opinion, so the request is struggling to succeed.
The master soap makers perpetuate centuries-old techniques to obtain this high-quality natural soap, made from vegetable oil.
Marseille soap is part of our historical and cultural heritage. Moreover, the artisanal soap factories still in operation have been awarded the "Living Heritage Company" label, which recognizes excellence in French craftsmanship.
The saponification process
The master soap maker mixes vegetable oil and soda in a cauldron which he then heats.
A chemical reaction is created, the ingredients clump together and gradually transform into soap under the action of heat.
The release
He then adds sea salt to get rid of impurities in the dough.
The action of salt water helps to release the remaining caustic lye, water and glycerin that the soap contains to clean it.
Cooking
The paste continues to cook to complete saponification and transform all of the oil into soap. 
Washing
The soap paste is washed several times to completely remove the last impurities and obtain a smooth, liquid soap, which is then described as “extra pure”.
By placing a drop of soap on his tongue, the master soap maker determines whether the soap is ready to be poured into the molds for drying or whether it needs to undergo another wash.
the division
The paste will dry for a few days to harden and allow a first cutting into 40kg blocks, then a second cutting into cubes of different sizes (from 300 grams to 1kg), the scraps are kept and reused to make perfumed soaps, or transformed into shavings.
drying
The soap cubes are then stored in a kind of curing cellar to continue drying in the open air for about ten days.
the stamping
Finally, the last step is marking the soap before it goes on sale. For this, each cube is manually placed in a mold that closes on all 6 sides to imprint the traditional logos, including the brand name, its weight, and its composition with the percentage of oil (72%). 
True Marseille soap is a living product, which continues to refine itself over time.
It's not uncommon to see a whitish film appear as it dries; this is normal. A pure product of the south, it releases the remaining sea salt and water from which it is made. The older it is, the more concentrated and effective it will be.
To guarantee impeccable quality, the Le Sérail soap factory has chosen not to industrialize or automate its production and continues to work in accordance with tradition with machines that are over 100 years old. 
A huge thank you to Savonnerie Le Sérail for taking the time to explain all this to me! If you go to Marseille, you can visit the factory; they're very friendly, it's free, and open to everyone!
I hope this article helps you choose the right soap. If you'd like to buy genuine Le Sérail Marseille soap in a 300g cube , you can find it at the My Better Way shop here 👈
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