Aleppo, Marseille and Castile are the three great names in traditional olive oil soap. They look similar, they’re all made the old way, and they’re often mentioned in the same breath — which is exactly why people get them confused. They’re closely related, but each has its own character. Here’s how they compare.
They’re a family, not rivals
The simplest way to understand these three is as a family tree. Aleppo soap is the eldest — one of the oldest soaps in the world. As the method travelled west around the Mediterranean, it’s widely thought to have inspired the olive oil soaps of Europe: Castile in Spain and, later, Marseille in France. So a lot of the family resemblance is real.
Castile soap
Castile takes its name from the region of Spain where it became famous. Classic Castile is made from olive oil alone (today the name is sometimes used more loosely for any vegetable-oil soap). It’s prized for being extremely mild and plain — no added scent, nothing fancy — which makes it a go-to for gentle, no-frills washing.
Marseille soap
Savon de Marseille is the French cousin, traditionally made to a set recipe — classically around 72% oil — using a specific multi-step cooking process. It comes in an olive-oil (green) version and a more neutral (white) version, and it’s long been used for everything from washing the body to laundry around the house. Like Castile, it’s mild and largely unscented.
Aleppo soap
Aleppo is the one that stands apart, because of a single extra ingredient: laurel oil. Olive oil gives it the same gentle base as its cousins, but laurel adds a distinctive earthy scent and a more cleansing character — and the amount of laurel can be dialled up or down. It’s also famously cured for many months until it’s rock-hard and green inside.
So what’s the real difference?
- Aleppo = olive + laurel oil. Distinctive scent, more cleansing, the original.
- Castile = (traditionally) pure olive oil. The plainest and mildest.
- Marseille = a set-recipe olive or vegetable oil soap. Mild, versatile, French.
If you want the gentlest, most neutral bar, Castile or a green Marseille is hard to beat. If you want something with more character — a scent, a bit more cleansing power, and centuries of heritage — Aleppo is the one to reach for.
Try the original
Curious to start with the soap that arguably began it all? Browse our Aleppo soap collection, and our full guide to Aleppo soap explains how it’s made.