F A Qs

Why French Soap?

The French Soap that we sell is handmade using a centuries old method which uses only pure ingredients. This means there are no harmful chemicals added, the soap is totally biodegradable and is very gentle on the skin.

Why do you prefer Olive Oil?

There are two reasons. Firstly, olive oil is a natural humectant. That means that it attracts moisture from the air. Mediterranean women frequently oil their bodies with olive oil to keep their skin soft and young. The residual olive oil left on the skin after using our Original French Soaps has much the same effect. We have customers who have simply stopped using moisturiser because they no longer need it.

Secondly, the harvesting of palm oil is destroying large areas of tropical rainforest. As a result of this there is a loss of habitat for critically endagered species and an increase in greenhouse gas emissions. Despite what you may read elsewhere the true Savon de Marseille uses Olive Oil although it is increasingly common to add palm oil.

What about additives?

The people that make our French soaps only add fragrance - and then only to specific products. We’ve seen other manufacturers add stuff like shea butter, which is totally unnecessary. The genuine soap that we sell doesn’t need additives to make it feel soft and creamy - it does that naturally. Our soap lathers beautifully (we live in a hard water area and we have no problem!)

Why only Rose and Lavender fragrances?

The South of France is famous for its perfumeries, particularly in Grasse just along the coast. We decided that we’d like to keep with tradition and only use locally available fragrances. These two fragrances are by far the most popular with our clients, which is why we stick with them.

Is this soap good for eczema sufferers?

That depends what you mean by ‘good’. Our French Soap is hypoallergenic, which basically means that it’s unlikely to cause any reaction in people allergic to ordinary soap. Many eczema sufferers use olive oil to sooth their eczema. It’s very likely that such people won’t react to this soap but eczema has such a variety of causes that we can’t guarantee it. We suggest that you try the ‘Original’ cube first as it is unperfumed. Lavender is also used sometimes as a healing lotion so if you get on OK with the unperfumed soap then the Lavender fragrance would be the next one to try. However, we are aware that some people react to perfumed products so please test carefully. We cannot give refunds on products that you have used - even if they have an adverse effect on you.