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Which is odd, when you consider that olive oil has been used to make soap in the Levant for more than 2,000 years and possibly a lot longer. And odder still, when you learn from their ingredient lists that major soaps such as Lux and Imperial Leather still contain "sodium tallowate", which is Euro-code for soap derived from animal fat! Even Palmolive (which you might hope would be made out of palm and olive oils) and the "minimalist" healthy-sounding Simple Soap are both made principally from animal fat.
In fact Michel-Eugène Chevreul (1786-1889) made significant discoveries in the field of fats and oils, but not that one. By the way, he was the first to identify and name "margarine"!
The history of soap-making in Aleppo is nothing if not vague and just when the industry achieved major proportions in Aleppo is not exactly known; certainly several hundred years ago there was an established industry based in the many small workshops concentrated in the Bab Qinnisrin area of Aleppo that formed the basis of what is today one of the city's most important products.
Today there are 26 producers large enough to be listed by the Syrian-European Business Centre (SEBC) and many smaller and purely domestic ones besides.
How is Aleppo Gold Soap made?
In a skilled process, olive oil is converted to soap (saponified) and then bay leaf extract is added and the product is spread out to solidify before being cut by hand into rectangular bars and individually stamped. The bars are then dried in huge aerated stacks for several months after production and the outer surface of the olive green soap goes a gentle brown through oxidation.
Aleppo Gold Olive Oil & Bay Leaf Soaps are a 100% natural products.
For various general descriptions of the history and process of soap-making, visit one of the following websites:
History of Aleppo Soap
