Soaps have evolved over the past century from animal fat to fancy facial cleansers of today. This article discusses the history and science that has developed over the years that resulted in today's tremendous selection of products designed to cleanse our skin.
We will never know if our prehistoric ancestors washed behind their ears and between their toes. But we do have vague knowledge of the beginnings of soap. Over the years, soap has evolved from being primarily an alkaline industrial cleaning agent to the perfumed facial cleansers we use today. Read on to learn the interesting history of soap.
Soap making could have started as early as 2800 B.C. in ancient Babylon. Urns were excavated and found to contain traces of a “soap-like” material.” Inscriptions describe a process of boiling fats with ashes, but as to what purpose this “soap” was used, that is unknown. Ancient medical documents from Egypt dating from 1500 B.C. mention the rudimentary process of soap-making by combing animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts. These early soaps were used to treat skin diseases.
According to Roman legend, “soap” was discovered after rain washed a mixture of “animal fat and wood ashes” down from a mountain upon which animal sacrifices were made. The mixture combined with the natural clay along the river bank and was accidentally discovered by some delighted washer women (or laundry men?) who found it had wonderful cleaning properties. And what was the name of that mountain? Mount Sapo.
The famous Roman baths were built around 300 B.C., and were popular sites for social congregation. Physicians’ notes from the time recommended the use of soap. Alas, along with the fall of the Roman empire in 467 A.D. went the habit of public bathing. Europe was a dark (and dirty) time for a long time.
In the 7th century, soapmaking became an established and well-guarded craft in Europe. Italy, Spain and France were among the forefront of soap manufacturing centers due to their access to the natural supplies of raw material. The English began to make soap in the 12th century. Soapmaking spread to the American colonies in the 1600’s. Though soap was made from tallow (animal fat), vegetable oils and ash, eventually fragrance as from herbs began to be added. Slowly, soap for various uses aside from washing clothes was produced.
In 1791, Nicholas Leblanc patented a process for making a good quality, inexpensive soda ash from common salt. The ash was to be combined with fat to produce soap. In the mid-1800’s, Ernest Solvay discovered an ammonia-based process of creating soda ash from table salt. Both these inventors help simplify the process for making soap, allowing for mass production.
The chemical structure of soap was solved by Michel Eugene Chevreul in the early 1800’s. He unlocked the relationship of fats, glycerine and fatty acids. In 1916, German scientists, in response to World War I rationing, discovered “syndets” or synthetic detergents. These soap-free chemicals cleaned without combining with mineral salts to form “soap scum.” Syndets paved the way for creation of facial cleansing products.
In 1970’s, the Dove/Unilever company introduced fats and “creams” into soaps and invented the concept of the “beauty bar.” The cosmetic world literally exploded afterwards, with other companies creating their versions of bars for facial washing purposes. Later, as more syndets were developed, more ways to add fatty acids and lipids into soapy solutions led to the rise of facial cleansers of all forms- gels, creams and liquids- that we are all familiar with today!
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