The Differences Between Black Soap & Marseille Soap

Considering there are so many, reading about all the different uses of Black soap & Marseille Soap can get quite confusing. In fact, they are often interchangeable. For example, both laundry detergent and insecticide can be made with either Marseille or Black Soap, but we are here to break down their similarities & differences, so you can make better decisions at home.  

Let’s first understand what they have in common. 
Both Black Soap & Marseille Soap are excellent multi-purpose antiseptics and are mainly composed of vegetable oils, often olive. They are superb home maintenance products for families with babies, pets, vehicles and gardens since they contain no harsh chemicals or additives, meaning they are hypoallergenic and completely biodegradable. Being economical is also an advantage worth mentioning. Due to their versatility, both have the ability to replace many commercial products like stain removers, dishwashing liquid and even pet shampoo.   

 

Now we can look at their ruling differences. 
Manufacturing wise, they both start with a blend of vegetable oils. The main difference lies in the base ingredient used to turn the oils into soap: Black Soap uses potassium which gives it this concentrated silky liquid consistency, Marseille Soap on the other hand uses soda.  
As we have mentioned, some uses can be interchanged but we tend to categorize Black Soap more for home cleaning and Marseille Soap for personal care. But this isn’t an ingrained rule, for instance Marseille Soap is more popular for laundry and dishwashing than Black Soap even if both can be used. This also depends on everyone’s own preferences and needs. If you are still confused, you can go by the rule of thumb that Marseille Soap is slightly more gentle (for skin, hair, dishes & laundry) while Black Soap might be more effective in removing stubborn grease and keeping pests away. But this isn’t to say one is more effective than the other, Marseille Soap is definitely a terrific stain remover & insecticide. 

 

Both of these products have similarities & differences that, together, make the ultimate home and personal care combo. You can even get creative and make your own recipes, maybe even mixing the two soaps to get your own personalized concoction. You’ll find that having both Black Soap & Marseille Soap accessible will come in very handy and will most likely save you from buying unnecessary single use products. Not to mention that they last quite long: Black Soap is highly concentrated so it is often used in small amounts or diluted while a 600 grams cube of Marseille Soap can last up to 6 months with daily usage, obviously depending on how you use it.