History of Castille Soap

As one of the world’s oldest cities, Aleppo is a unique product of its past. Arab, Turkish, Roman, French and Persian influence has shaped the city’s cultural heritage and unique way of life.

Yet, Aleppo’s most significant contribution may be as the birthplace of soap. 

For 4.000 years, Syrian artisans have made soap bars of olive- and laurel oil. A renowned natural product and a cultural pride of Aleppo .

Is commonly believed that the Crusaders brought Aleppo soap back to Europe in the 11th century, based on the claim that the earliest soap made in Europe was just after the Crusades, but in fact the Greeks knew about soap in the first century .

Early soap-makers in England did not have easy access to laurel oil and therefore dropped it from their formulations, thereby creating an olive-oil soap now known as Castile soap. Laurel Oil is also known by us as Bay Leaf.

I now make a soap based on this old recipe called Laurel Berry oil/ Aleppo Style Soap. Its fragrance is due to the Laurel berry oil. Its has a rich creamy lather and its a hard soap bar, yet it is still gentle on the skin and has been used for skin conditions like eczema and dermatitis.

https://www.chasneyestate.com.au/shop/laurel-berry-and-olive-oil-soap