Salon’s history of soap
Soap factories
Salon had 14 soap factories in 1914. The biggest ones were Lurian, Gounelle and Garcin. Most Salon and Marseille soap factories shut down after the Second World War: the appearance of laundry detergent for washing machines marked the beginning of the end for Savon de Marseille.
Estives
Estives are specific storehouses to house, process and trade oil, soap and coffee. There were over 200 oil merchants in Salon so there were just as many estives during the golden age…
Living heritage
Two soap factories are still standing: Marius Fabre and Rampal-Latour.
They keep the unique legacy of soapmaking in cauldrons alive and have been recognised as “Living Heritage Companies” by the French government in recognition of their outstanding industrial and artisan expertise.
You can visit their manufacturing workshops on a free guided tour.
Rampal Savons
Nais.bessaih 20191213 183
Rampal
