Historical testimonial about the Marseille soap industry
Louis Figuier (1819-1894) a popular science writer of his time, wrote a book published in 1873 :
Les merveilles de l'industrie ou Description des principales industries modernes.
(The wonders of the industry or Description of the major modern industries).
He describes in details, the Marseille soap's industry, its history and manufacturing. This document (in french only) from the archives of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France is available for downloading in PDF format: Marseille soap industry (68 pages, 8.45 MB) and presents only the part of the book entitled to Marseille soaps.
Below is a translated abstract which certainly still inspire our contemporary soap makers in Marseille :
So it is with sorrow that we have seen in several recent books, notably in the Great Mills written by Turgan M., Marseille soap makers represented as friends of the routine, rebels to new techniques and confined to their old manufacturing system (1).
The truth is that these manufacturers, acknowledging the progress of industries, haven't missed a single opportunity to follow and appropriate innovations to themselves. If they are still faithful today to the process of Marseille, said the large boiler, from the times of Louis XIV, is that this process was established since the beginning on so complete and rational bases and, that one have never be able to change the substance without distorting the product, and furthermore, this process is the only one that ensures the loyalty of the product, the marbling that is, as we shall see later, being a good manufacturing mark, written proof that the soap contains only the quantity of water required, and that the consumer doesn't buy water for soap.
If manufacturers of Marseille are doing every effort to maintain the purity of the real marbled Marseille soap, this is not, as they have been accused in more than one book, in more than one report at national exhibitions, because they are pleased in routine and are resistant to progress. They have tried all new systems, they were able to review them, as their interests dictate it.
If they persevere in their age-old process is that their own experiences have proven its value, is that their fathers have transmitted their tradition, recommending them to follow it.
They prefer a honorable manufacturing system, but whose benefits are restricted instead of adopting processes that fraud to varying degrees, as we shall see shortly, is the core, because we can, with some fat such as coconut oil, introduce into a soap enormous quantities of water, which make it an adulterated product, unworthy of a self-respecting industry.
At this point of view, it is unfair to argue with Mr.Turgan with Mr.Forcade (1), that manufacturers of Marseille are resistant to progress. We can not honor the name of industrial innovation that does take place at the expense of product quality and costs of the buyer.
(1) "In the midst of this so powerful
and decisive Marseilles soap movement,
the industry seems to extinguish, at least falling apart.
Not because of accidental causes, but because of a
sort of manufacturers stubbornness not to follow
progress of modern science, who do not want to
understand that besides the railroads, even well
established and conscientiously carried out coaches
are no longer possible".
(Turgan, Great Mills, t. II, p. 82, Soap Arnavon.)
