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THE ORIGINS OF SOAPSOAP was the first product which people used to take care of themselves f or hygienic reasons as well as for cosmetic reason. It gave a nice scent and showed that you were in good health and prosperity.History The first recorded evidence of the manufacture of soap-like materials dates back to around 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon. Babylonians discovered the basic method of making soap (fats boiled with ashes and water). Soap was used mostly in the textile industry. The ancient Greeks were known to wash without soap. They preferred to wash with water, blocks of clay, pumice, sands and ashes and then to anoint themselves with oil. In the second century AD, Galen, the famous Greek physician, recommended washing with soap as a preventive measure for skin diseases. |
By 1200 AD, Marseilles, France and Savona, Italy became soap making centers. In the 8th century, soap making was well-known in Italy and Spain where soap was made with goat fat and Beech tree ashes. During the same period, the French started using olive oil to produce soap. Eventually, fragrances were introduced and soaps for bathing, shaving, shampooing and laundry began to be made. From the 16th century finer soaps were produced in Europe using vegetable oils (such as olive oil) as opposed to animal fats. Many of these soaps are still manufacture, both industrially and In the early beginnings of soap making, it was an exclusive technique used by small groups of soap makers. The demand for soap was high, but it was very expensive and there was a monopoly on soap production in many areas. Over time, recipes for soap making became more widely known, but soap was still expensive. The price of soap was significantly reduced in 1791 when a Frenchman by the name of LeBlanc discovered a chemical process that allowed soap to be sold for significantly less money. More than 20 years later, another Frenchman identified relationships between glycerin, fats and acid what marked the beginning of modern soap making. With the 1800 discovery of another method of making soap ingredients, soap became even less expensive. Since that time, there have been no major discoveries and the same processes are used for the soap making we use and enjoy today. Advances came as the science of chemistry developed because more was understood about the ingredients. In the mid-nineteenth century, soap for bathing became a separate commodity from laundry soap, with milder soaps being packaged, sold and made available for personal use. Liquid hand soaps were invented in the 1970s. Today |
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