From the middle of the 19th century until the Second World War, Marseille soap factories multiplied. There are more than a hundred soap factories in Marseille. They are powerful and often owned by large Marseille families. About 30% of the population worked directly or indirectly thanks to this industry. Marseille soap, internationally recognized for its effectiveness, is exported all over the world and in particular to our colonies.
It was in 1906 that the mention "Extra pure 72% oils" was defined, which served as a guarantee of quality: chemist François Merklen sets the percentage of vegetable oil in Marseille soaps at 72% minimum. This percentage was necessary to avoid fraud where the proportion of water could reach up to 50% of soap. With such a level of water, the soap lost half of its weight in a few uses.
The mention "72% oil" is therefore a guarantee of the quality of the authentic Marseille Soap, which assures you that it is at least 72% composed of vegetable oils, supplemented by soda, water and salt.
