Savonnerie Marius Fabre – Marseille Soap Museum
“Know-How”, patience and exacting standards
are the principles of an art that enable
the Marius Fabre soap factory
to produce Marseille soap
of consistently unrivalled quality.”
Founded in 1900 by Marius Fabre, this family-run soap house is one of the last authentic producers of traditional Marseille soap and olive oil-based black soap. Now led by Julie and Marie Bousquet-Fabre, the founder’s great-granddaughters, the company preserves a rare artisanal “know-how” passed down through generations.
True to tradition, Marseille soap is still made using a centuries-old method in open-air cauldrons.
At Marius Fabre, it is slowly cooked for 14 days with carefully selected vegetable oils, particularly olive oil, producing a high-quality “Extra Pure” soap.
The production site itself dates back to the late 19th century, while the process follows a method established under Colbert’s Edict of 1688.
Beyond its iconic soap cubes, the house also produces certified organic cosmetics and liquid black soap, all rooted in olive oil, valued since Antiquity for its moisturising and antioxidant properties.
Within the heart of the factory lies the Marseille Soap Museum, housed in a former drying room carefully preserved as part of the historic site.
It offers an immersive journey into the heritage of Marseille soap-making through a rich collection of tools, moulds, packaging and archival artefacts.
Visitors can explore the evolution of soap production from the Middle Ages to today and, through guided tours, witness the traditional manufacturing process still in operation.
01/02/2007 – Salon de Provence – Fabrication traditionelle du savon de Marseille aux savonneries Marius Fabre – Coulée dans les bacs**01/02/2007 – Salon de Provence – Traditional soap of Marseille making at Marius Fabre soap maker – soap sent in open tanks
Savonnerie Marius Fabre 148 avenue Paul Bourret, 13300 SALON-DE-PROVENCE (FRANCE)