FAQ
Do you make the soap?
No, we design and package the bars but we do not make soap. We are partnered with carefully selected artisans in the South of France, where the art of soapmaking is a traditional skill requiring licence and regulation so you can be sure of a quality product.
We have spent time and effort to research the world of artisan soap making and our chosen partners are among the best and most respected in the South of France. The soaps we supply are recognised worldwide in terms of ingredients and traditional manufacturing methods.
Do you use machinery or are they all made by hand?
The soap is made by hand, without automated conveyor belts, but as in all industries, machinery is used for mixing and shaping.
Why are some fragrances often out of stock?
The soap is made in small batches to order, ingredients are sourced from quality providers and local where possible. Sometimes, if there's a spike in demand for a particular scent, we might have to wait for the next batch to be made, and seasoned which can take up to 12 weeks. We have also found that customers prefer fresh new fragrances, so we produce limited edition bars and bring out new fragrances regularly.
Our policy is Less is More. Our mission is to help reduce the need for unnecessary shipping, packaging, middle man fees, road trips to the supermarket, dishonest marketing.
We are building a network of Soapyard partners, who can process orders and distribute soaps at a local level. Clearly, as our soap is from the Marseille area in France, an initial shipment will be necessary, however this will be co-ordinated to limit air miles, road miles and unnecessary individual packaging.
What is the soap base made of?
Each product page includes a list of ingredients in the legally required format known as INCI.
However, it’s not always easy to decipher, as the terms can seem a bit technical. So here are some more accessible explanations. See also our ingredients explained page.
The base of all our soaps is made from plant-derived fatty acids (vegetable oils and butters). In most cases, we use palm kernel oil (extracted from the fruit and kernel of the palm), and copra or coconut oil. There’s also a small amount of water, natural glycerin (produced during saponification), and sodium EDTA, which helps prevent the soap from going rancid and allows it to lather well, even in hard or mineral-rich water.
We also offer an increasing number of specialty soaps with different base compositions — for example, “palm oil free,” “EDTA free,” etc. This is always mentioned on the product page. These soaps are typically made with ingredients like olive and coconut oil, or organic shea butter and organic coconut oil.
Are the scented soaps really made using traditional methods?
All the soap bars we offer on the website are produced using semi-automatic machines, which means human skill and craftsmanship are essential at every stage of the process. The professional team of savonnier that supply soapyard, use careful methods and multiple production steps ensure consistent, high-quality results.
The company has been officially recognised as artisans by the Chamber of Trades and Crafts of the Bouches-du-Rhône, and they are registered in the French National Trade Directory under the number 13 07 04408 0 RM 13.
Your soaps contain palm oil — I’ve heard it’s unhealthy and contributes to deforestation. Why do you use it?
We’ve chosen to make a vegetable-based soap (some soaps are made using tallow, which is animal fat). This approach may include palm oil because it has excellent natural foaming properties and strong cleansing power. Thanks to these qualities, we don’t need to add synthetic ingredients to achieve effective results — unlike many liquid shower gels. We also offer palm oil–free ranges for those who prefer them.
It’s important to know that palm oil is considered potentially harmful only when consumed in large quantities through food. Some studies link it to diabetes, cardiovascular issues, or even potential carcinogenic effects. However, none of these concerns apply to soap use. In soap, palm oil is saponified and does not enter the body — it simply cleanses the surface of the skin and is rinsed away, posing no health risks.
What about the environmental impact?
We work exclusively with responsible producers who follow RSPO (Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil) standards, committed to sustainable practices and forest conservation. It’s also worth noting that over 80% of global palm oil production goes to the food industry. It is now used more in biofuel production than in soap-making.
If palm oil were suddenly abandoned in favour of another oil, the environmental impact could actually worsen. Oil palms are far more productive per hectare than most other oil crops, meaning alternatives would require much more land to achieve the same yield — potentially leading to even greater deforestation.
We believe that, when sourced responsibly, palm kernel oil remains one of the most environmentally efficient options available. Of course, the entire industry must continue to improve and protect ecosystems around plantations. But avoiding palm oil altogether doesn’t solve the problem — it simply shifts it elsewhere, potentially creating new challenges. It's similar to electric cars: while they help reduce vehicle emissions, battery production and recycling come with their own environmental costs. There is no perfect solution.
Lastly, it’s important to highlight the strong ecological benefit of solid soap itself, which requires little or no packaging compared to liquid products.
That said, we do offer palm oil–free options and are working to expand this range in the near future.
If the soap base comes from Asia, is it real Marseille soap?
Palm and coconut trees grow primarily in tropical regions, so part of our raw materials — such as palm kernel oil and coconut oil — naturally comes from Asia. However, this has no impact on the quality of the final product. In fact, it allows us to offer high-quality soaps at a fair and accessible price.
Importing certain raw ingredients does not mean the soap isn’t made in Marseille. These plant oils form the base, but the soap itself is crafted in our workshop through more than ten production stages — including milling, refining, extrusion, and stamping — to create our final bar.
To put it into perspective: a car made in France from steel sourced in India is still a French-made car. A baker using flour from abroad doesn’t make non-French bread. A cabinetmaker using exotic wood still produces French furniture. It’s the same with our soap — even if some ingredients are imported, the product is fully manufactured in Marseille.
For reference, argan oil and shea butter are native to parts of Africa, and our olive oil is sourced from France or the wider Mediterranean region.
Is it 100% natural?
We use fine fragrances from Grasse — renowned for their exceptional quality — and a few pigments that are not 100% of natural origin. However, all our soaps contain over 95% ingredients of natural origin. For some formulas, the percentage is over 99%, even reaching 100%, thanks to the use of essential oils, clays, organic shea butter, and other natural ingredients.
Is it an eco-friendly product?
Choosing solid soap over liquid soap is a meaningful ecological choice. It significantly reduces plastic waste, which remains a major burden on our planet — especially our oceans. There is growing interest in recycled and recyclable plastic packaging, which is a step in the right direction, but the most effective solution is to eliminate plastic altogether by using solid soap. It's a simple and effective step toward zero waste.
Soap dries out my skin, unlike shower gel.
It’s true that shower gels often feel gentler because they contain a large proportion of water — and often many synthetic ingredients. Being diluted, they can seem less drying. However, all of our soaps are enriched with organic shea butter to help counteract dryness.
The key is to choose a soap suited to your skin type. Soaps made with oils such as olive, argan, or wheat germ — or our soap with donkey milk, known for its soothing properties — may be especially suitable for sensitive skin. If needed, you can also pair your soap with a moisturising lotion or cream.
Are the soaps made in China or elsewhere?
No — every French soap bar we offer on our website is made in our carefully selected partner workshop, located between Marseille and Aubagne in southern France.
The traditional Marseille soaps also come from this region. They are sourced from two local soap makers who are members of the Union of Marseille Soap Professionals: label-savon-de-marseille.fr
A word from the manufacturer of our soap bars:
"We strive to be transparent by clearly listing the ingredients in our soaps and sharing detailed information about our company and products — out of respect for our customers, and because we have nothing to hide.
None of our soaps are certified organic, as we believe that such labels have unfortunately become more of a marketing tool than a true guarantee of quality. Instead, we are committed to a thoughtful and eco-conscious approach: we recycle our cardboard packaging, use a hybrid company vehicle, minimise unnecessary packaging, and work with suppliers who share our values as closely as possible.
We don’t claim to be perfect — either in our products or our operations — but we do our best to move in the right direction and are always looking for ways to improve."