The History of Soap

Introduction

Soap is a commonplace item often overlooked beyond its primary qualities: its pleasant scent and its ability to clean. Nowadays, there is a plethora of soap varieties, each designed for specific purposes, such as fragrance-free options for sensitive skin or those enriched with shea butter for added moisture. Soap remains one of the few constants in our lives from birth to old age. Handwashing, facilitated by soap, is a crucial practice for preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Soap's role in maintaining our hygiene is fundamental and straightforward.

Yet, the origins of soap are less commonly pondered. Who invented soap? From where did it originate? What is the process of its creation? And precisely how does it function? While it's common knowledge that soap removes dirt from the skin, the mechanism behind this is less understood. Answers are sought regarding the inception of soap and its evolution over time to the modern methods of production and use.

The earliest known written soap recipe was written on clay tablets and is credited to the ancient Babylonians. The discovery of a soap-like substance in clay cylinders during the excavation of Babylon, an ancient city in Mesopotamia situated between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, suggests that the process of soapmaking was known as far back as 2800 B.C. Inscriptions on these cylinders show that fats, obtained from cows, sheep, or goats, were boiled with ashes from wood and water.

An Egyptian scroll called the Ebers Papyrus dated 1550 BC indicates that ancient Egyptians bathed in a combination of animal and vegetable oils mixed with wood ash, which would have created a soap-like material that was used for treating skin diseases, as well as for washing. It is well documented that Egyptians regularly bathed.

Soap gained immense popularity across the Roman Empire from around 100 BC to 400 AD. The excavation of Pompeii's ruins revealed a complete soap factory amidst the debris. Bathing practices in Europe fluctuated in tandem with the fortunes of Roman civilization. With the fall of Rome in 467 AD, the practice of bathing also diminished. It is thought that the decline in hygiene and substandard living conditions contributed to this change. contributed to the many plagues of the Middle Ages.

In the medieval world, personal cleanliness was valued in certain regions. Daily bathing was customary in Japan, contrasting with the practices of medieval Europe. In Iceland, hot spring pools served as popular social spots.

By the second century A.D., Galen, a Greek physician, advocated the use of soap for medicinal and hygienic purposes.

Soap in the 17th and 18th Centuries

Not until the seventh century did soap Makers appear in Spain and Italy where soap was made with goat fat and Beech tree ashes. During the same era, the French began utilizing olive oil for soap production. Marseille soap, crafted in Southern France, boasts a history spanning over six centuries.

The formula gained official recognition in 1688 under the rule of Louis XIV, the "Sun King." Over time, fragrances were added, and specialized soaps for bathing, shaving, shampooing, and laundry emerged. Legend has it that King Louis XIV ordered the execution of three soap makers for producing a soap that aggravated his sensitive royal skin.

The English started producing soap in the 12th century, and in 1633, King Charles I granted a 14-year monopoly to the Society of Soap Makers of Westminster.

Alison Sim, in "The Tudor Housewife," notes that during the Tudor era (1485-1603), affluent women used scented toilet soap or 'Castile soap' for their daily cleansing. This imported olive oil-based soap was a luxury item. A household manual from the time contains soap recipes, indicating a widespread interest in personal cleanliness across all societal levels.

During the reign of Elizabeth I, Soap consumption in England surpassed that of any other European country. It appears that Queen Elizabeth herself established the trend, as reports suggest she bathed every four weeks "whether necessary or not." During the 17th and 18th centuries, as the soap industry began to flourish in England, it became the subject of a series of restrictions and crippling taxation on soap.

With the advent of the Victorian Era came a renewed interest in personal hygiene. It wasn't until 1853 that Gladstone repealed the soap tax, making it accessible and affordable for a broader population.

Two discoveries by French chemists helped elevate the progress of commercial soap making. In 1791, the French chemist Nicolas Leblanc discovered a process for transforming common salt (sodium chloride) into an alkali called soda ash. Since alkali was critical in the manufacture of soap as well as other products, this discovery became one of the most important chemical processes of the nineteenth century. In 1811, Chevreul discovered the chemistry behind the relationship of glycerin to fatty acids. With the advent of the industrial revolution, the stage was now set for mass soap production.

Soap in the 19th Century

In the United States, by the beginning of the 19th century, soap-making was one of the fastest-growing industries. Rural Americans created homemade soap using a method from colonial times. They collected ashes from their fires over several months. When they had sufficient fat from butchering hogs, they would make soap.

Traditional lye was produced using hardwood ashes, a barrel or ash hopper, and rainwater. Holes were made in the bottom of a barrel, which was then set on a grooved stone slab atop a rock pile. Gravel covered the holes, followed by a layer of straw, twigs, and sticks as a filter to keep the ashes from entering the solution.

A barrel filled with hardwood ashes had rainwater poured through it, leaching out the brown lye liquid. This liquid flowed into the groove around the stone slab and dripped into a container below.

Some soap makers preferred an ash hopper to the barrel method for producing lye. Following the same principle, the lye would drip into a container situated beneath the hopper.

 Soap in the 21st Century

In the modern world, genuine soap is uncommon, and many products found in stores labeled as soap are not actually soap. They are composed of chemicals associated with various illnesses. Today's so-called soaps are really detergents. Synthetic detergent bars often contain synthetic detergents, preservatives, and plasticizers to enhance the detergent bar or liquid, to reduce costs, or speed up production. This is why modern-day soap is marketed as beauty bars, body washes, shower gels, or deodorizing bars, as they cannot legally be termed soap by definition.

What is True Soap?

Real soap is made from water, natural oils and/or animal fats, sodium hydroxide (which is not present in the final product after saponification), essential oils, or natural fragrances.

False Information Regarding Lye

Upon its discovery, sodium hydroxide was not a well-understood alkali due to its potency and high causticity. Like other scientific discoveries, it required studies and testing to understand the correct usage rates for making a successful soap bar. Since soap can consist of various oils or fats, such as coconut oil or beef tallow, many variables must be considered to determine the appropriate amounts needed.

If an excess of lye is used in the recipe, it results in a soap bar that can zap and irritate the skin. Consequently, many people harbor a fear of what they consider "lye" soap. However, true soap cannot be made without lye. The term "lye soap" is a misnomer because once saponification, the complete chemical reaction, has occurred, no lye remains in the soap bar.