The History Of Soap Making

By Author: Tammy Tivis
Total Articles: 4762
Comment this article

One of the earliest recorded milestones in the history of soap making dates to nearly 3000 BC in Babylon, when the Babylonians used a special mixture of water, alkali and oils to produce a crude, soap-like material. In ensuing years, the Egyptians also produced their own soap-like substances, using them regularly to bathe and, interestingly enough, to prepare wool for weaving. The combination of animal and vegetable oils mixed with alkaline ingredients was what helped to keep their bodies and fabrics clean.

Over time, many different chemists in many different cultures developed soaps with vegetable oils from olives, thyme and other aromatic plants. During the 7th century, soaps developed in what is present-day Iraq had colors and textures added and were also perfumed. Some soap preparations were solids and some were liquids. As time went on, people even produced special soaps for shaving. There are 13th-century manuscripts from Europe with detailed, painstaking soap recipes that include sesame oil, potash, alkali and lime. It is hard to pin down an exact date but at some time in this era, someone somewhere thought to ...
... pour liquid soap into molds to create hard bars of soap.

Through the Ages
Many fine (and costly) soaps were produced in Europe starting in the 15th century. Gradually from the 1400s to the 1600s, soap recipes began eliminating animal fats in favor of vegetable oils. Castile soap is one of the oldest soaps produced in Italy, and an example of the vegetable-only soaps that have been used widely over a man named Andrew Pears developed and perfected a higher quality soap that was transparent. His son, grandson and other descendants ran the Pears Soap firm until it merged with the Lever Company in the 1910s.

Another inventive Briton, William Gossage, also began to create low-priced and high quality soap during the 1850s. In addition, William Hesketh Lever and his brother, James, purchased a small soap factory in Warrington in 1885 and perfected formulas for both soap and modern marketing. They saw their Lever Bros. company eventually grow into the huge, multinational Unilever firm. Along the way to becoming one of the largest soap businesses on Earth, the Lever operation absorbed Gossage's companies in 1919. Today, many of the same soaps are still being produced in Europe, by both mass manufacturing commercial plants and small-scale artisans producing collectibles and special formulas.

A True Aid to Civilized Living
Today, soap has become a universal item in industrialized nations due to its important role in public health and hygiene. This is because it reduces the population of "pathogens," disease-causing microorganisms. Soap is now made several different ways, one of which is the cold process method where the fats (like olive oil) react with lye. A few other soap producers still use the older method, the hot process, although this not very common anymore. Handmade soaps differ from factory-made ones, in that the particular fat they contain has a tendency to absorb the alkali, leaving the soap in a natural state with a high proportion of glycerin rather than detergent. Some of these soaps are known as "superfatted" soaps, and contain an excess of fats that make them more skin-friendly than many industrial products. There is a bit of art and craft involved too, as having too much fat in the formula can result in soap that leaves skin feeling greasy.

Emollients like jojoba oil, cocoa butter and others are often added to thicken soap and add extra moisturizing for the skin. Various fragrances are added as well while the shape, size, color and texture of both mass-produced and custom-made soap are incredibly varied. Soap comes in bottles and bars, on strings and in sponges, as liquid and powder, and is formulated for different kinds of skin. Soap is still made at home in some parts of the world too.

Part of Civilization's Formula
Today, soap products that are simply marked "soap" are considered detergent products rather than cosmetics. This is due to the fact that simple soap produces a high degree of lather which is appealing to the consumer, of course. "Real" soaps, therefore, are regulated and monitored by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, not the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as soap doesn't require any ingredient listings according to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938. This law did not include soap in its regulations, and so long as the manufacturers of soap products only refer in their advertising to cleaning the body, they are exempt from labeling requirements. However, if the product is marketed as a "deodorant soap," then it must list ingredients like any other cosmetic product.

Soap has been a part of every culture since time began, and is the best way to cleanse the body and maintain basic hygiene. It is not a stretch to say that the history of soap making parallels the history of civilization, as cleanliness and good hygiene helped create longer-lived cultures and societies, improving public health and allowing greater degrees of family intimacy. Soap is not merely a much-needed staple of every modern home but is truly one of the reasons that modern life developed as it did.
About Author:
Bath and Body supplies wholesale soap making and toiletry supplies. When you're formulating your own soap, body lotion, lip balm, bath salts, or perhaps a special flax seed pillow, we have the supplies you need at wholesale prices. Visit online for more information.