Why is our Aleppo soap unique?
Aleppo soap is protected as a geographical indication according to Syrian law No. 8 section 2 of 6|03|2007. A decree including a logo and a geographical indication was published under No. 9134 on 05|10|2011. A protection of the geographical indication protects a name and a place of manufacture. Any product named Aleppo soap must be manufactured in the agglomeration of Aleppo. The Syrian government has designated 4 regions for Ghar soap (laurel soap): Aleppo, Idlib, Latakia, Kessab.
In Syria, manufacturers call it Savon Ghar (bay leaf soap) as soon as the soap is composed of olive oil and bay leaf oil, even if it is made outside the city of Aleppo. We are the fervent protectors of the artisanal and ancestral know-how of the master soap makers of Aleppo. Our Aleppo soaps are authentic because they are truly made in Aleppo according to the ancestral recipe and the specifications in force for this appellation. Here, the word "recipe" takes on its full meaning because the master soap makers "cook" the Aleppo soap, a 2-day cooking in a cauldron.
To apply the designation "Aleppo Soap", manufacturers must comply with very precise specifications, stipulating the authorized raw materials and the manufacturing processes.
to respect:
- Place of manufacture: Aleppo and its agglomeration
- Only ingredients allowed: Non-food olive oil, bay berry oil, caustic soda for saponification of oils and water: And that's it!
- The saponification of oils is done hot in an artisanal way in a cooking cauldron
An “AOP”: Protected Designation of Origin was signed by the Syrian Ministry of Economy in 2016.
The hot saponification process requires specific know-how and appropriate industrial facilities. This manufacturing process allows for total saponification of the oils and the elimination of excess caustic, unlike cold saponification. This also allows all the virtues of the oils to be preserved.
An Aleppo soap must be made in Aleppo just as champagne is made in the northeastern region of France, Champagne, and not in California.
