Household soap
The soap of Marseilles is a particularly effective type of Savon by its cleaning capacity, used primarily for the Hygiène of the body. The formula of this soap, container 72 % of Fatty-acid (coming from the mixture of oils and Soda) was fixed under Louis XIV at the 17th century. At the 19th century, Marseilles with nearly 90 soap factories has a flourishing industry which knows its apogee in 1913 with close to 180 000 tons produced. After 1950, the arrival of the detergents of synthesis precipitates its decline quickly.
See also: Soap
History
The creation of the industry of the household soap
In France, the soap is used since the Antiquité. Aurélien Vezier reports in its Natural history that the Gaulois employ a product containing Suif and of Cendre S to dye the hair into russet-red. The soap is used to them as bleaching agent for the hair.See also: Soap of Alep
The origin of the household soap undoubtedly comes from the Savon of existing Alep since thousands of years. The manufacturing process originating in the town of Alep in Syria, containing Olive oil and Laurier was spread through the Mediterranean basin, following the Croisades, while passing by the Italy and the Spain, to reach Marseilles.
Marseilles has soap manufactures as from the 12th century which use as raw material the Olive oil produced locally. The Soude (at the time the word “soda” indicated the Sodium carbonate) came from ashes of the Combustion of a plant, the Salicorne. Crescas Davin is in XIVe the soap century first official one of the city. In 1593, Georges Prunemoyr, exceeding the artisanal stage, founds the first Marseilles factory.
At the beginning of the XVIIe century, the production of the Marseilles soap factories can just satisfy the request of the city and soil. The wearing of Marseilles receives even soaps of Genoa and Alicante. But the war blocking the provisioning of Spain, the soap Marseillais must increase their production in order to be able to feed the French of North and the purchasers Dutch, German and English.
In 1660, one counts in the city seven factories whose annual production rises with close to 20 000 tons. Under Louis XIV, the quality of the Marseilles productions is such as " soap of Marseille" becomes a common noun. It is then about a soap of green color which is sold mainly out of bar of 5 kg or breads of 20 kg.
October 5th 1688, an edict of Louis XIV, signed by the son of Colbert, secretary of the House of the King, regulates the manufacture of the soap. According to article III of this edict: “One will not be able to serve in the factory of soap, with the barrille, soda or ashes, of any grease, butters nor other matters; but only of the pure olive oils, and mixture of grease, confiscation of the goods”. Soap manufactures must cease their activity the summer because heat harms the quality of the soap. This regulation ensures the quality of the soap which makes the fame of the Marseilles soap factories.
In same time, soap factories settle in the area, with Living room-of-Provence, Toulon or Arles.
The industry of the soap
In 1786,48 soap factories produce in Marseilles 76 000 tons, employ 600 workmen and 1.500 convicts lent by the arsenal of the galères.
After the crisis due to the French revolution, Marseilles industry continues to develop until counting 62 soap factories in 1813. Soda is then obtained starting from sea water thanks to the process invented by Nicolas Leblanc.
Starting from 1820, new fat contents are imported and forward by the port of Marseilles. Oils of palm, of groundnut, coconut and Sésame are used for the manufacture of the soap.
The Marseilles soap factories undergo the competition of the soap factories English or Parisian, these last employ Suif which gives a less expensive soap.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the town of Marseilles has 90 soap factories. François Merklen fixes in 1906 the formula of the household soap: 63% of Oil of copra or palm, 9 % of soda or sea salt, 28 % of water. This industry is flourishing until the First World War where the difficulty of the maritime transport of seeds carries seriously reached to the activity of the soap ones. In 1913, the production is of 180 000 tons to fall to 52 817 tons in 1918.
After the war, the soap factory profits from progress of mechanization although the quality of the product remains due to the use of the old processes and the production goes up to reach 120 000 tons in 1938. When Second world war bursts, Marseilles always ensures half of the French production but the years which follow are disastrous. the soap is supplanted by the Détergent S of synthesis and the Marseilles soap factories close the ones after the others.
There remains today only one handle of manufacturers in the area.
The manufacture of oil soap in the Greek islands
In the Greek islands , with Mytilène in particular it existed there is a hundred year of the small factories which manufactured soap containing Olive oil.
In the villages, one extracted the olive oil with presses out of wooden and manufacturing it of soap repurchased waste rich in oils. The manufacturer had presses with metal oil and extracted remaining oil very charged in acid (today an oil of this type is refined). The oil extracted was used as a basis for manufacture from soap and waste of the extraction was used to maintain fires.
One found such a process with Mytilène and Rhodos. To Rhodos the manufacturer came from Mitilène and was called Agiakatsika. The houses which it made build for his daughters are chiefs of work of the Greek Néo-classicisme.
Manufacture
Saponification
See also: Saponification
The household soap results from a Chemical reaction of Saponification, conversion chemical during which greasy substances (Graisse S or Huile S) are hydrolized in alkaline medium by a base, Soude (NaOH). The Hydrolysis of the greasy substance produced with Glycerol and a mixture of carboxylate (of sodium or potassium) which constitutes the soap.
The Marseilles process
The Marseilles process is a batch process of manufacture of the soap. It is composed of several stages:
Pasting and the épinage
One introduces at the same time the fat contents and soda into a tank or a cauldron of great capacity, and one mixes them all while heating them with 120°C. Saponification starts. The high temperature is used to accelerate the reaction of saponification. Greases and soda are not miscible. To facilitate the reaction, one puts a soap bottom coming from a preceding manufacture which is used to maintain a emulsion between the reagents (fat contents and soda). It is for the same reason that the mélange.is agitated
One removes then glycerin obtained. Thus, the industry of the soap gives rise to additional industries most important being the " stéarinerie" , manufacture of the candles starting from the recovery of glycerin.
Cooking
One adds soda to have a complete reaction of the fat contents. If part of the fat contents did not react with soda, it would be likely to grow rancid and would pose problems of conservation. The paste is cooked several hours
Salting out
The paste is cleaned with salt water (saturated: 360g of water NaCl/L); during several hours to eliminate soda in excess. The soap is far from soluble in salt water with the difference of soda. It forms a Précipité that one recovers by racking. The finished soap will not contain soda any more, because the precipitate will contain the soda excess and the other impurities of oil plus glycerin. It is the delipidation of the soap.
Liquidation
The paste is put at rest. It can be washed with water.
The casting and drying
The fluid paste versed in moulds then is put to dry to harden it.
Cutting and the estampillage
The solidified soap is cut out in cubes then marked. In the beginning, the household soap contained olive oil 72%. This percentage was stamp on the soap.
Household soap today
Use
The household soap is initially a product of cleanliness of the body. It is also useful of cleaning to spare and for the washing of the linen. One finds household soap spangles for the detergent. Is employed it in particular to wash the linen of the people Allergique S and the babies because it does not contain ingredients allergisants.
An official definition
The term “household soap” is not a name of controlled origin, it corresponds only to one manufacturing method which is approved since March 2003 by the Head office of competition, the consumption and the repression of the frauds (DGCCRF) of the Ministry for finances. This method is resulting from a code validated by the profession via the French Association of industries of detergency, the maintenance and the products of occupational hygiene (AFISE). This code defines before a a whole manufacturing method, based on the four historical stages which are pasting/cooking, the salting out of glycerin, washing and liquidation (obtaining a crystalline phase smooth with 63 % of fatty-acids). It also defines constraints as regards loading of greasy substance, excludes acid oils except the olive-residue oils and admits tallow (subject to a quality in conformity with the Européen payment THIS 1774/2002 on the animal derivatives usable in cosmetic).Lastly, this " code soap of Marseille" limit the additives and excludes in particular the surface-active ones from synthesis. The additives usable must be in conformity with the directive THIS 76/768 relating to the marketing of the cosmetic products, hygiene and toilet. This code distinguishes a quality known as household soap Brut, without dye, perfume, additives. There is thus no obligation to manufacture a soap in Marseilles so that it can have name. Name is related to the process of saponification known as " marseillais" , developed following the discovery of the manufactoring process of caustic soda by Leblanc.
It thus derived there many and not justified uses of this name.
In the Marseilles area, only three soap factories continue to manufacture soap as it was manufactured three centuries ago: the Company of the household soap (), the soap factory of the Seraglio (), and the soap Marius Fabre in Living room-of-Provence ().
Many companies say soap factory or assert Soap the Maître concept. It is in fact only " conditionneurs" of soap. The base soap comes primarily from Southeast Asia and work only consists to color, scent and mould this base soap manufactured according to a modern process which cannot profit from Marseilles name according to the code of the AFISE.
The Soap factory of the Atlantic (), located in the suburbs of Nantes, produced since more than 60 years of the soap, of which household soap, according to the historically recognized process. Nantes, running 19th century, was also a major site of production of soap in France, with more than 30 soap factories employing then nearly 300 people.
Artisanal soap
A traditional household soap is appeared as a large cube of 600 grams, on which are engraved “oil 72%” and the name of the soap factory.
The artisanal soap with the olive oil is composed of olive oil, of oil of copra and palm oil. The color of the soap to the olive oil is between chestnut and the green
One finds also household soap white, composed of groundnut oil, of oil of copra and palm oil.
The artisanal soap contains neither perfume neither dye nor additive of synthesis. It is thus Biodégradable at 100%.
Industrial soap
The household soap sold in large surface is a soap of household or toilet which contains various fat contents. The principal fat contents used are listed in the table below.
The industrial household soap contains also different Additif S: antiliming agents, preserving S, dye S, Perfume S… These additives are often polluting.
Derivative products
The household soap has an positive image which evokes the naturalness, simplicity and cleanliness “with old”. In addition to the soaps, the industrialists thus offer other products containing of the household soap like cleaning products and of the Lessive S.
Notes and references of the article
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