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History of Soap Timeline

(c. 2800 BCE–Present)

The history of soap traces the development of cleansing substances from ancient plant-and-fat mixtures to the diverse soaps and detergents used today. Less

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Ancient origins

Soap-like materials produced in Babylon

2800 BC

Evidence indicates that humans produced soap-like materials in ancient Babylon around 2800 BC. These early substances were made from fats and alkaline materials and represent some of the earliest known forms of soap production.

Image source: SOAP

Soap-like materials produced in Babylon

Sumerian soap formula recorded

2500 BC

A Sumerian clay tablet dating to around 2500 BC contains a formula for making a soap-like substance. The record demonstrates that early Mesopotamian societies had developed and documented methods for combining fats with alkaline substances.

Egyptians use soap-like medicine

1550 BC

The Ebers papyrus indicates that ancient Egyptians used a soap-like product as medicine. It describes combining animal fats or vegetable oils with trona, a soda ash substance, to create the material.

Image source: Ebers Papyrus

Egyptians use soap-like medicine

True soap production emerges

1 AD

Knowledge of how to produce true soap emerged sometime between the early proto-soaps and the first century AD. This development involved more effective combinations of fats or oils with alkaline substances.

Romans begin using soap

1 AD

The ancient Romans did not use soap until at least the first century AD. Its adoption occurred after soap-making knowledge had developed beyond earlier proto-soap materials.

Pliny describes soap as a Gallic invention

1 AD

Pliny the Elder recorded that soap was 'an invention of the Gauls.' His account provides an important first-century description of soap and associates its development with peoples of ancient Gaul.

Image source: Pliny the Elder

Pliny describes soap as a Gallic invention

Aretaeus describes Celtic soap

2 AD

Aretaeus of Cappadocia wrote that among the Celts, whom he called Gauls, alkaline substances were made into balls called soap. His second-century account is one of the earliest literary descriptions of soap in use.

Image source: Aretaeus of Cappadocia

Aretaeus describes Celtic soap

Galen describes lye soap and washing

2 AD

The physician Galen described soap-making with lye and prescribed washing to carry impurities away from the body and clothes. His writing connected soap and washing with medical hygiene.

Image source: Galen

Galen describes lye soap and washing

Medieval expansion

Soapmaking guild established in Naples

500 - 599

Soapmakers in Naples, then under the control of the Eastern Roman Empire, belonged to a guild by the late sixth century. The guild indicates that soap production had become an organized craft.

Soapmaking becomes known in Italy and Spain

700 - 799

By the eighth century, soap-making was well known in Italy and Spain. These regions became important centers in the transmission and development of European soap production.

Animal-fat soap used in Europe

800 - 899

In ninth-century Europe, soap was produced from animal fats. These soaps were effective cleansers but were known for having an unpleasant smell.

Medieval Spain becomes a leading soapmaker

800

The lands of medieval Spain were leading soap producers by about 800. Production benefited from access to oils, alkaline materials, and established Mediterranean commercial networks.

Soap production process documented

1100

A twelfth-century document describes the process of producing soap. The record shows that soap-making techniques had become sufficiently established to be documented in medieval Europe or the Mediterranean world.

Soapmaking begins in England

1200

Soapmaking began in the Kingdom of England about 1200. This marked the establishment of a durable English soap industry that later expanded with new manufacturing methods.

West Asian and North African soap industry expands

1200 - 1299

By the thirteenth century, soap manufacture in West Asia and North Africa had become a major cottage industry. Important production centers included Nablus, Fes, Damascus, and Aleppo.

European soapmaking reaches industrial scale

1400 - 1499

By the fifteenth century, soap manufacture in Christendom frequently took place on an industrial scale. Major sources included Antwerp, Castile, Marseille, Naples, and Venice.

Early modern industry

Marseille soap production expands

1525

By 1525, soap production in Marseille was concentrated in at least two factories. Marseille's industry increasingly eclipsed the other Provençal centers.

Provençal soap centers emerge

1550

By the second half of the sixteenth century, semi-industrial professional soap manufacture in France was concentrated in Provence. Toulon, Hyères, and Marseille supplied soap to the rest of France.

Vegetable-oil soaps become finer

1600

From the seventeenth century, finer soaps were produced in Europe using vegetable oils such as olive oil rather than animal fats. This change improved quality and helped distinguish premium soaps from older products.

Society of Soapmakers receives monopoly

1634

In 1634, Charles I granted the newly formed Society of Soapmakers a monopoly over soap production. Supporters presented testimonials claiming that New White Soap washed whiter and sweeter than Old Soap.

Soap tax is introduced in England

1665 - 1714

During the Restoration era, England imposed a tax on soap. The tax helped keep soap a luxury that was used regularly mainly by wealthy households until the nineteenth century.

James Keir establishes chemical works

1780

In 1780, James Keir established chemical works at Tipton to manufacture alkali from sulfates of potash and soda. He later added a soap manufactory, linking chemical production with industrial soapmaking.

Industrial bar soaps become available

1780 - 1799

Industrial manufactured bar soaps became available in the late eighteenth century. Advertising campaigns in Europe and America promoted public awareness of the relationship between cleanliness and health.

Leblanc process produces alkali from salt

1790

In 1790, Nicolas Leblanc discovered a method for making alkali from common salt. The process provided an important industrial source of alkaline material used in soap manufacture.

Modern soap production

Pears soap production begins

1807

Andrew Pears began making Pears soap in London in 1807. The product was a high-quality transparent soap and became one of the best-known branded soaps.

Soap powder manufacturing begins

1837

Robert Spear Hudson began manufacturing soap powder in 1837. He initially produced it by grinding soap with a mortar and pestle, an early step toward convenient powdered detergents and cleansers.

Soap tax repealed in England

1853

The English soap tax was repealed in 1853. The repeal boosted the soap trade and deregulated production, helping make soap more accessible to a broader population.

Liquid soap patented

1865

In 1865, William Sheppard patented a liquid version of soap. Liquid soap represented a significant change from traditional solid bars and later became common in household and public hygiene.

Image source: Soap

Liquid soap patented

Barratt becomes Pears brand manager

1865

Thomas J. Barratt, Andrew Pears's son-in-law, became Pears's brand manager in 1865. He is regarded as the first person to hold a role of this kind, helping establish modern branded-product marketing.

Lillie Langtry endorses Pears soap

1882

In 1882, Thomas J. Barratt recruited English actress and socialite Lillie Langtry as the poster girl for Pears soap. Her campaign made her the first celebrity known to endorse a commercial product.

Image source: Lillie Langtry

Lillie Langtry endorses Pears soap

Lever Brothers soap business founded

1886

William Hesketh Lever and his brother James bought a small soap works in Warrington in 1886. Their business became Lever Brothers and eventually developed into Unilever, one of the world's largest soap businesses.

Image source: Lever Brothers

Lever Brothers soap business founded

Palm-and-olive-oil soap developed

1898

In 1898, B. J. Johnson developed a soap derived from palm and olive oils. The product reflected the continued expansion of vegetable-oil soapmaking in modern industry.

Key Facts

  1. The earliest known soap-like substances date to ancient Mesopotamia around 2800 BCE and were made from fats, ashes, and water.
  2. Ancient Egyptians used alkaline salts and animal or vegetable oils in cleansing and medicinal preparations.
  3. The Romans refined soapmaking and helped spread its use, although bathing and skin care were often more important than household washing.
  4. During the Industrial Revolution, mass production and improved chemistry made affordable bar soap widely available.
  5. In the 19th and 20th centuries, soap became central to public health, while synthetic detergents emerged during the 20th century.

Source

This History of Soap timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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